and william and i have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. prince william called it the hardest year of his life, supporting his wife and family while flying the flag for britain abroad. honouring the fallen on the beaches of normandy, 80 years on from d—day. and harry, party prince, back in the uk. last christmas there was nothing to suggest 2024 would be a royal year dominated by illness, but three weeks later the first palace statement that the princess of wales had had planned

abdominal surgery the previous day, and the following hour, it was announced that the king was to undergo a procedure for an enlarged prostate. by the time the king left hospital after a three night stay, health groups were reporting a significant increase in men getting their own prostates checked. the king seemed in good spirits. but the news was about to take a dramatic turn. hello, good evening. welcome to bbc news, where in the last few moments, we have received breaking news from buckingham palace which has announced that the king has been diagnosed with cancer. the news thatjust nine months after his coronation the king had cancer hit headlines around the world. the peace and solitude of sandringham in norfolk.

before they left after a dash from california there was a 45 minutes face—to—face meeting with prince harry their first for months. prince william now had a sick father and a wife recovering from a major surgery. your royal highness, how grateful are you for the public support you have received in recent weeks? i really appreciate all the kind messages. thank you. events such as this in support of the airambulance were carried out alone. i take this opportunity to say, thank you all for the kind messages of support for catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. it means a great deal to us all. it's fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather medical focus. so i thought i'd come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all.

good evening, your majesty. very nice to see you. wonderful to see you looking so well. over the following weeks into spring the message from the palace was that the king was continuing to work as this cancer was treated. what of the princess of wales who was now recuperating at home in windsor there was no update. leading to a frenzy of unfounded speculation online. on mother's day a photo was released by the palace which major picture agencies refuse to syndicate because it had been edited. it turned out by the princess. she later apologised for any confusion. and then more breaking news. the princess of wales has just announced that she is undergoing treatment for cancer. a very personal message from her, which has just been released, in which she explains what has been happening in recent weeks. this of course came as a huge shock and william and i have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. as you can imagine this has taken time. it has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.

but most importantly 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'm going to be ok. while catherine and her family left windsor for norfolk, the king made his first major public appearance on easter sunday at st george's chapel. hope you haven't got too cold standing there. despite the chilly weather he clearly enjoyed having face—to—face contact again with the public. after such a difficult few months this was a welcome return for the king. queen elizabeth used to talk about having to be seen to be believed and so it's hard to overstate the concern in terms of visibility of the royalfamily, with two of its key figures having to severely curtail their public appearances.

the personal strain on the family, but especially on prince william and the queen will have been immense, but the work had to carry on. he is a good man, this one. it's little wonder the foreign office were keen to involve prince william on a trip to france. he is doing a fantasticjob. thank you. the president—elect, donald trump, seemed delighted to spend time talking to the prince of wales. this was soft power in action. back in the uk, during the year, the prince returned to check on the progress

of the six locations he had chosen for homewards. his ambitious project to tackle homelessness. homelessness is a complex societal issue and one that touches the lives are far too many people in our society. i truly believe that it can be ended. and on a sunny trip to cornwall in may, as well as some beach volleyball, he visited the site on duchy of cornwall land which will be used to build 2a homes with wraparound care specifically for people who would otherwise be homeless. november, and in south africa the green carpet was rolled out for the earthshot awards ceremony. its founder prince william in a sustainable blazer and biodegradable trainers. these are the game changers. these are the innovators, these are the inventors that are going to make the world a better place for us in future.

at home, your environmental strategies at home, what can you tell us? yes, well every family try to do what they can to sort of help with the environment. we go through all the basics of recycling and making sure we minimise water use and turning off lights when you leave the house and stuff like that, and making sure we are just sensible and what we do around the environment. and i think every family has those conversations, and i think you just try to do what you can — the earthshot prize is got to be a bit more global than that. we are trying to do big scale ambition and big scale business to tackle some of the solutions. i have brought the children along thatjourney and tonight i hope they are watching and they are proud of what we are trying to do here, which is to galvanise that energy and enthusiasm to make real impact. the bracelet, are you wearing it, can i have a look at? can you tell us about it? this is a relic, if you like, of a taylor swift concert

