and harry, the party prince, back in the uk. last christmas, there was nothing to suggest that 2024 would be a royal year dominated by illness. but three weeks later, first, a palace statement that the princess of wales had had planned abdominal surgery the previous day, and the following hour it was announced the king was to undergo a procedure for an enlarged prostate. by the time the king left hospital after a three—night stay... how are you feeling? ..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've 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 made headlines around the world. he and the queen departed london for the peace and solitude of sandringham in norfolk. before they left, after a dash from california, there was a 45—minute there was a 45—minute face—to—face meeting face—to—face meeting with prince harry — with prince harry — theirfirst for months. theirfirst for months. prince william prince william now had a sick father now had a sick father and a wife recovering and a wife recovering from major surgery. from major surgery. your royal highness, your royal highness, how grateful are you how grateful are you for the public support you've for the public support you've received in recent weeks? received in recent weeks? we really appreciate we really appreciate everyone's kind messages. thank you. to us all. everyone's kind messages. thank you. events such as this gala events such as this gala in support of the air ambulance in support of the air ambulance were carried out alone. were carried out alone. i'd like to take this opportunity i'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you also to say thank you also for the kind messages for the kind messages of support for catherine of support for catherine and for my father, and for my father, especially in recent days. especially in recent days.

it means a great deal 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. faint laughter the prime minister, your majesty. - good evening, your majesty. very nice to see you. and wonderful... indistinct well, yeah, a bit, but wonderful... ..wonderful to see you looking so well. no, it's all done by mirrors, really. over the following weeks into spring, the message from the palace was that the king was continuing to work as his cancer was treated. but 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 refused to syndicate because it had been edited — it turned out by the princess. she later apologised for any confusion. and then more breaking news.

at 6:00, the princess of wales has just announced

despite the chilly weather, he clearly enjoyed having face—to—face contact again with the public. were you in...were you in the church? after such a difficult few months, this was a welcome return of the king. ..very brave to stand out here in the cold _ 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 the visibility of the royal family, 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. very good to see you. good to see you. well, what a nice group! laughter a good man, this one. it's little wonder the foreign office were keen to involve prince william on a trip to france. hello, everybody.

he's doing a fantasticjob. thank you. the president—elect, donald trump, seemed delighted to spend time talking with the prince of wales. this was soft power in action. how are you? back in the uk, during the year, the prince returned to check on the progress of the six locations he'd chosen for homewards... did you think a lot of people just think. _ "give people a house. and it's sort of fixed"? yeah. ..his ambitious project to tackle homelessness. homelessness is a - complex societal issue and one that touches the lives of far too many people - in our society. however, i truly believe that it can be ended. i and on a sunny trip to cornwall in may, as well as some beach volleyball, he visited a 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. they cheer

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 the future. - what about at home? your own environmental strategies at home? what can you tell us? yeah, well, every family tries to do what they can _ to sort of help - with the environment, and we go through all| the basics of recycling and making sure - we minimise wateruse and turning off lights - when you leave the house and stuff like that and making sure we're just sensible - with what we do around the environment. - and i think every familyj has those conversations and you just try- and do what you can. the earthshot prize has got to be a bit more global than that. - we're trying to do big—scale - ambition and big—scale business to tackle some i of the solutions. but i brought the children along on thatjourney, - and tonight i hope they're watching l and they're proud of kind| of what we're trying to do here, which is to really galvanise that energy i and that— enthusiasm to make real impact. can i just ask about the papa bracelet? are you wearing it? yeah, i've got it

on today, yeah. | can we look at it? it's there. can you tell us about it? er, well, this is a, i think, a relic, if you like, - from a taylor swift concert that my daughter decided i that she wanted to create a bracelet for, _ and she gave it to me when i came away. i so i promised i'd wear it and try not to lose it - while i was out here. i can't have you here — our audiences would want to know how your wife is. it's been a tough year for you. how is the princess? she's doing - really well, thanks, and hopefully she's watching tonight and cheering me on.| the earthshot for cleaner air goes t0~ ~~ _ ..gayo — green africa youth organisation. five winners were given £1 million each to put their sustainable ideas into action. we'll do everything we can to support them _ and help speed - their solutions to scale. because, when they succeed, we all succeed. _ afterwards, meeting with the winners, who now not only have the funds to realise their ideas, but also have the backing of a prince. woo!

