• A pilot's error caused a Southwest flight to nearly crash into the ocean, Bloomberg reported.
• The captain let his "newer" first officer control the plane near Hawaii, according to the report.
• Another flight almost crashed into the sea in the same area in 2022 due to poor weather conditions.

A Southwest Airlines flight in April almost crashed into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii after a pilot accidentally sent the plane into a dive, Bloomberg reported.

In an internal memo sent to pilots last week viewed by Bloomberg, the airline explained that despite bad weather forecasts, the plane's captain put his "newer" first officer in control of the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane.

When bad weather forced the plane to abort its attempted landing at Kauai's Lihue Airport, the less-experienced pilot "inadvertently" pushed the steering yoke forward before reducing the plane's speed, Bloomberg reported, citing the memo.

That caused the plane to plummet from an altitude of 1,000 feet down to just 400 feet above the ocean in only a few seconds, according to the report.

When warning alarms started going off in the cockpit, the captain commanded the first officer to accelerate, causing the plane to "aggressively" climb back up into the sky at a rate of 8,500 feet a minute, according to Bloomberg.

The flight returned to Honolulu, and no one was injured, according to the report.

While the Bloomberg report referred to the first officer as the "less experienced" pilot on board, it should be noted that even a first officer on a major airline still has a wealth of flying experience.

Southwest did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

"Nothing is more important to Southwest than safety," Southwest Airlines said in a statement to Bloomberg. "Through our robust Safety Management System, the event was addressed appropriately as we always strive for continuous improvement."

The April flight—which had not been previously reported—echoes a flight over Hawaii in 2022 that plummeted after leaving Maui.

UA Flight 1722 was headed to San Francisco in December in heavy rain conditions when a "miscommunication" caused the plane to dive within 800 feet of the ocean, the National Transportation Safety Board said.

On that flight, a first officer misheard what level to sets the plane's flaps, ultimately causing the plane to nose-dive for roughly 10 seconds.

Elon Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in late 2022, following a tumultuous, months-long legal battle. Since then, the billionaire has implemented a number of controversial changes that have made both the website and the company nearly unrecognizable.

Musk spent much of 2022 musing about buying Twitter and rapidly buying shares in the company, while publicly accusing the platform of undermining free speech, censoring conservative voices, and exhibiting left-wing bias.

By the spring of 2022, Musk had acquired a 9% stake in Twitter and made an offer to buy it outright for $44 billion. Initially, Twitter responded with a "poison pill" to dilute Musk's stake and stave off a hostile takeover. But by late April, Musk and Twitter struck a deal for $44 billion.

Within weeks, Musk was threatening to back out of the deal, blaming Twitter for failing to provide information on spam bots and fake accounts. Twitter sued Musk to force him to follow through with the deal, and Musk countersued Twitter. But Musk backed down later that year, shortly before the case was set to go to trial, and agreed to the original $44 billion deal.

Since the acquisition, Musk and X have faced a number of lawsuits, slashed 80% of Twitter's workforce, and overhauled the platform in a number of ways. And though the company has aimed to become profitable in 2024, Musk has also publicly said the company has struggled mightily with a drop in advertising revenue. Some estimates have valued the company as being worth 71% less than when Musk bought it.

From strolling into Twitter's San Francisco headquarters with a bathroom sink, to renaming the company X, here's a timeline of how Musk's chaotic takeover of the company unfolded, and how his reign has impacted workers and users alike:

October 2022

On October 28, 2022, same day Musk officially acquired Twitter, the billionaire ousted a number of its executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde, and senior legal counsel Sean Edgett.

All four of those executives have since sued Musk and X, alleging that they're owed $128 million in unpaid severance, and over $1 million apiece in legal fees they accrued during their Twitter careers.

Along with the acquisition, Musk also took Twitter private, meaning it is no longer a public company, and was officially delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in November 2022. The move gave Musk complete control, freeing him up to make changes without any boards or meddling shareholders to restrain him.

A day before the deal was finalized on October 27, Musk walked into Twitter's San Francisco headquarters carrying a large bathroom sink, seemingly a reference to it "sinking in" that he was becoming Twitter's new leader. 

One of his first orders was to direct Twitter engineers to work on a relaunch of video app Vine. 

