Prince William has described 2024 as “the hardest year of his life” in rare personal comments about the health scares that have hit the royal family.

The Prince of Wales’ remarks came as he wrapped up a visit to South Africa, amid speculation his stepmother, the Queen, may miss one of the most symbolic events on the royal family calendar this Sunday due to ill-health.

In more positive news, the Princess of Wales is widely tipped to make a rare appearance with other senior royals at the Cenotaph in London for Remembrance Sunday.

“Honestly? It’s been dreadful. It’s probably been the hardest year in my life,” William told the BBC about the past 12 months, in which his father and his wife were diagnosed with cancer six weeks apart.

‘So proud’

“Trying to get through everything else and keep everything on track has been really difficult.

“But I’m so proud of my wife, I’m proud of my father, for handling the things that they have done. But from a personal family point of view, it’s been brutal.”

His frank admission follows the well-documented cancer battles of Kate, 42, and the King, 75. It also comes after Buckingham Palace announced last week that the 77-year-old Queen was cancelling upcoming engagements due to a chest infection.

“Her doctors have advised a short period of rest,” a palace spokesperson said.

“With great regret, Her Majesty has therefore had to withdraw from her engagements for this week, but she very much hopes to be recovered in time to attend this weekend’s Remembrance events as normal.”

The most common chest infections are bronchitis and pneumonia.

While the Queen’s appearance on Sunday remains in doubt, Kate is thought likely to be there as she continues her return to work after months of cancer treatment.

The princess was admitted to hospital for abdominal surgery in January, later announcing she was having preventative chemotherapy for a non-specified cancer.

Also in January, Sarah, the Duchess of York, and former wife of disgraced Prince Andrew, revealed she had been diagnosed with a malignant melanoma following the removal of a cancerous mole during treatment for breast cancer.

In February, the King announced he was being treated for cancer. He has spent most of the year receiving chemotherapy.

‘Unprecedented’

“[This year] has been unprecedented for the amount of illness that has beset some members of the royal family,” Flinders University associate professor, Giselle Bastin, told The New Daily.

“It could be, however, that the public is being made more aware of the personal health ailments of the royals than we have at any other point in history.”

In 2022, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh and wife of Prince Edward, was candid about how menopause had affected her life, revealing she had endured memory loss.

“We cannot let anyone leave the workplace, feeling that they have got to slope off into the shadows. We have to be able to change that,” she told a Wellbeing of Women charity event.

Bastin, whose research focuses on the field of “royalism” and biographies, biopics and histories about the British royals, pointed out that during Queen Victoria’s reign from 1937-1901, public announcements of the royals’ health were “non-existent”.

“Even by the 1950s, the public was not made aware of King George VI’s cancer … [he] was not even told by his own doctors how advanced his cancer was.”

Bastin said this year’s announcements about the royals’ health is “a sign of a more transparent age”.

“Shared stories of health conditions reflect a willingness on behalf of the royals to appear more open and accessible,” she said.

“They have been sharing their health battles, too, in the spirit of improving public awareness about health issues such as breast cancer, menopause, etc.”

The King and Queen on the final day of their visit to Samoa. Photo: Getty

After a galvanising trip to Australia and Samoa last month, the King and Queen stayed at a health retreat in India for three days before returning to the UK.

The Hindu reported they stayed at the King’s favourite wellness resort (he celebrated his 71st birthday there), the Soukya international holistic health centre on the outskirts of the southern city of Bengaluru.

A health break

An official told India’s national newspaper the centre was well known for its rejuvenating treatments that included yoga, meditation sessions and therapies.

“The couple who have stayed in the medical facility on a couple of occasions in the past took various wellness treatments, including Ayurveda and naturopathy,” the official said.

“Their morning routine included yoga sessions.”

“They were on a special diet as part of the various wellness treatment they underwent here … which also included meditation and therapies.

“They also enjoyed long walks around the 30-acre [12-hectare] campus and going to [an] organic farm.”

The Queen’s illness was announced shortly after the couple’s return home. She was unable to attend a reception for Olympic and Paralympic medal winners from this year’s Paris Games.

The King is still being treated for his cancer, which has forced him to cut back on some engagements. His recent tour Down Under – his first as monarch – omitted visits to New Zealand and Fiji cut.