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. and, in return, can only continue to serve you to the best of my ability throughout the commonwealth. it has been a busy year for the remaining working members of the royal family, not least princess anne, who was called upon to help cover royal events in the absence of the king and catherine. the shovel. i think i need bigger. a bigger one? laughter you'd spend all day!

however, injune, anne was herself forced to take a break from royal duties. she had been on a walk on her gloucestershire estate when she was injured by a horse. suffering with concussion, she was taken to hospital. reporter: how's your wife, sir? she doing well? _ recovering slowly. thank you very much. 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 he's 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. crowd cheers 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 — ladyjane fellowes and earl spencer. in the congregation, many of those who've benefited from the games. what they mean to prince harry was clear. here we go. — here we go, 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 scotty's little soldiers... three, two, one, go! ..which helps children who've lost a parent

who served in the military. he briefly stopped playing to have a quick word with the bbc�*s daniella ralph. what scotty's is doing with these kids is absolutely incredible and very needed as well. the more...the more opportunity we get to do these kind of events, the more that families and kids up and down the country actually know that scotty's exists, which is really the most important thing. is it nice to be back in the uk? yeah, it's great. nice to see you. get a bit of glue. get a bit of glue on your hands... relaxed and having fun — this was a side of him which has rarely been seen in public over the last few years. they cheer drum plays 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've got to acknowledge those amazing dance moves! cheering 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 royal family were they still working royals. prince andrew stepped back as a working royal five years ago now, 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 the palace to make it known the family 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 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... this is one! ..he was one of them. take care. good to meet you. over the following months, the king increased his visibility. there were two state visits — here, hosting the emperor and empress ofjapan injune. fanfare plays

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. cheering another parliament, this time an outdoor one injersey. with 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, thank you. your highness. indistinct a hug? yeah. why not? laughter and he was very happy to give new zealand's women's rugby team a hug. although the king looked to be enjoying being back at work, there had to be adaptations to his schedule to reflect his health. we didn't mean to tackle you! no! laughter there was an anniversary this year which required a significant royal presence. 80 years since the largest seaborne invasion in history — d—day. bagpipes skirl and drums play 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.

june 5, 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'd fought for their freedoms, including the future king. sunrise on the beaches of normandy onjune 6.

80 years on, royal marines waded ashore, just as their predecessors had. bagpipes skirl applause it is all because of gummy's quick thinking... at the british normandy memorial, the commemorations put the veterans centre—stage. the king and queen and president macron were 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 their 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 our admiration eternal.

# send him victorious... a spectacularfinish at this most picturesque and poignant of locations. # long to reign over us # 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, the king — his cancer treatment paused — 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. singing after a rest day, there was a church service... ..and a chance to meet some of the locals. g'day, mate. how are you? from sydney to canberra, a traditional first nation welcome in the great hall of parliament house. didgeridoo plays 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, australia's first nations peoples have done me the great honour of sharing so generously

their stories and cultures. i can only say how much my own experience has been shaped and strengthened by such traditional wisdom. you are not our king! as the king finished, shouts of "you are not our king!" this was aboriginal senator lidia thorpe. give us what you stole from us! protests were not unexpected and this was condemned by some aboriginal elders. the palace offered no comment but instead focused on what they called the warmth of the reception from the thousands of people and an alpaca who turned out to greet the couple. alpaca snorts laughter no trip to australia would have been complete without a barbecue in the sunshine. both the king and queen seemed quite at home cooking the local produce.

