As a frenzy of hypothesis grips the royal household, a take a look at current occasions which have fueled rumors

LONDON — 2024 hasn’t been an excellent yr for Britain’s royals up to now.

First got here the “royal well being shock” headlines when palace officers introduced that King Charles III and Kate, the Princess of Wales, each had well being troubles. An absence of details about Kate’s well being and whereabouts then fueled an more and more frenzied rumor mill that made its approach from the fringes of social media to frontpages all over the world.

Mistrust of the monarchy solely intensified after Kate admitted that she edited an official household photograph, and palace officers have struggled to regain management of the narrative as conjecture and conspiracy theories persist.

Here’s a timeline of current occasions regarding the royal household:

Dec. 25, 2023: Kate attends Christmas service at Sandringham, the royal property on the jap English coast, alongside Prince William, their kids and different members of the royal household. That is the princess’s final public look.

Jan. 16, 2024: Kate, 42, is admitted to the London Clinic and undergoes belly surgical procedure. The information is not introduced till the following day.

Jan. 17: Kensington Palace reveals that Kate is recovering from a deliberate operation. Officers say her situation is not cancer-related however didn’t specify what surgical procedure it was, solely saying it was profitable. They are saying she is going to stay within the personal hospital for 10-14 days and be away from public view till after Easter.

Buckingham Palace declares on the identical day that King Charles will likely be handled for a benign enlarged prostate.

Jan. 21: Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, says she has malignant melanoma, a type of pores and skin most cancers.

Jan. 26: King Charles is admitted to a London hospital for a three-day keep for his prostate therapy.

Jan. 29: Kate and Charles are each discharged from the hospital. Charles is photographed leaving the hospital with Camilla and waving at well-wishers. Kate isn’t pictured leaving the hospital, however officers say she is “making good progress” and can proceed her restoration at residence.

Feb. 5: Buckingham Palace declares that Charles has cance r and can obtain therapy. Officers didn’t say what type of most cancers the king has.

Feb. 7: Prince Harry arrives within the U.Ok. from California to go to his father. He departs the following day.

Feb. 27: William pulls out of a memorial service for his godfather, the late King Constantine of Greece, on the final minute, attributable to a “private matter.” The palace declined to elaborate however stated Kate continues to do properly.

Afterward the identical day, Buckingham Palace says Thomas Kingston, the son-in-law of Prince Michael of Kent, has died on the age of 45. Prince Michael is a cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

March 1: An inquest hears that Thomas Kingston died from a “traumatic head wound” on Feb. 25. A gun was discovered close to his physique at his mother and father’ residence.

March 4: A photograph reportedly displaying Kate using in a automobile along with her mom Carole Middleton in Windsor circulates on social media. It’s printed by some worldwide information retailers however not in any of Britain’s newspapers.

March 6: Folks journal cites a royal spokesman as saying that William’s “focus is on his work and never on social media.”

March 10: Kensington Palace releases a photograph of Kate surrounded by her three kids to mark Mom’s Day in Britain. The photograph, the primary official one for the reason that princess underwent surgical procedure, was retracted hours later by The Related Press and different information businesses over issues it had been digitally manipulated.

March 11: Amid a brand new spherical of hypothesis about her well being sparked by the edited household photograph, Kate points an apology on social media for the “confusion” brought about. She says she “often experiments with modifying” like many novice photographers.

March 16: The Solar newspaper publishes a video reportedly displaying a smiling and relaxed Kate purchasing with William at a farm store close to their Windsor residence.

March 20: The Info Commissioner’s Workplace says it’s investigating a report that at the very least one member of workers on the London Clinic tried to listen in on Kate’s medical information whereas she was a affected person on the hospital.