A polished video featuring Catherine, the Princess of Wales, announcing the completion of her chemotherapy marks a significant change in the British royal family's communication strategy, according to media and commentators on Tuesday. Widely known as Kate, she shared the three-minute clip on social media, approximately six months after revealing in another video that she was undergoing treatment for the condition. The intimate portrayal of the 42-year-old princess, her husband Prince William, and their young children stands out for its departure from the traditional, formal approach of royal public relations.
"It's groundbreaking, an absolute first, a tectonic shift in how the royal family controls its image," remarked PR consultant Mark Borkowski. "Kate's journey is profound and deeply personal, but they've learned that emotion can be controlled — and weaponised — in small, potent doses." By presenting this through a refined film, they uphold dignity and control while remaining relatable.
The Times compared the video, filmed by director Will Warr in the Norfolk countryside where the family resides, to a Hollywood trailer for the Instagram generation. The publication assessed it as "the most intimate portrayal of the royal family since (Queen Elizabeth II) invited a fly-on-the-wall documentary crew into her home in 1969." Veteran photographer Arthur Edwards, in The Sun tabloid, noted, "In 40 years of covering the Royal Family, I have never seen anything like Catherine's video. It's a first for the royals."
Newspapers attempted to decipher the meaning behind the soft-focus scenes of the young family finding solace in nature and enjoying each other's company. Many interpreted it as a deliberate effort by the princess, who will be queen when William succeeds his father King Charles III, to control the narrative of her illness. "She's the one in the driving seat," stated The Times, while former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond commented that she was "putting down her marker" for the future.
The largely positive public reaction to the video follows criticism of Kensington Palace, the couple's private office, for its handling of communications about Kate's illness. Speculation was rampant, particularly online, after Kate, one of the world's most photographed women, was not seen in public for months following abdominal surgery in January. An attempt to quell the rumours in March failed when a family portrait issued by the palace was found to have been digitally altered, further fueling the chatter. Kate's subsequent announcement that she was being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer garnered widespread public sympathy and support.
At a time when the royal family is under renewed scrutiny, Borkowski noted that the latest video and Kate's accompanying commentary demonstrate that the royal family is now "on the front foot." "They lost control of the cancer narrative by staying silent," he added. "It shows they learned from earlier mistakes."
