King sees positives in 'annus horribilis' and looks to Kate's light' in new year

WHEN Queen Elizabeth II called 1992 her "annus horribilis" - or horrible year it reflected her feelings about the fire at Windsor Castle and the separation of three of her children from their spouses.

Unusually vulnerable speech she told 500 guests at the Guildhall in London it was "not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure".

In an The Royal Family has been through its fair share of scandal, strife and tragedy since then, but perhaps no year has come as close to being another annus horribilis for The Firm as 2024.

The unprecedented health crises affecting senior members of the family have piled on extra pressure after a testing period of upheaval and transition.

Just 16 days into the year, the British public was rocked by not one but two major health announcements.

Kensington Palace Palace revealed that the Princess of Wales had been admitted to hospital for planned abdominal surgery, while Buckingham Palace followed less than an hour and a half later with the news that the King would undergo prostate surgery later that month.

Shift

These announcements marked a huge departure from the protocol of the past, when the health of senior royals had been a closely guarded secret.

Until this year, aides had typically given scant details even when senior members of The Firm had been admitted to hospital.

For example, the late Queen was said to suffer "episodic mobility problems", with no further explanation. It has since been claimed that she was suffering from a form of bone cancer.

But January 16, 2024, signalled a significant shift and a new degree of openness.

Dickie Arbiter, who served as the late Queen's press spokesman from 1998 until 2000, says it is one of the ways in which the monarchy has changed under the King.

"This was a completely new way of doing things," Mr Arbiter says.