that my daughter decided that she wanted to create a bracelet for and she gave it to me when i came away, so i promised i'd wear it and try not to lose it when i was out here. our audiences would want to know how, has it been a tough year for you, how was the princess? she is doing really well, thanks and hopefully she's watching tonight and cheering me on. but she has been amazing this whole year. and i know she will be keen to see tonight be success. five winners were given £1 million each to put their sustainable ideas into action. we do everything we can to support them and help speed the solutions to scale. because when they succeed, we all succeed. what afterwards, meeting with the winners, who now not only have the funds to realise their ideas, but also have the backing of a prince. with the king undergoing treatment and out of the public eye the queen had to get used to arriving without him by her side at major engagements. this was commonwealth day. and although he wasn't there in person the king did record a message of thanks. in recent weeks i have been most deeply touched by your wonderfully kind and thoughtful good wishes for my health. in return i can only continue to serve you to

the best of my ability throughout the commonwealth. it has been a busy day for the remaining members —— busy year for the royalfamily, not least princess anne who was called upon to help cover for royal events in the absence of the king and catherine. however, injune anne was herself forced to take a break from royal duties. she had been on a walk in her gloucestershire estate when she was injured by a horse. suffering a concussion she was taken to hospital. how's your wife, sir? is she doing well? recovering slowly. and had regular visits there from her husband, vice admiral sir tim laurence. few were surprised when the princess, often dubbed the hardest working royal, was back on duty within three weeks. bruised but otherwise well. there were no royal tell

all books, interviews or documentaries by the duke and duchess of sussex this year. prince harry's cases against newspaper groups here do continue, as does his case against the home office over changes to his security arrangements whilst in the uk. he was here briefly when his father's cancer diagnosis was made public, and then he returned in may to attend a thanksgiving service celebrating ten years of the invictus games. cheering cheers for the prince who arrived at st paul's cathedral alone as guest of honour at the service celebrating the sporting event he established to help the military community. no members of the royal family were present, but there was a hug for his aunt and uncle on his mother's side. in the congregation many of those who benefited from the games.

what they mean to prince harry was clear. here we go. before leaving the uk he had time to party. harry has kept close contact with a small number of uk charities including scotties little soldiers. three, two, one, go. which helps children who have lost a parent who has served in the military. he briefly stopped playing to have a quick word with the bbc�*s daniela relph. what scotties has done with these kids is incredible and very needed as well. the more opportunity we get to do these kind of events though families and kids up and down the country will know that scotties exists, which is really the most important thing. is it nice to be back in the uk? it's fun. relaxed and having fun, this was a side of him that's really been seen in public over

the last few years. the next stop, meeting up with the duchess in nigeria. this was a three—day visit which had all the trappings of a traditional royal tour. we start to acknowledge those amazing dance moves. just know that mental health affects every single person in the entire world. it was a glimpse into what the sussexes could be doing on behalf of the royalfamily were they still working royals. prince andrew stepped back as a working royal five years ago but has continued to appear at family events. this was easter in windsor. however, the latest crisis, involving his personal

connection to an alleged chinese spy, yang tengbo, led to the palace to make it known they hoped he would honourably withdraw from family events. so, unlike previous years, this was christmas in 2023, he is spending the festive period at home in windsor, rather than at sandringham. a further distancing of the king from his younger brother. after that first walkabout for the king on that easter sunday here in windsor the palace were keen to stress this wasn't a return to a full schedule of engagements. but as the months went on it became clear the king did want to get back out as much as possible. at least as much as the queen and his doctors would allow. it seemed appropriate that the king's first engagement in april was to a leading cancer hospital in central london. staff and patients packed the entrance hall to see him. this was a visit with a difference. the king could not only empathise with the patients...

he was one of them. over the following months the king increased his visibility. there were two state visits. here, hosting the emperor and empress ofjapan injune. the following month, and the state opening of parliament, where the king outlined the policies of the new government. my lords and members of the house of commons, my government will govern in service to the country... another parliament, this time an outdoor one injersey. the weather, a roof may have helped. god save the king.