After Musk's first all-hands meeting with Twitter staff, many learned that Yoel Roth, the head of trust and safety, had resigned. Robin Wheeler, who was previously the advertising sales leader, also resigned but was convinced to stay. 

Twitter sent engineers a memo calling for "maniacal" work and a willingness to suggest ideas to Musk. Engineers were also told to reach out to Musk directly with "cool product" pitches for the platform.

Musk tweeted on October 30 that "the whole verification process is being revamped right now." 

Cofounder Jack Dorsey retained an indirect stake in Twitter even after Musk took over. Dorsey agreed to roll over his 2.4% stake to Musk's holding company, X Holdings I Inc. Dorsey's 18 million shares were valued at just over $1 billion, according to SEC filings.

Musk's stake in Twitter, now known as X, now sits at around 79%.

November 2022

Musk gave more details on the coming changes to Twitter's verification model on November 1. He tweeted that Twitter's "lords & peasants system for who has or doesn't have a blue checkmark is bullshit." He added: "Power to the people! Blue for $8/month."

Hundreds of employees were let go in Musk's first round of Twitter layoffs on November 4. A week after Musk took the helm, he sent employees an email confirming rumors that layoffs were imminent.

The memo said they would find out the next day if their roles had been affected by the cuts. However, some staff received notice they'd lost their job that same evening. Some Twitter employees lost access to their email accounts and company systems that night. 

The following week, Musk issued remaining employees an ultimatum: work at an "extremely hardcore" rate to build "Twitter 2.0" or accept a three-month severance package. Musk sent employees an email at midnight PT on Wednesday, a timestamp on the email seen by Business Insider showed. The self-described "chief Twit" said in the email that employees were expected to work "long hours at high intensity."

Several dozen Twitter employees were fired by Musk the night before Thanksgiving, despite saying in an all-hands meeting the week before that there would be no more layoffs.

Hundreds of former Twitter employees who were fired upon Musk's takeover have since sued X for unpaid severance.

After Musk launched the Twitter Blue subscription, which allows anyone to pay to be verified, it led to a wave of bizarre and comical impersonations of public figures and brands. Some users couldn't distinguish whether it was an official account belonging to public figures or brands – or impersonators. 

December 2022

Musk said expenses were "reasonably under control" after claiming in November that Twitter bankruptcy was a possibility for the company.

He relaunched Twitter Blue, which included gold check marks for verified business accounts. 

Dozens of unused offices in Twitter's San Francisco HQ were turned into bedrooms in December for Musk's confidants, including Jared Birchall. San Francisco officials later said the city was investigating and ordered Twitter to label them as sleeping areas or convert them back. 

January 2023

Musk cut a major fertility benefit for Twitter employees. Staff were told via an email that a benefit that covers up to $80,000 in fertility-related costs would be halved. 

Twitter offices in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Mexico, and Africa started shutting down in a bid to cut costs.

February 2023

Musk announced that Twitter API access would no longer be free, revealing plans to start charging $100 per month for the basic tier of the API in a bid to get rid of bots. 

The next month, Twitter started to roll out tiered access to its API, charging different amounts depending on the user.

March 2023

Twitter announced it would be sunsetting its legacy blue-tick verified program — which Musk called "deeply corrupted" — on April 1, 2023.

Before Musk's acquisition in October 2022, Twitter gave out blue checkmarks to authenticate active accounts of "public interest" such as those belonging to politicians, public figures, celebrities, and journalists. The platform independently verified such accounts.

April 2023

Twitter scaled back its paid leave for new parents from 20 weeks to two weeks and didn't notify employees, which angered some staff.

Musk moved forward with a generative AI project, revealed as xAI in July, after he signed an open letter calling for an industrywide halt to any AI training for several months.

May 2023

Musk named Linda Yaccarino as Twitter's new CEO after saying in May that a new chief would start in around six weeks. He tweeted: "@LindaYacc will focus primarily on business operations, while I focus on product design & new technology. Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app."

Musk also walked back the changes to Twitter's paid parental leave. The company's HR told employees in an email that it would give them seven weeks of paid leave and birthing parents would receive nine additional weeks.

