Signs royal family is overcoming year of drama ahead of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Aussie tour in October

It’s been one controversy after another at Buckingham Palace in 2024, but there are finally some good signs for the royal family ahead of the King and Queen’s tour in Australia.

From devastating health scares to rumours of marital woes and long-running feuds, the royal family has weathered a storm of controversies and dramas this year unlike any in recent memory.

Not since the scandal-plagued days of the late Queen’s annus horribilis in 1992 has the House of Windsor been hit so hard with one disaster after another.

King Charles and Princess Catherine’s shock cancer diagnoses – which came on the heels of the embarrassing Photoshop scandal and allegations on social media of an affair between Prince William and aristocrat Lady Rose Hanbury – sparked an internal crisis that had the drastically slimmed-down monarchy reeling.

The embarrassing Photoshop scandal was splashed across front pages in the UK. Picture: Getty

The Princess of Wales shocked the world when she announced she was receiving treatment for cancer. Picture: Getty

Without the steady presence of the late Queen Elizabeth, it seemed, the royal family was teetering on the brink of disaster.

But with King Charles and Queen Camilla set to tour Australia and Princess Catherine delighting followers with her radiant appearance at Wimbledon, where she received a standing ovation, there are signs that the royals are finally emerging from the monarchy’s darkest days.

Royal expert Robert Jobson, author of the newly published biography, Catherine: Princess of Wales, says the much-loved royal’s family has been a tower of strength for both her and Prince William.

“[Princess Catherine’s mother] Carole has been there for them throughout, supporting Kate, but William too, talking to him and giving encouragement, given his own father has also been diagnosed with cancer,” Jobson said.

“They are a very close family and they were all pretty shocked by Kate’s illness, but it has brought them even closer together.”

There are even hints of a thaw in exiled royal Prince Harry’s frosty relationship with his cancer-stricken father, perhaps a sign that life-changing illnesses can make even the most stubborn of family members aware of the preciousness of time.

A reshuffling of the deck, following months of turmoil, has been outlined in Buckingham Palace’s recently published set of royal values in the annual household report.

In the document, the Palace says it wants to “stay curious” and “help shape a better world”, stating that the institution wants to “define a new expression of purpose underpinned by a refreshed set of values”.

The so-called royal values have been boiled down to ‘act with care’; ‘make an impact’; ‘succeed together’; ‘stay curious’; and ‘lead by example’.

There has also been a subtle shift in the monarchy’s standing in Australia, which has long been a bone of contention for those who favour a republic.

In a sign that Australia’s republic issue has been put on the backburner, Anthony Albanese’s recent Cabinet reshuffle resulted in the scrapping of the republican ministerial role.

In the wider Commonwealth, rumbles about slavery reparations in the Caribbean (which came to the forefront during Prince William and Princess Catherine’s 2022 tour) were viewed as a ticking time bomb for the monarchy, but appear to have gone quiet for now.

King Charles and Queen Camilla are going ahead with his first tour of Australia as monarch in October. Picture: Getty

Despite his recovery from cancer, King Charles and Queen Camilla are forging ahead with his first tour of Australia as monarch in October — albeit on a shortened schedule after cutting New Zealand from the itinerary.

The 75-year-old monarch’s determination not to let his health issues get in the way of duties echoes that of his sister, Princess Anne, a member of the International Olympic Committee and president of the British Olympic Association, who wowed royal fans at the Paris games just weeks after being hospitalised for minor head injuries and concussion caused by a horse.

The indomitable royal, whose can-do approach is reminiscent of her late father, Prince Philp, was seen chatting to music legend Sir Mick Jagger at a pre-Olympics event in Paris before giving a rousing speech to the athletes of Team Great Britain and taking in the men’s rugby sevens match.

Prince William, who has taken the reins of the $2bn Duchy of Cornwall estate from his father, has already indicated that he is not holding back on making his mark, removing Queen Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot, from the royal payroll after she enjoyed a cushy role as chief royal interior designer for two decades.

The future king has also ordered a major review of renewable energy on the sprawling Duchy of Cornwall estate in a bid to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2032.

Like his father, Prince William is said to believe that a slimmed-down monarchy is the only way forward and that his disgraced uncle, Prince Andrew, who is still stubbornly battling to stay in his Royal Lodge home on the Windsor estate despite the King’s eviction plans, should remain banished from public life.

Princess Catherine received a standing ovation with her appearance at Wimbledon last month. Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage

Princess Catherine’s tentative return to royal duties with her appearances at Trooping the Colour and then Wimbledon has given royal fans hope that her health outlook is slowly improving.

In his new biography of Catherine, Robert Jobson suggests the mother-of-three is the real power behind the throne.

Long considered by senior royals to be the monarchy’s greatest asset, the much-loved Catherine — currently the UK’s most popular royal, according to YouGov polling — has been a “calming influence” on the whole royal family, especially her at times hot-headed husband, Jobson said.

The royal expert said Catherine is an “instinctive peacemaker” who has smoothed the way for William and his father to have a better relationship than they had in the past.

A royal source told Jobson that although Prince William respects his father and his devotion to service, he feels that he suffered as a child due to Charles putting his work first.

But the emotionally mature Princess Catherine is a stabilising influence and has helped her husband see his father’s perspective, Jobson’s book suggests.

The King views her as his “beloved daughter-in-law” and even the daughter he never had, while Catherine privately addresses the monarch as “Grandpa,” the book claims.

As for Prince Harry, the wayward royal is believed to be planning to return to the UK from California for an unspecified amount of time in September, the month of his 40th birthday.

Prince Harry is believed to be planning to return to the UK in September, but Meghan Markle will remain in the US. Picture: AFP

Meghan Markle will remain in the US with the pair’s son Archie and daughter Lilibet during the trip amid reports she is fearful of a public backlash.

Prince Harry’s recent comment in the ITV documentary Tabloids on Trial that his war on the British press was “a central piece” behind the rift with his family has been interpreted by some royal commentators as a sign he is at last acknowledging his past choices have caused strain.

In another sign that there may be a glimmer of hope in terms of a reconciliation, royal expert Tom Quinn recently claimed the King had been involved in talks about travelling to the US to visit his estranged son and his grandchildren.

“It’s certainly possible that he would make a discreet private visit to Harry and the children in California,” Quinn said.

“He is desperate to see them and hates the idea that Archie and Lily will not remember him as the warm, friendly grandfather he wants to be.”