The past 12 months have been a whirlwind for the Princess of Wales in light of her cancer diagnosis and treatment, as well as her gradual return to royal duties.

The royal mother-of-three, who is now in remission from cancer, first went public with her diagnosis last year on 22 March in a moving video. In the clip, she explained how she underwent major abdominal surgery in January, with subsequent tests revealing cancer had been present.

Kate spoke about starting a course of preventative chemotherapy and explained how the news came as a “huge shock,” saying: “It has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.”

Timeline of Princess Kate’s health updates

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25 December 2023 – Kate is last seen publicly on Christmas Day

9 January 2024 – Kate celebrates her 42^nd birthday, with the King and Queen sharing a behind-the-scenes photo from the coronation to mark the day.

11 January 2024 – William returns to royal duties, meeting rugby heroes Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield at Headingley Stadium in Leeds.

17 January 2024 – Kensington Palace announces in a statement that Kate has undergone abdominal surgery at the London Clinic and that William has temporarily stepped back from royal duties to care for Kate and their children.

18 January 2024 – William visits Kate at the London Clinic.

26 January 2024 – King Charles visits Kate in hospital before undergoing treatment for an enlarged prostate.

29 January 2024 – Kate is discharged from hospital and returns home to Windsor to continue her recovery. King Charles also leaves the London Clinic on the same day after his treatment.

7 February 2024 – William resumes royal duties attending London’s Air Ambulance Charity gala with Tom Cruise.

10 February 2024 – William and Kate spend February half-term with George, Charlotte and Louis at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall. Kate’s siblings are also pictured on holiday during the school holidays, with James Middleton and Alizee Thevenet flying to the Caribbean with baby Inigo, and Pippa Matthews and her family holidaying on the island of St Barts.

27 February 2024 – Kate said to be “doing well” as William pulls out of King Constantine memorial due to a “personal matter”.

29 February 2024 – Kensington Palace addresses social media speculation, reiterating: “We were very clear from the outset that the Princess of Wales was out until after Easter.”

10 March 2024 – A photograph of Kate with their three children at home in Windsor is released to mark Mother’s Day and to thank the public for their “continued support”.

11 March 2024 – Kate publicly apologises for the “confusion” around the photograph as she admitted she “occasionally experiments with editing,” after news agencies pulled the image amid claims it had been digitally altered. The Princess is then seen in a car with William as she’s driven to a private appointment in London. 

19 March 2024 – Footage of William and Kate leaving the Windsor Farm Shop is shared by The Sun and TMZ in the first video sighting of the Princess since surgery.

22 March 2024 – Princess Kate confirms that she has been diagnosed with cancer in a moving video message and is undergoing preventative chemotherapy. 

18 April 2024 – Prince William returns to royal duties after spending Easter holidays privately as a family. 

10 May 2024 – Prince William says Kate is “doing well” as he visits the Isles of Scilly. 

21 May 2024 – Princess Kate is “excited” as Kensington Palace shares update on her early years work with the release of her Business Taskforce’s prioritising childhood report.

8 June 2024 – Princess Kate writes letter to Irish Guards to apologise for not being able to take part in the salute at the Colonel’s Review.

14 June 2024 – In a personal statement, Kate shares she is making “good progress” and that her “treatment is ongoing and will be for a few more months”. 

15 June 2024 – Kate makes her first major public appearance since diagnosis at Trooping the Colour.

14 July 2024 – Kate watches the Men’s final at Wimbledon with Princess Charlotte and Pippa Matthews.

11 August 2024 – William and Kate congratulate Team GB athletes in a video message after the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

9 September 2024 – Kate confirms she’s completed chemotherapy in moving video message.

10 October 2024 – Kate joins William on visit to bereaved families in Southport.

9/10 November 2024 – Princess attends Festival of Remembrance and Remembrance Day service at Cenotaph.

3 December 2024 – Kate greets Emir of Qatar alongside William during state visit.

6 December 2024 – The Princess of Wales hosts her Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey.

25 December 2024 – William and Kate attend the Christmas Day church service in Sandringham with the royals.

14 January 2025 – The Princess confirms she’s in remission after visiting The Royal Marsden hospital in London – where she was treated.

The 43-year-old’s brave announcement came after weeks of media speculation with regards to the royal’s whereabouts. While the Palace released a statement in January announcing that Kate had undergone planned abdominal surgery, questions regarding the Princess’s situation continued to mount.