Twitter announced that companies sharing information as a public service will be able to start using Twitter's API for free again.

As of May 2023, Twitter's full-time employee count numbered about 1,000, down from around 7,500 employees when Musk first took over.

June 2023

Representatives from software firm Oracle started calling current and former Twitter staff to seek payment for past-due invoices, which was at least six figures. Musk also has outstanding payments owed to companies, including Amazon and Google's cloud services and landlords of its offices in the US, Europe, and Asia. 

An internal Twitter document reportedly showed ad revenue was down 59% from April to May, according to internal documents, despite Musk's claims that "almost all advertisers have come back."

July 2023

Meta launched Threads, a new text-based social-media network, in July and that same night Musk's lawyer sent the company a cease-and-desist letter claiming it was a "copycat" app. The letter claims Meta hired "dozens of former Twitter employees" to help build its rival app Threads. It also claimed Meta had been "crawling and scraping" Twitter data on users.

The weekend prior to Threads' launch, Twitter's "rate limit" was temporarily imposed on the number of tweets users could view and users were locked out from viewing posts for several hours. Musk later said it was necessary because AI companies were scraping "extreme levels" of data from the platform, which meant it had to "bring large numbers of servers online on an emergency basis."

However, Musk and Yaccarino didn't brief staff on these changes. Staff in the sales and advertising division didn't get a response about what they should say to clients about how the limit would impact ads.

Musk announced he was renaming the company as "X" and making it into an "everything app". Soon after he scrapped Twitter's bird logo in favor of a monochrome X and had a giant X sign installed on its San Francisco headquarters. The sign was removed three days later after complaints rolled in. 

August 2023

Musk said X would keep ad revenue from content creators who don't have a Blue premium subscription. He continued to bring in sweeping changes such as removing headlines of articles from X posts.

X was fined $4,447 by San Francisco's Department of Building Inspection for installing the X sign on the roof, which attracted 24 complaints, including concerns that it looked unstable and the flashing strobe light from it could disturb nearby residents.

September 2023

Musk laid off more employees who worked on the trust and safety team in the first week of September. The roles involved keeping the platform safe for advertisers and users. Between five and 10 people were affected by the layoffs.

Yaccarino appeared at Code Conference and had a car-crash interview where she seemed undermined by Musk, and appeared to struggle to answer questions concisely. In one segment, she was asked about X's daily active user numbers, and she responded with only estimates, saying it had 200 million to 250 million daily active users or "something like that."

A biography on Musk by Walter Isaacson hit the shelves in September.

It included revelations about his upbringing and character, such as him going into "demon mode" — "when he goes dark and retreats inside the storm in his brain," according to his ex-girlfriend Grimes. 

An EU Commission report found X had the highest amount of Russian disinformation out of the major social media platforms. It called for Musk to ramp up its efforts to tackle disinformation. The European Commission's vice-president, Vera Jourova, advised Twitter that "we are watching what you are doing."

October 2023

The SEC revealed it was investigating Musk's acquisition of Twitter and asked a California federal court to force him to comply with a May subpoena asking him to sit for testimony. 

The filing revealed what the agency said has been "an ongoing nonpublic investigation by the SEC regarding whether, among other things, Musk violated various provisions of the federal securities laws" with his initial secret collection of Twitter stock in early 2022 and his later purchase of the company, along with statements he made about the deal.

Data provided exclusively to Business Insider's Lara O'Reilly by the marketing consultancy Ebiquity showed that a large majority of X's biggest-spending advertisers have stopped advertising on the platform since Musk acquired the company.

Just two of Ebiquity clients, which accounts for 70 of the top 100 top-spending advertisers, had purchased ads on X in September, down from 31 brands 12 months earlier. 

Musk announced the launch of two new tiers of X premium subscription service.

"One is lower cost with all features, but no reduction in ads, and the other is more expensive, but has no ads," he said in a post on X.

Musk told his followers that they could get updates on the Israel-Hamas conflict by following accounts known for peddling misinformation. He deleted the post after three hours, but by that time it had been seen by 11 million users.

Spring 2024

Musk's Tesla began advertising on X. It's the circle of life.

Tesla is famous for not advertising because it didn't need to: People loved the product, and Musk was really good at promoting it, for free, on X.

