AP photos capture British royal family’s year of illness and recovery

Britain’s royal family is always in the public eye, their every move documented by reporters and captured for posterity by photographers. But even for a group of people who live their lives under a microscope, 2024 was something unique.

In a year marked by illness and recovery that sidelined both King Charles III and the Princess of Wales for extended periods, the eyes of the public and the telephoto lenses of the press corps probed every appearance for clues about what was to come.

The year began peacefully enough as Charles seemingly got on with the business of being king after celebrating his coronation in 2023 and mourning the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, the previous year.

But things became complicated very quickly. In early January, Kensington Palace revealed that the Princess of Wales, usually known as Kate, had undergone planned abdominal surgery, without specifying why the operation was needed. Just 10 days later, Charles was admitted to the same London…