There’s a chilly festive air in Sandringham on Christmas morning – especially when you find yourself standing outside St Mary Magdalene Church at 5am, as I often did during my years as a royal correspondent.

Last year I watched King Charles and Queen Camilla lead the royal entourage to church on Christmas Day, followed by the Prince and Princess of Wales, holding their children’s hands as they addressed the crowd.

The princess held on to a playful Prince Louis as they left the church, and they received Christmas cards and gifts from well-wishers, along with dozens of flowers.

I never could have predicted that this would be the last time we would see her in person for more than six months. I was looking forward to going to Italy with the couple on their royal tour, but she won’t be joining the Royal Family for another official event until the Trooping the Colour Parade in June.

On January 16, the Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital for major abdominal surgery. In late March, she publicly announced her cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy.

For her husband, it was the beginning of what he called “the most difficult year of his life.”

It evokes memories of Queen Elizabeth’s “gloomy year” in 1992, when there were several broken marriages and a major fire. At the time, she described it with the infamous phrase “annus horribilis”.

In 2024, Prince William is not only dealing with his wife’s poor health, but also the King’s diagnosis of cancer, and an unresolved conflict with his brother Prince Harry.

But it was also a year in which some aspects of Prince William’s approach were cemented – family first, schooling a priority. For the Prince of Wales, this tumultuous period seems to have reinforced what was most important to him.

Along the way, however, it has also become clear who William wants to be as a senior royal. We’ve seen more of his apprenticeship as a global statesman, most notably during the 80th anniversary of D-Day on stage with world leaders – but William’s approach has also led some to question some of the choices he’s made.

On 27 February, the Prince of Wales is scheduled to give a reading at a service of thanksgiving for the late King Constantine of Greece at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. The prestigious guest list includes European royalty.

However, about an hour before the ceremony was due to begin, Kensington Palace announced that the Prince would not be able to attend due to “personal matters”. There were reassurances from the Prince’s team that there was “no need to panic” but that it was highly unusual.

At this time, the Princess received news that cancer cells had been detected in post-operative tests.

Over the next three weeks, the couple told the children what was happening and had time to privately address their questions before going public.

“I think it’s remarkable how difficult it was for the Prince of Wales at the beginning of the year,” said a friend of the prince. “His wife had major surgery and it was worse than expected. Then there was the question, ‘How am I going to tell my three children that Mum is sick?'”

All of these events took place against the backdrop of the king’s treatment for cancer, information he made public on February 5.

The friend recounted: “At the moment he was trying to protect his wife and children, he had a terrible thought that if his father died, everything would change.”

Several people who know the prince or have worked with him this year told me that the attention on what is wrong with his wife has affected both William and Catherine.

A friend told me: “He had to act in a context where the whole world was wondering what was happening to his wife.”

With his father largely out of the public eye for weeks and the princess off duty, royal diaries appear to be strained. Prince William is adamant that public duties will have to wait until the situation at home is more stable.

It gives a hint of how Prince William works. Yes, he understands that his life is one where duty and service are expected. But for him, a man who suffered great loss at a young age, his wife and children are most important.

There are two other important factors at home that help the Prince of Wales support his wife and children – his wife’s family, the Middletons; and life in Windsor.

When the Princess publicly announced her diagnosis, the message was posted on royal social media accounts and one of the first to publicly respond was her brother, James.

Alongside a photo of him and his sister on a childhood vacation, he wrote: “Over the years, we have climbed many mountains together. As a family, we will climb this one too.”

Along with sister Pippa and parents Carole and Michael, the family have been key to keeping life as normal as possible for the royal children. Locals have reported seeing Carole Middleton, who lives 30 miles away in Bucklebury, Berkshire, regularly driving in and out of Windsor Castle.

And when the Princess’s surgery left her unable to drive, it was her mother who often drove her daughter to school to pick up her three children.

The decision to move from Kensington Palace to Windsor Castle in 2022 also proved timely.

“Windsor is a haven. It has provided the protection and privacy the family needed this year,” said a friend.

The family lived at Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom house within the Castle grounds that was private enough to give the family the freedom that Kensington Palace, located in central London, did not offer.

The Prince of Wales has been photographed using an electric scooter to get around the grounds. While on royal duty, he will occasionally reveal bits of information about his life at home, such as his ongoing devotion to Aston Villa FC, or a favourite film or TV show – earlier this year he enjoyed the action film The Fall Guy and more recently he and the Duchess watched the spy thriller Black Doves on Netflix.

He also took the children to football matches at local clubs and both he and the Duchess continued to be involved in school life at Lambrook, the private school in Berkshire that their children attended. During her treatment, the Duchess was still able to be on the sidelines on sports days.