Now Musk has overpaid for Twitter, has seen many of his advertisers flee, and is now (theoretically) paying to advertise there himself. 

That wasn't the only surprise of the season. As of May 17, Twitter.com began redirecting to the X.com domain. The company had started using the X domain long before then, but users could still access the Twitter.com URL if that's what they typed into their browsers.

The company notified users of the change with a pop-up message saying, "We are letting you know that we are changing our URL, but your privacy and data protection settings remain the same."

In June, Musk implemented another change he had long been musing about: X users' "likes" are now private.

Users used to be able to see all the tweets or posts that other users liked, but Musk said he wanted people to have the ability to like posts without getting "attacked" for it. Now, users are free to like controversial, edgy, or NSFW content without fear of retaliation.

Drone-on-drone attacks between Russia and Ukraine signal a new era in modern warfare. Hobby drones are effective at taking out enemy craft and are much cheaper than using expensive missiles.

• Russia deployed its only S-500 air defense system in Crimea amid Ukrainian strikes.
• The system is "experimental," Ukraine's spy chief said, and has never been used before in combat.
• Ukraine has upped its attacks in Crimea, likely hoping to destroy Russia's air defenses in the area.

Russia has deployed its only S-500 air defense system in Crimea as Ukraine ups its attacks on the occupied peninsula, Ukraine's spy chief said this week.

The S-500, an advanced system described by Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate as "experimental," has never been used in combat before.

Russia moved the S-500 to protect the Kerch Bridge, as well as strengthen Russia's air defense network in occupied Crimea, Budanov said Wednesday. The 12-mile-long bridge, which connects mainland Russia to occupied Crimea, is both a streamlined way for Russian forces to reach the area, as well as a symbol of Russia's control of the peninsula.

It's repeatedly been a target for Ukraine's drone boats, bombs, and strikes. Russian air defense assets have also been targets, especially in recent weeks.

The S-500, called the Prometheus, is a mobile, surface-to-air defense system designed to intercept ballistic missiles and other ranged weapons. The system is "essentially a modernized version of the S-300," the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington DC-based think tank, said Thursday.

The S-500 has been tested multiple times but has never been in combat before. Russia has claimed it's able to intercept all weapons, including hypersonic missiles, which are extremely fast and fly unpredictable paths at low altitudes, but that capability remains unclear.

Russia has previously claimed missiles were hypersonic that weren't and that weapons were unbeatable that also were not.

The S-500's problematic development and production, from the project's start in 2010 to severe delays over the following decade, raised questions about its viability as a system. It was delivered to the armed forces in 2021, though in a limited state unable to meet the requirements for the system.

In April 2024, then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that it would enter battle in one of two variations: missile defense and an anti-aircraft role.

The S-500's new role protecting the Kerch Bridge and bolstering Russian air defense capabilities in Crimea comes as Ukraine conducts strikes on the peninsula aimed at making the area untenable for the Russian military.

Since late May, attacks in the area, particularly targeting Russia's air defenses, have intensified. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have reported major strikes, including one this week, hitting S-300 and S-400 systems.

Ukraine is suspected of using US-supplied Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, for these strikes, among other capabilities.

As Ukraine continues to target air defenses on the peninsula, Russia may deploy more of its air defense assets there, ISW said, "making them vulnerable to further Ukrainian strikes." A fight of this nature could strain and deplete Russia's air defense arsenal.

"ISW previously assessed that Ukrainian forces may be conducting an organized effort to degrade Russian air defenses, which could enable Ukraine to more effectively leverage manned fixed-wing airpower (namely using F-16 fighter jets) in the long term," the think tank wrote.

Ukraine's strikes into Crimea have long been supported by the US and Western allies but come on the heels of US President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders agreeing — in some cases, reluctantly — to let Ukraine use long-range weapons to strike Russian targets in occupied territory.

Per ISW, Ukraine could "in principle" replicate the success of their Crimea strikes in other occupied areas should Western allies approve such strikes, creating opportunities for Ukraine and degrading Russia's capabilities.

Here's what Tim Cook unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, including iOS 18, Apple Intelligence, and a ChatGPT-assisted Siri.

