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With only a few hours left until the close of the year, Prince William and Kate Middleton already bid their official farewells, ushering in the new year 2025 with a shot of their happy family. The past year hasn’t exactly been the best for the royal family. Aside from their dysfunctional family dynamics resulting from the ongoing feud with Prince Harry constantly blown up by the media, the royals battled a series of health crises that befell some of the most senior royals. William found himself at the center of it all, watching his dad and wife battle life-threatening conditions concurrently, followed by his aunt Princess Anne’s horse incident.
Impressively, he handled these while dealing with matters of state and stepping up to fill Kate’s shoes in his kids’ lives at the height of her cancer battle. Hence, when Prince William dubbed 2024 his hardest year yet, few could dispute that. Further proving the weight of that declaration, the Prince of Wales could hardly wait to close that chapter for his family, taking to social media about nine hours earlier (by UK’s time) to tick off 2024, and wish the world a “Happy New Year.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Family Extend New Year Wishes to Royal Fans
The New Year post shared at 15:00 GMT on Tuesday, December 31, featured the family portrait earlier unveiled in the family’s Christmas card. It captured Kate Middleton, Prince William, and their kids George, Charlotte, and Louis cuddling up on a grassy patch on the royal grounds. The post also contained several snaps summing up the year 2024, from sweet family moments to official royal engagements. The accompanying caption read,
“2024 ✅ Happy New Year! Wishing you all a wonderful 2025 ✨”
Following the heartwarming New Year post, Prince William and Kate Middleton took to their Instagram stories to do a “December rewind,” highlighting the most memorable and fulfilling moment of this month. The rewind featured excerpts from moments like the royal family’s Christmas Carol at Westminster Abbey, the community carol service held in 15 regions, Williams spreading Christmas Day cheers at The Passage, the Eartshot Report, and the family’s Christmas card. They ended the throwback post with a note of appreciation to the various organizations that made the month, and the year as a whole, impactful.”
William Admits to Struggling Through Brutal Year
Speaking to reporters on the heels of his visit to South Africa last month, Prince William admitted that it has been a “dreadful” and “brutal” year for him “from a personal family point of view.” He went on to describe 2024 as “the hardest year in my life,” recounting the difficulty he faced trying to keep everything on track while going through his family’s health woes.
First, Kate Middleton underwent a planned abdominal surgery in January and ended up disappearing from the public eye for weeks, spurring wild conspiracy theories. She eventually announced her cancer diagnosis in March. Prior to that, it was revealed that King Charles, who also underwent surgery to treat an enlarged prostate in January, had cancer. With two royals taking a break to focus on their health, it fell on Prince William, Princess Anne, and Queen Camilla to hold the forte.
However, Anne wound up encountering a horse accident that left her hospitalized briefly. Then came Queen Camilla’s chest infection. In all, Prince William stood by his family endeavoring to fill any possible void created by the ailing royals. Hopefully, the new year 2025 will pan out better for Prince William, Kate Middleton, and the rest of the royal family, giving them more reasons to stay happy.