this truly is an historic place. jersey has one of the oldest connections to the crown. the expo was a chance to learn more about the channel islands, with a couple ofjersey cows clearly unaware they were in the presence of royalty. laughter in november it was the king who attended engagements alone. it was later revealed the queen had pneumonia. here, meeting the cast of gladiator ii, including denzel washington. you've been in so many films, it's fantastic. thank you. hug? why not? and he was very happy to give new zealand's women's rugby team a hug. although the king looks to be enjoying being back at work, there had to be adaptations to schedule to reflectors health.

there was an anniversary this year which required a significant royal presence. 80 years since the largest seaborne invasion in history. d—day. setting sail to france, as they had as young men in 1944, the commemorations were all about the surviving veterans and those who never made it home. the 5th ofjune, the eve of d—day. those who were able gathered in portsmouth, along with vip guests, and the king and queen. field marshal montgomery, commander—in—chief of the allied ground forces, wrote in his message to all soldiers on the eve of d—day, to us is given the honour of striking a blow for freedom which will live in history, and in the better days that lie ahead men will speak with pride

of our doings. younger generations celebrated and thanked those who had fought fortheirfreedoms, including the future king. sunrise on the beaches of normandy onjune the 6th. 80 years on, royal marines waded ashore just as their predecessors had. at the british normandy memorial the commemorations put the veterans centre stage. the king and queen and president macron placed a few rows back. honouring those who fought in the name of his grandfather,

the king spoke of remembrance as an obligation. let us commit to carrying forward the resounding message of courage and resilience in the pursuit of freedom, tempered by the duty of responsibilities to others, for the benefit of younger generations, our gratitude is unfailing and admiration eternal. a spectacularfinish at this most picturesque and poignant of locations. # god save the king. when the king's cancer diagnosis was made public at the beginning of the year the future seemed very uncertain, with all plans subject to medical advice. the palace was unable to confirm whether a

trip to australia and samoa for the commonwealth heads of government meeting planned for the autumn would in fact be able to go ahead. but on a very rainy october evening became, his cancer treatment paused, king and the queen, touched down in sydney. the famous opera house was lit up with images of the couple, and of previous visits to australia when royal tours were perhaps less politically sensitive than they sometimes are now. after a rest day there was a church service... and a chance to meet some of the locals. how are you? from sydney to canberra.

a traditional first nation welcome in the great hall of parliament house. front and centre, the indigenous peoples. in my many visits to australia i have witnessed the courage and hope that have guided the nation's long and sometimes difficult journey towards reconciliation. throughout my life first nations peoples have done me a great honour of sharing so generously their stories and cultures. i can only say how much my own experience has been shipped and strengthened by such traditional wisdom. shouting

as the king finished, shouts of, you are not our king. this was aboriginal senator lydia thorpe. protests were not unexpected though this was condemned by some aboriginal elders. the palace offered no comment. but instead focussed on what they called the warmth of the reception from the thousands of people, and an alpaca, return to greet the couple. no trip to australia would have been complete without a barbecue in the sunshine. the king and queen seemed quite at home cooking the local produce. for the final appearance, back in sydney, the biggest crowd so far. the king seemed to be in his element. this was goodbye to australia. next stop, a warm welcome and samoa for the commonwealth heads of government meeting, chogm, as it's known. the king is the organisation's head and this was

a gathering of prime ministers and presidents. some of those present wanted to push for compensation for the impact of slavery. it was an issue the king with a nod to in his opening address. none of us can change the past, but we can commit with all our hearts to learn its lessons and to finding creative ways to right inequalities that endure. those working closely with the king said the tour to australia and samoa had lifted his spirits, his mood, and his recovery. describing it as the perfect tonic. the princess of wales' returned to public life has been carefully managed throughout the year. she has been recovering from surgery and undergoing preventative chemotherapy. herfirst major public appearance was here, for trooping the colour, the annual gathering of the royal family. june, and the moment many people had waited