• Stellantis plans to no longer offer chrome in vehicles due to health and environmental risks, CNN reports.
• Chromium-6, used in chrome plating, can potentially cause cancer to workers who face exposure.
• Stellantis plans to introduce new designs, replacing chrome with alternatives, like black finishes.

There's one design flourish you won't see in upcoming Jeeps or Dodge vehicles: chrome.

While historically chrome accents have been used to position a vehicle as higher-end or protect against corrosion, CNN reports that Stellantis, the company behind Jeep, Dodge, and a dozen other car brands, is switching things up due to concerns over health and environmental risks.

The change, internally dubbed the "Death of Chrome" at Stellantis, according to CNN, means new models will be missing the characteristic shine of chrome-plated parts.

While the completed product is not believed to be harmful to consumers, hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium-6, is "considered carcinogenic to workers," according to OSHA. The safety regulator says workers who inhale fumes or physically contact the chrome are at increased risk of developing lung, nasal, and sinus cancer.

Chromium pollution also poses notable environmental concerns, potentially affecting soil, crops, and ecosystems upon contamination. In 2019, a Detroit interstate had to be closed down due to a hexavalent chromium spill from an electroplating plant to prevent water contamination.

The National Association for Surface Finishing, an organization that represents the surface-coating industry, including chrome platers, told CNN that despite increasing safety measures, they were working to transition to the "safest and most sustainable alternatives and replacements."

A replacement that offers the same qualities as a finish sounds unlikely for production vehicles at this time. Stellantis' chief global designer, Ralph Gilles, told CNN that safer alternatives to chromium-6, like trivalent chrome, typically have a lesser-quality luster and the company will need to figure out a way to get people to fall out of love with traditional chrome.

Therefore rather than trying to replicate the signature finish, Stellantis plans to promote completely new designs. For example, blacked-out models like the Chrysler Pacifica S Package replace typically chrome elements like trim pieces and badges with a black finish. Other alternatives include using light for accents or polished stainless steel, though that can be pricier to manufacture.

Stellantis told CNN that it hopes these new looks will incentivize consumers to ditch the classic chrome look and sport a new kind of shine.

Stellantis did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment ahead of publication.

• Kate Middleton announced she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer on March 22.
• The princess has been absent from the public eye since Christmas 2023.
• On Friday, Kate announced she will attend Trooping the Colour, her first royal event in 2024. 

Kate Middleton is gearing up for a return to the public eye.

On March 22, the Princess of Wales revealed she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for an unspecified type of cancer after months of speculation.

Kensington Palace previously announced that Kate had a "planned abdominal surgery" in January, saying she likely wouldn't return to public duty until after Easter.

As time passed, her absence led conspiracy theories about the princess to run rampant online, some of which were bolstered after Kensington Palace released an edited photo of Kate and her children on March 10.

But Kate spoke directly to the public about her health to announce her illness, revealing her diagnosis and reiterating a request for privacy in a video shared on the Prince and Princess of Wales' social-media accounts.

On Friday, Kate confirmed she would attend Trooping the Colour on Saturday and shared an update on her treatment progress. The event will be her first official public appearance in 2024.

Here's everything we know so far.

Kate Middleton made her most recent public appearance on Christmas Day.

Kate joined the royal family for their annual walk from Sandringham in Norfolk, England, to attend a church service on Christmas Day.

The Princess of Wales walked with her children and husband to the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in one of her signature coatdresses, much like she did in years past.

On January 17, Kensington Palace announced Kate was in the hospital for "a planned abdominal surgery."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

Kensington Palace said in its statement that Kate would remain in the hospital, The London Clinic, for up to two weeks following the procedure.

"Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales was admitted to hospital yesterday for planned abdominal surgery," the statement read. "The surgery was successful, and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for ten to fourteen days, before returning home to continue her recovery. Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter."

Kensington Palace provided no additional information about what procedure Kate underwent, though the palace told the Associated Press the princess didn't have cancer.

The statement also said Kate hoped "her personal medical information remains private" to help provide her children with "normality."

"Kensington Palace will, therefore, only provide updates on Her Royal Highness' progress when there is significant new information to share," the statement went on to say.

Prince William was photographed visiting Kate at the hospital the following day.

