Prince William, Princess Kate Middleton and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, delivered a dose of holiday cheer with their 2024 Christmas card.
“Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas ,” the family captioned the social media post sharing this year’s holiday greeting. The image from the royal family was snapped earlier this year when Kate, 42, released an intimate at-home video announcing that she had completed her chemotherapy treatments.
William and Kate wished royal watchers a “Happy Christmas and New Year” on the card, which was placed on a wooden table in front of a Christmas tree for the social media video. The clip was animated to feature snow falling as the family beamed.
The holiday card comes at the conclusion of a difficult year for the family of five. Kensington Palace announced in January that Kate underwent a “planned” abdominal surgery. At the time, she retreated from the public eye to focus on her recovery.
After much speculation about her condition, Kate confirmed in March that she had been diagnosed with cancer, though she did not disclose the type or stage.
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“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful, however, tests after the operation found cancer had been present,” Kate said in a video statement. “My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I’m now in the early stages of treatment.”
Kate added that the news came as a “huge shock,” noting that she and William had “been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”
In September, Kate revealed that she had completed her chemotherapy treatments, admitting that the “last nine months” had been “incredibly tough for us as a family.” She said she was doing everything she could “to stay cancer free,” though her “path to healing and full recovery” was still “long.”
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Later that month, Kate returned to her royal duties after a nine-month break from her public-facing role.
Prior to her cancer announcement, Kate made headlines in March for sharing a Mother’s Day photo of herself posing with George, 11, Charlotte, 9, and Louis, 6, amid her health struggles. The image was subsequently pulled by news agencies after allegations that it had been “manipulated” by the source.
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Kate addressed the snafu at the time. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing,” she wrote in a statement posted via X. “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.”
The incident was not the first time William, 42, and Kate were accused of photoshopping their pictures. Royal watchers pointed out apparent inconsistencies with the couple’s 2023 holiday card, including what some believed to be extra limbs and missing extremities.
A source exclusively told Us Weekly at the time that the pair were “embarrassed” people thought their card — which showed the family posing in matching button-downs and pants — was heavily edited, adding that they “were as shocked as everyone else” by the backlash to the black-and-white photo.