TIME Person of the Year 2024: THIS is the reason why Kate Middleton is on the shortlist

From a health scare earlier this year to the annual royal Christmas carol event now, Kate Middleton has headlined international news throughout the year.

The Princess of Wales kept everyone talking about her this year, whether for her role in the royal family extending an olive branch to Prince Harry or the buzz about her divorce from Prince William.

These international headlines have landed her on the shortlist of TIME’s 2024 Person of the Year award. She was previously on the TIME100 list of Most Influential People in 2013 and one of the runners-up for Person of the Year in 2011.

According to TIME magazine, the Princess of Wales sparked global conversations this year, sparking conversations about privacy and health for public figures.

In January, Kate Middleton was hospitalised for two weeks for a “planned abdominal surgery”, and Kensington Palace said she would be out of the public eye until Easter.

But after conspiracy theories circulated online in March about Middleton’s whereabouts, the royal put the rumours to rest by revealing that she had been diagnosed with cancer.

In September, Middleton announced that she had completed her chemotherapy treatment.