Kensington Palace said on January 29 that Kate had returned to Windsor Castle.

"The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery," the statement shared on Instagram said. "She is making good progress."

William and Kate went on to thank the staff at The London Clinic in the statement, as well as those who sent them well wishes.

The same day, Buckingham Palace announced King Charles was returning home after having a procedure for a benign prostate enlargement.

Buckingham Palace announced on February 5 that King Charles has cancer.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement that "a separate issue of concern was noted" during the king's prostate procedure, and additional testing disclosed he has cancer. The palace didn't disclose what form of cancer he was diagnosed with, though they said it wasn't prostate cancer.

The statement also said that the king "commenced a schedule of regular treatments" and that although he would still be working from home, he would "postpone public-facing duties" per medical advice.

The palace didn't specify how long the king would forgo public-facing work.

"His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer," the statement also said.

Prince William returned to public duty on February 7.

William paused his royal engagements amid Kate's surgery and recovery, returning to work on February 7 for an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.

The same day, he attended a gala raising money for the London Air Ambulance, and he thanked the public for their messages of support for Kate, Town & Country reported.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days," he said, adding that "it means a great deal to us all."

He has attended a handful of public events since. The public was predicted to look to William in Charles and Kate's absences, as he represents the monarchy's future as heir to the throne.

"It's an opportunity for him to communicate on behalf of the royal family," Eric Schiffer, the chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, said.

In addition, the public generally responds to younger royals more favorably. Without Kate, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, William's youth could be a boon for the monarchy, as Kristen Meizner, a royal watcher, told BI.

"They are most focused on the royals when they are of courtship age, getting married, having babies, that kind of thing," she said. "They're not necessarily considered as dazzling or as exciting to the public when they're 60 or 70 or whatnot."

Kate was reported on February 9 to have traveled to Norfolk to continue her recovery.

On February 9, the Daily Mail reported that Kate had joined her family at their home in Sandringham, Anmer Hall, for her children's half-term holiday.

The outlet also reported that her recovery was going well at the time.

Kate wasn't photographed during her trip from Windsor to Sandringham.

King Charles was photographed a few times throughout February, while Kate remained unseen.

Although he isn't taking on public-facing duties, King Charles has still been photographed a few times since his cancer diagnosis and the beginning of his treatment.

On February 11, he and Queen Camilla were spotted going to church in Sandringham, and he was photographed meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on February 21 at Buckingham Palace.

Kate, on the other hand, remained absent, as Kensington Palace released no photos or videos of her.

William released a rare solo statement on February 20.

A statement from The Prince of Wales pic.twitter.com/LV2jMx75DC

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) February 20, 2024

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Typically, William and Kate have released statements as a pair since they got married.

But on February 20, Kensington Palace released a statement on only William's behalf regarding the conflict in Gaza, in which he said he remained "deeply concerned about the human cost of the conflict in the Middle East since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October."

"I, like so many others, want to see an end to the fighting as soon as possible," the statement said. "There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza."

William also said he continued "to cling to the hope that a brighter future can be found, and I refuse to give up on that."

In addition to speaking for only William, the statement had a "W" seal at the top rather than the crown featured on messages from the Prince and Princess of Wales as a unit.

William missed a service of thanksgiving on February 27 because of an unnamed personal matter.

On February 27, members of the royal family attended a service of thanksgiving for King Constantine of Greece, King Charles' second cousin and close companion. He was one of William's godfathers.

William was set to attend the event alongside Queen Camilla and other family members but missed the service because of a personal matter, Kensington Palace told Business Insider.

A palace representative also told BI that Kate was doing well, but they didn't elaborate on what caused William to miss the event.

Following his absence, chatter about Kate's prolonged absence from the public eye erupted on social media, with users speculating about why she hasn't been seen in months. The princess was trending on X, and thousands of people posted about her on TikTok. "Kate Middleton" was also sixth on Google's list of trending search terms on February 27, highlighting how high public interest got in her absence.

Kensington Palace reiterated that Kate was "doing well" as William returned to public duty on February 29.

On February 29, Prince William resumed public duty, visiting the Western Marble Arch Synagogue to learn about the Holocaust Educational Trust, as Kensington Palace shared on Instagram.

