Royal family begins to emerge from 'a very, very challenging year' but there are still lingering issues ahead

EXCLUSIVE: Following the success of the King and Queen's visit to Australia earlier this month and the Princess of Wales' recent announcement that she has finished chemotherapy, the royal family is emerging from what has been "a difficult year".

The start of 2024 dealt the monarchy a number of personal blows, with King Charles III and Catherine both diagnosed with cancer.

Weeks before, the Duchess of York announced she was battling melanoma, months after announcing she had a single mastectomy following the discovery of a lump on her breast.

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And in February, tragedy would strike the King's cousin. Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor, was found dead at his family home with a gun discovered next to his body.

The year was quickly likened to the late Queen Elizabeth II's "annus horribilis" – a Latin phrase for "horrible year" – in 1992.

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Elizabeth II referred to it as a "tumultuous year" due to the marriage breakdowns of three of her four children, a number of tabloid scandals surrounding then-Prince Charles and Diana and the Duke and Duchess of York, and the fire that destroyed over 100 rooms in Windsor Castle.

But has 2024 been so bad after all?

"2024 has been a difficult year, be in no doubt about that," ITV's royal editor Chris Ship tells 9honey.

Watch the video above.

Two years on from the coronation, the King's reign was still in its infancy and things had been tracking along rather well, he says.

"Most people remarked remarked on how smooth it had been, the transition from that very long reign of Queen Elizabeth II – and then suddenly you're hit, as families are, as people around the world are hit, by health problems."

But, Ship says, "it's beginning to feel a bit more normal after what has been a very, very challenging year".

There was a period mid-year, however, when "the royal family looked very, very thin on the ground".

King Charles was advised by his medical team to retreat from all public-facing duties while he received treatment for the undisclosed form of cancer.

The Princess of Wales, who was also diagnosed with cancer following planned surgery, has taken a much lengthier time away from public duties.

"It was Queen Camilla keeping the royal show on the road," Ship says.

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"A lot of people would have raised an eyebrow or two about that 30 years ago when she was allegedly the most hated woman in Britain.

"It's been very difficult [and] it still looks quite vulnerable."

Princess Anne and the Duchess of Edinburgh also carried out a busy schedule, filling the gaps for the stretched royal family.

"But the ones we care about in terms of senior figures in the royal family – the King, Queen, William and Kate – however good their work is, Princess Anne and the Duchess of Edinburgh will always be on that lower tier," Ship says.

To reassure the public, the royal family attempted to carry on as usual by keeping its annual events in the calendar – only now with the absences of the King and Princess of Wales from some of its key engagements including the Commonwealth Day service and Maundy Thursday.

"They've tried to keep everything as as the same as they possibly can, whilst acknowledging that everything is very different," Ship says.

In June, Princess of Wales made her first public appearance of the year at Trooping the Colour, the official celebration of the monarch's birthday.

King Charles and his daughter-in-law stood side-by-side on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the parade.

"And very slowly, as we get towards the end of the year, things are starting to feel a bit more normal."

A senior palace official said the King felt his tour of Australia and Samoa was the "perfect tonic" and plans to return to his full overseas tour schedule in 2025, subject to doctors' approval.

Catherine's slow return to public engagements recently began and the 42-year-old so far has just two events pencilled in her diary: Remembrance Day commemorations in November and her Together at Christmas concert in December.

However, there remains a lingering issue the royal family is yet to resolve: the ongoing feud between the King and Prince William and Prince Harry.

Earlier in the year when the King and Princess of Wales retreated from public life there had been suggestions Prince Harry might resume some form of royal duties to help fill the void.

Harry's recent return for the WellChild Awards in London was an example of what could have been, Ship says.

"It's always a reminder when Harry comes here, and he's on good form, of what the royal family is missing, missing that certain element that Harry could bring to events that other members of the royal family might lack."

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He described Meghan as "a breath of fresh air in the royal family when the wedding happened, before things all fell apart".

"So, inevitably, when the royal family looks thin, there's talk about 'Oh, actually, should we get Harry and Megan back?'

"It's very difficult to do that.

"And when Harry came to London, he's not seeing his father even though he's got cancer. What does that tell you about their relationship?

"He was just 30 miles away from William a couple of weeks ago. Did they see each other? No, they didn't because they're not talking at all.

"So it's very difficult for Harry and Megan to come back.

"Too much water has passed under the bridge and I just cannot see that happening.

"I wouldn't want to say never, but certainly not any time soon."