All of this seems to have pushed other personal issues down the Prince’s agenda.

The bad blood between William and Harry is said to remain. Harry has visited the UK in the past 12 months but is not thought to have met his brother. They are believed to have not spoken for around two years.

There have also been fresh controversies surrounding Prince Andrew in recent months, including revelations about his links to Chinese businessman Yang Tengbo, who has been banned from entering the UK following concerns about a national security risk. Prince Andrew has said he has stopped contacting Mr Yang.

But the prince did not attend the traditional Royal Christmas lunch.

Such matters would be dealt with by the King, but as heir to the throne, William’s voice in family matters became increasingly significant.

Robert Hardman, journalist and author of Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, said the relationship between Charles and his eldest son “reached a new level of understanding”.

“We still tend to think of William as the kid, the apprentice, the apprentice,” he said. “But now he’s been a leading royal for 10 years. He’s been around more than many current heads of state.”

Unusually, much of what the Prince has said about his year has come directly from him, rather than through formal statements or press conferences.

During a visit to South Africa in November to receive the Earthshot Prize, the Prince’s environmental project, he shared his passion for the project as well as the challenges of 2024.

“From the family’s perspective, it was brutal,” he told our group who had traveled to Cape Town. For someone who had been under guard in the past, his language was surprisingly frank.

His attitude was also open and positive, clearly energised by Earthshot and his return to Africa, but he also showed how conflicted he was about his role as Prince of Wales.

“That’s a tough question,” he said. “Do I like more responsibility? No. Do I like the freedom of being able to build something like Earthshot, yes.”

What struck me most after nearly a week in Cape Town was the way he framed his views on the modern monarchy, saying he wanted to do things with a “smaller R in Royal”.

“I’m trying to do it differently,” he admitted, “and I’m trying to do it for my generation.”

He meant not to do things the same way as his father and grandmother.

Charles and William “were different characters,” Robert Hardman observes. “The king was more intellectually curious, and more involved in spirituality and theology. These areas did not really interest William.

“Their tone of communication is different. The king is still quite traditional. William has his own way of doing things.”

Some have questioned William’s approach. One critic, Graham Smith, chief executive of the anti-monarchy group Republic, has criticised the prince’s decision to focus his efforts on homelessness.

“It is rude and hypocritical for William to be involved in this, given the vast fortune we have given him,” he argued.

However, Mr Hardman rejects the view that William’s involvement in projects like this is inappropriate. “I think William is a more traditional Prince of Wales than his father was at this age. Prince Charles is a more progressive heir to the throne.

“The establishment of the Prince’s Trust set off alarm bells at Buckingham Palace and Downing Street. William did not ring the alarm bells.”

Prince William has far fewer patronages than his father. The king currently has 669 patronages – many of which he has maintained over the 70 years he has been heir to the throne. Prince William’s leaner, more focused approach has left him with around 30.

It’s a deliberate strategy: fewer projects with greater impact in the hope of bringing about social change. Those who have worked closely with him this year praise the approach.

“His contribution has been incredible,” said Hannah Jones, CEO of the Earthshot Prize. “He set the vision.”

But that bold move comes with more risks.

Last month, I went to Newport in South Wales with the Prince to meet people working on his homelessness project in the city. It had been 10 months since his wife had been diagnosed with cancer, her chemotherapy had finished and William seemed to me to have a less burdened life.

He was in listening mode and talking to dozens of people. In some of the conversations, I saw how many people were venturing into politics.

The Prince required the project team to think differently, to disrupt and challenge the way things were done before.

“We drive in a very apolitical lane,” a royal source told me. “We use our platform to convene and shine a spotlight on a social issue and that hasn’t changed. We feel optimistic about what we can achieve even in really difficult circumstances.”

In the years to come, William will certainly face further challenges around his role. For example, in this age of social media, reverence and respect for the monarchy is not the mood in the room.

But it’s clear from his public actions that he doesn’t see his future as just plaque unveilings and handshakes.

“I must be seen to be believed,” is a quote attributed to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. For her grandson, the approach is even more so: “I must be seen to make a difference.”

By 2024, he had met with world leaders ranging from the Emperor of Japan to the President of South Africa and ended with the President-elect of the United States, cementing his role on the international stage, promoting the UK’s image with a touch of soft diplomacy.

The COP climate summit will be held in Brazil next November and the Prince is “looking forward to playing a role there”. The Earthshot Prize in Brazil could also be a possibility.

Ultimately, Prince William’s evolution as a family man combined with a global statesman is ongoing — and he’s increasingly comfortable in both roles.