He sat down with a Holocaust survivor, Renee Salt. Rebecca English, a royal editor for the Daily Mail, reported on X that during the conversation, he spoke on behalf of himself and Kate.

"Both Catherine and I are extremely concerned about the rise in antisemitism," English quoted the prince as saying to Salt. "That's why I'm here today to reassure you all that people do care and people do listen, and we can't let that go."

Kensington Palace also reiterated that Kate was "doing well" in a statement sent to BI on February 29.

"We gave guidance two days ago that The Princess of Wales continues to be doing well," the statement said. "As we have been clear since our initial statement in January, we shall not be providing a running commentary or providing daily updates."

Kate was spotted for the first time in 2024 on March 4.

On March 4, a sunglasses-clad Princess of Wales was seen riding in a car with her mother, Carole Middleton, in photos obtained by Backgrid and shared by TMZ.

According to TMZ, the pair were driving near Windsor Castle when they were photographed, and no other royals or security appeared to accompany them on the drive.

The sighting came as Queen Camilla announced she was taking a break from filling in for her husband at royal engagements until March 11.

After initially indicating she would attend, the British army removed references to Kate from online tickets for a June event shared on March 5.

On March 5, outlets like BBC News reported that Kate's name was included on tickets released online to The Colonel's Review, an event the British army hosts amid Trooping the Colour, on June 8. Kate was named the Colonel of The Irish Guards in December 2022, and the Colonel typically participates in the Review.

Many took her inclusion on the tickets as a sign she was on track to return to work in the summer. But then, the army quickly removed all references to Kate after the tickets were released because Kensington Palace had not confirmed she would attend.

A source close to the situation told Business Insider's Mikhaila Friel the army didn't get approval from Kensington Palace to include references to the princess in the tickets, leading to the confusion.

The palace didn't respond to a request for comment from BI on the matter.

Kensington Palace released a photo of Kate with her children for Mother's Day — but the photo was immediately met with suspicion.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

March 10 was Mother's Day in the UK, and to commemorate the occasion, Kensington Palace released the first official portrait of Kate since Christmas.

In the photo, Kate sits in a chair surrounded by her children, who are all giggling. According to the caption they shared on social media alongside the image, William took the picture of his family in 2024, and the photo appeared to come directly from Kate, as she signed the caption, "C," which stands for Catherine.

"Thank you for your kind wishes and continued support over the last two months," she wrote. "Wishing everyone a Happy Mother's Day."

But shortly after it was released, people began to speculate the photo had been edited. Photo editor Patrick Witty told BI's Shubhangi Goel it was "astonishing" the palace released the photo at all because of issues in the image, pointing to areas where the picture is blurred and things that seemed to be added to the shot during the editing process, like a zipper on Kate's jacket.

Later that day, multiple photo agencies removed the picture from their platforms.

On March 10, Reuters, the Associated Press, and the French organization Agence France-Presse sent kill notices for the picture, which means the picture is no longer available for distribution through their platforms.

Reuters said it removed the picture after a "post-publication review," while the AP said explicitly in its kill notice that it wouldn't distribute the photo because "it appears the source has manipulated the image. No replacement photo will be sent."

Kensington Palace has been accused of editing photos of the royals before, as was the case with the Waleses' 2023 Christmas card, but the photo released March 10 is the first to be killed by photo agencies.

The palace did not respond to a request for comment on the editing controversy.

Kate personally apologized for "any confusion" the picture caused on March 11.

On March 11, Kate addressed the controversy surrounding the photo in a statement released on social media, seeming to take responsibility for the manipulated image.

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she wrote on X. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C."

Notably, the statement was signed by Kate alone. Kensington Palace typically speaks on behalf of the couple as a unit, and the royals said in their post on Sunday that William took the shot.

The statement didn't appear to convince royal watchers online. Kate was trending on X, and the edited image had been viewed over 72 million times on the platform as of Monday.

William and Kate were photographed together on March 11 before he attended a Commonwealth Day service.

A few hours after the princess posted on X, the Daily Mail released a photo of William and what appeared to be Kate in a car together leaving Windsor Castle.

Kate is looking out of the window in the shot, so only her profile is visible. According to the outlet, Kate was going to "a private appointment," and William was en route to a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.

