It would be an understatement to write that 2024 has been a tough year for the royal family. (We don’t have to tell you this, but) In January, news broke on the same day that Princess Kate had abdominal surgery the day prior, while, 90 minutes later, it was revealed that King Charles would have a procedure of his own—a corrective procedure for a benign enlarged prostate—later that month. (It was during this procedure that cancer was found in his body; the specific type of cancer has still not been shared by the Palace.) Within days, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, revealed that, just weeks after beating breast cancer, she had been diagnosed with skin cancer, malignant melanoma, specifically. A month later, Thomas Kingston—married to royal cousin Lady Gabriella—died by suicide at age 45.
It would be impossible, under these circumstances, not to be melancholy. Royals are royals, yes, but they’re also still human; they grieve and feel like the rest of us. There is, as ever, much work to be done in the family, and OK reports that the brood is attempting to keep on with “business as usual,” but that (quite understandably) “there is a gloomy atmosphere behind the scenes,” according to royal expert Richard Eden, speaking on the “Palace Confidential” podcast.