for their final appearance back in sydney, the biggest crowd so far. welcome, charles! welcome. the king seemed to be in his element. this was goodbye to australia. next stop... he shrieks ..a warm welcome in samoa for the commonwealth heads of government meeting, or 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 made a nod to in his opening address. none of us can change the past, but we can commit with all our hearts to learning 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's return to public life has been carefully managed throughout the year. she has, after all, 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. band plays june, and the moment many people had waited for. catherine, along with her children, well enough to attend the king's birthday parade. cheering and applause injuly, she took princess charlotte to the wimbledon men's final and received

a standing ovation. and then, in september, a very personal and visually 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 and i must continue to take each day as it comes. to take each day as it comes. i am, however, looking forward to being back at work and undertaking and undertaking a few more public engagements a few more public engagements in the coming months in the coming months when i can. when i can. but you don't have anything but you don't have anything in that car, do you? - in that car, do you? - and the first of those and the first of those was to southport, was to southport, where she and prince william where she and prince william met with families met with families of the children of the children killed and injured resonance after this year. killed and injured and those who helped and those who helped in the aftermath of the attack. in the aftermath of the attack. in december, in december, the family attended the family attended catherine's carol concert catherine's carol concert at westminster abbey. at westminster abbey. this has now become this has now become an annual event. an annual event. the theme this year the theme this year was empathy and kindness, was empathy and kindness, supporting others supporting others through challenging times, through challenging times, with particular personal with particular personal

resonance after this year. this year was going to be the year that i've just had. the unplanned? the unplanned, exactly. yeah.

hello. despite an improving weather picture for some today, the impact of the rain that's fallen so far will be felt all the way through into the afternoon. the clearer skies are on the way from the north, although with some shower clouds and colder air. but it's this band of cloud here which has been producing the heaviest of the rain. if i take you to the southern half of the country through the afternoon, that heavy rain becoming confined to southernmost counties. on it a line of pretty intense rain and gusty winds for a time, but clearer conditions developing to north wales, north midlands and northwards. now, to the northern half of the country, it's a different story. we've got a little bit of sunshine here and there, but a batch of rain and sleet and hill snow

pushing its way out to southern scotland, into northern ireland and northern england this afternoon, and then frequent snow showers in the north of scotland, where temperatures will be dropping and just a few degrees above freezing by the end of the afternoon. and even further south, a good five, six degrees cooler than we started the day as that colder air pushes its way in. then the heavy rain this evening just on the south coast will gradually ease away. takes a lot longer though for the channel islands before that rain departs. we'll have some wintry showers around the coast, but snow showers in northern scotland. but inland areas, there'll be clear skies and it will be cold and frosty. a widespread frost with some ice around into the morning. as for thursday, it looks like it's going to be a sunny day though. so for your commute back to work if you're returning to work on thursday, lovely day for many. there'll be snow showers in northern scotland, northern ireland and down some of these eastern coasts of england, maybe one or two into north wales as well. but for the vast majority, thursday will be a sunny day, but a day in which temperatures struggle to get above freezing for some, and with an added wind chill

making it feel closer to around -i to -6, that cold air still in place with us. on friday. these weather fronts throw in that cold air, a sign that we will see batches of clouds and showers pushing their way southwards. rain and sleet, mainly for northern ireland, north wales, northwest england, but further snow showers in the north of scotland and one or two still close to some eastern coasts of england. for most though another day of sunny spells and another day of feeling that chill. temperatures struggling to get above freezing again in parts of northern england and scotland, especially. with that cold air in place, we could see some mist and fog into saturday morning. winds lighter by this stage. some wintry showers in the north of scotland still, but we've got to watch what happens beyond saturday, where this next weather system pushes in. as it hits the cold air, we could see some snow across parts of the uk for sunday.

live from london. this is bbc news. happy happy new year! the final parts of the world ring in 2025 as new year's day celebrations kick off. ukraine's president zelensky says his country will do �*all it can�* to end the war with russia, who launched another strike on kyiv today. the latest figures have shown a 25% annual increase

in the number of people arriving in the uk on small boats. hello. hgppy happy new year to you all. across the world, people have been celebrating the start of 2025. it'sjust gone midnight on the island of pago pago in american samoa which has a population of around 3,000 people. it was hawaii an hour ago meaning the whole of the us is now in 2025. the world famous strip in las vegas in nevada hosted one of the last major fireworks displays of the new year. this was the scene as they partied. despite ongoing conflicts and tensions around the world, the new year is always a moment for optimism and celebration,

and lots and lots of fireworks. greg mckenzie has been looking at the pictures.