William was photographed alongside Queen Camilla at the Commonwealth Day service after the photo of him and Kate was published.

Multiple tabloids released a video of what appeared to be Kate and William shopping in Windsor on March 18.

#KateMiddleton seemed to be in good spirits while out and about with #PrinceWilliam Saturday. https://t.co/kLUsfvt3b2 (🎥: TMZ/The Sun) pic.twitter.com/EqbtVojBcw

— TMZ (@TMZ) March 18, 2024

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

On March 17, The Sun reported that William and Kate were spotted shopping at a "farm shop" near Adelaide Cottage, their home on the grounds of Windsor Castle. But The Sun's coverage didn't include any images of the prince and princess.

Then, on March 18, TMZ and The Sun released a video of what appeared to be William and Kate walking through the market, holding shopping bags.

The video was grainy, and Kensington Palace did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider on the matter.

On March 22, Kate announced she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy in a video, speaking directly to the public.

On March 22, Kensington Palace uploaded a video of Kate speaking directly to a camera on its social media.

In the video, Kate said that her abdominal surgery in January was successful, but "tests after the operation found cancer had been present."

Her medical team recommended she "undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy" after reviewing the tests, as Kate said in the video. She began treatment in late February, according to a press release shared with BI.

The princess said that the diagnosis was a "shock" and that she and William "have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family," adding that determining how to share the news with their children was difficult.

"As I have said to them, I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal in my mind, body, and spirits," Kate said.

In the press release shared with BI, Kensington Palace said it would not be revealing what kind of cancer Kate has, nor what stage her cancer is.

The release also said Kate will return to work "when she is cleared to do so by her medical team."

In the video, Kate reiterated Kensington Palace's previous requests for privacy.

"We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space, and privacy while I complete my treatment," she said.

The Prince and Princess of Wales marked their anniversary with a private photo of their wedding on April 28.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

To celebrate their 13th anniversary, Kate and William shared a never-before-seen photo from their wedding on Instagram.

The caption on the post was simple, reading, "13 years ago today!"

Kensington Palace has not released a picture of the couple together in 2024.

William said Kate was "doing well" during a royal engagement on May 10.

Since her video announcement, Kensington Palace has not released an official update on Kate's health.

But on May 10, William said Kate was "doing well" when asked about her health in a video recorded by Sky News.

Kate apologized for missing a rehearsal for Trooping the Colour on June 8.

Kate became Colonel of the Irish Guards in 2022, inheriting the title from Prince William. As the Colonel, she's meant to oversee the Colonel's Review, a rehearsal for Trooping the Colour, the king's official birthday celebration. However, Kate was unable to attend this year.

The Irish Guards shared a letter from Kate on X, in which she apologized for missing the rehearsal.

"Being your Colonel remains a great honour, and I am very sorry that I am unable to take the salute at this year's Colonel's Review," she wrote. "Please pass my whole apologies to the Regiment, however I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon."

On Friday, Kate announced she is attending Trooping the Colour, her first royal event of 2024.

I have been blown away by all the kind messages of support and encouragement over the last couple of months. It really has made the world of difference to William and me and has helped us both through some of the harder times.

I am making good progress, but as anyone going… pic.twitter.com/J1jTlgwRU8

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) June 14, 2024

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

On Friday, Kate announced in a post on Kensington Palace's official social-media accounts that she would attend Trooping the Colour. The event, which will take place on Saturday, marks Kate's first official appearance of the year and her first since publicly sharing her cancer diagnosis.

In the post, accompanied by a new photograph of Kate taken at her home in Windsor earlier this week, the princess wrote that she was making "good progress" with her chemotherapy treatment, adding that there are "good days and bad days."

"On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well," she wrote.

Kate added that her treatment is ongoing but that she is starting to do "a little work from home" and hopes to be able to join other "public engagements over the summer."

"I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty," she added. "Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much needed time to heal."

"I'm looking forward to attending The King's Birthday Parade this weekend with my family," she wrote, adding that she is grateful for the public's "continued understanding" and support.

Buckingham Palace previously confirmed to the BBC that King Charles would also attend his official birthday celebration, though he will ride in a carriage instead of on horseback.