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Princess Kate’s Photoshop controversy: a brief recap

Things quickly escalated when Kensington Palace released a photograph on Mother’s Day that showed the Princess of Wales posing with her three children at home in Windsor. In the picture, which was taken by Prince William, Kate beamed as she perched on a wicker chair, while sibling trio Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis surrounded their mother with gleeful grins.

A caption read: “Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months. Wishing everyone a Happy Mother’s Day. C.” Little did the Palace know that their innocuous family update would soon become the subject of headlines across the globe.

Just hours after the image was released, eagle-eyed followers suspected that the image had been doctored with up to a reported 16 subtle alterations, including tweaks to Louis’ jumper, Charlotte’s skirt and the cream stone step in the background.

Various news agencies quickly pulled the portrait over fears it had been “manipulated” including EPA and AFP which was one of the first international agencies who issued a “kill notice”.

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The Princess of Wales issued a statement on social media, which read: “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”

Instagram also added a warning to the image that now reads: “See why fact-checkers say that this is an altered photo.”

As Mother’s Day looms, we’re taking a further deep dive into Kate’s response to the Photoshop incident, how she won public sympathy, and why Mothering Sunday continues to be an important date in the calendar.

A ‘mature’ response from Kate

Robert Hardman, author of King Charles III: New King, New Court, the Inside Story, maintains that Princess Kate responded well to the “ludicrous” over-reaction and ultimately showed “great maturity”. 

Of the incident as a whole, Robert told HELLO!: “I would have thought for her and William, that’s got to be one of the sort of the low points of what he [William] called a ‘brutal year’.

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Reflecting on the media’s over-reaction and Kate’s response, he went on to say: “It was a really ludicrous, over exaggerated response to something, particularly in an industry where doctored photos of celebrities are routine… They grasped it very quickly. There was a quick turnaround the next day where I think she apologised. And I think that was the right thing to do.”

He continued: “And in the same way that the picture was very hands-on, so was the response. She took it on the chin, she dealt with it, and that was the end of it.”

Robert also touched on Kate’s cancer diagnosis video announcement that followed shortly afterwards. “Now we know what she was going through, actually that should not have happened. I think that she showed great dignity. It was a nice thing to do, it was done in entirely the right spirit. I think she showed great maturity and restraint, frankly, in the way she dealt with it, just saying ‘Sorry we touched up a photo, we didn’t do it very well’.”

Achieving ‘a greater authenticity’

In the eyes of Robert Jobson, author of the No.1 bestseller Catherine, The Princess of Wales, Kate has since won public sympathy and has ultimately achieved a “greater authenticity.”

He told HELLO!: “The Princess has shown remarkable resilience since her recent health challenges. What some might have seen as setbacks, including the Photoshop incident last year, have actually served toward her achieving a greater authenticity and the public’s confidence.

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Robert continued: “This year, she appears more focused and open than ever, embracing both the lessons of the past and the promise of the future; a true reflection of her evolving role within the royal family. In many ways she is the glue that unites the royal family and is setting an inspiring standard of grace and leadership.”

Why Mother’s Day is important for Kate

Mother’s Day has long been an important date in the calendar for Kate and her family. Over the years, the royals have publicly marked Mother’s Day either by releasing personal photos or by sharing a glimpse of their celebrations. In 2023, for instance, Kensington Palace released two portraits at the Waleses’ home in Norfolk – one of Kate with her three children sitting in a tree, and another of the Princess cradling Louis.

While no photo was shared in 2022, the Palace did choose to release an image in 2021 that showed a cake baked by Kate’s children, as well as photos of cards the kids had written to their late grandmother, Princess Diana.

It’s also worth noting that the pair have taken a different approarch to how they release official photos, opting to release them straight on social media. 

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Beyond this, Kate has been vocal about the highs and lows of motherhood during royal engagements. In a speech at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in March 2017, she shared a personal insight, saying: “Personally, becoming a mother has been such a rewarding and wonderful experience. However, at times it has also been a huge challenge, even for me who has support at home that most mothers do not.”

Despite parenting being a challenge at times, William has long waxed lyrical about Kate’s role as a mother. In a post shared to mark her birthday last year, the Prince paid tribute to his wife, writing: “To the most incredible wife and mother. The strength you’ve shown over the last year has been remarkable. George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you.”