for. catherine, along with her children, well enough to attend the king's birthday parade. injuly she took princess charlotte to the wimbledon men's final and received a standing ovation. and then, in september, a very personal and striking health update. doing what i can to stay cancer free is now my focus. although i have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and i must continue to take each day as it comes. i am however looking forward to being back at work, and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when i can. and the first of those was to southport, where she and prince william met with families of

the children killed and injured and those who helped in the aftermath of the attack. in december the family attended catherine's carol concert at westminster abbey. this has now become an annual event. the theme this year was empathy and kindness, supporting others through challenging times, with particular personal resonance after this year. the unplanned. the unplanned, exactly. it has been a difficult year for the royal family, but one which ends with the princess looking forward to increasing her public engagements. # we wish you a merry christmas... and boosted by the trip to australia, more

long—haul travel is being planned for the king and queen. 2025 marks 80 years since the end of the second world war. and although health will continue to dictate the schedule, it is hoped the steady return to normal royal service will continue. # we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year. hello there. high pressure continues to bring dry, settled weather to most of the country. i say dry, that is away from scotland, where we're likely to see further outbreaks of rain for boxing day. and indeed the next

few days looks mostly settled thanks to high pressure. and for most it will stay on the mild side for the time of year. it's dominated by this area of high pressure sitting over the near continent. we've got this weather front pretty much stationary across the north of the uk, and that's what's bringing the rain to parts of scotland, maybe northern ireland. to the north of this weather front, the air is quite cold and that will affect the northern isles, where it will be blustery with a few showers. but generally speaking, for much of the country for boxing day it's going to be cloudy, grey, misty and murky in places. outbreaks of rain in scotland, northern ireland and a few luckier spots see some breaks in the cloud to allow for some sunshine, and generally those temperatures remaining in double figures for most, between 9 and i2 celsius. as we head through tonight, it stays cloudy with further outbreaks of rain across scotland. it looks like the rain moves a little bit further northwards. i think northern ireland, southern scotland southwards should stay dry again. there could be a little bit of drizzle, some mist and fog with that cloud. temperatures holding up between 4 and 8 degrees. little change as we head on into friday. it looks like we'll see that weather front still bringing outbreaks of rain across more northern and western parts of scotland.

further south, though, it tends to stay drier. but again, like the last few days it will stay rather grey and gloomy for many, with some mist and fog too. a few spots seeing cloud breaks to allow for some sunshine. temperatures nine to ii or 12 degrees, so again fairly mild for the time of year. and as we push into the weekend, see that weather front starts to sink southwards again. so again there'll be some rain and thicker cloud across parts of scotland. maybe that rain getting into north west england, parts of northwest wales as we move through the day on saturday. could see a few breaks in the clouds further south for the midlands southwards that will allow for some sunny spells, and we'll see some blustery showers pushing into the north west of scotland. so it's quite a mixed day as we head into saturday, again on the mild side and you can see the milder air hangs on as we head into the run up to new year, but there's a chance of some colder air spreading southwards, mixed in with areas of low pressure. we could see some disruption to the run up to new year. so it will turn gradually, more unsettled, turn colder.

there's a chance of some heavy rain and strong winds, and even some snow on the hills in the north, so stay tuned. take care.

live from london, this is bbc news. russia is accused of shooting down a plane over kazakhstan yesterday, killing 38 people.

the kremlin says it's wrong to speculate on what happened. the new syrian authorities launch an offensive against fighters loyal to ousted leader bashar al—assad, following clashes on wednesday. ceremonies are taking place to mark the 20th anniversary of the indian ocean earthquake and tsunami. and what's occurin'? gavin and stacey win the christmas day tv ratings battle here in the uk, with over 12 million people tuning in to see whether smithy accepted nessa's proposal. hello, i'm lucy hockings. russia has been accused of shooting down the azerbaijan airlines plane which crashed killing 38 people in kaza khsta n yesterday. no proof has been offered, but military bloggers and a variety of aviation experts have suggested the plane was mistaken for a ukrainian drone and attacked by russian air defences. the plane left baku

for grozny but was diverted to aktau because of fog.