It is an intimate portrayal of an apparently everyday family: close, loving, playful. The children climb trees and play cards with their parents and grandparents. Mum and dad are affectionate, a little wistful.
But this is no ordinary family. The dad is the heir to the throne; one day, their eldest son will be crowned king. She is the Princess of Wales and she is talking about her cancer, which shocked the nation when it was disclosed earlier this year.
The video – in which Catherine says she has completed a course of preventive chemotherapy and hopes to “stay cancer free” – was shot in woods and on a beach near the family’s Norfolk home.
With a strong underlying message about the beauty and power of the natural world, Catherine is filmed walking through fields and lying in the sand dunes with her husband.
She is also filmed driving and pushing – with some reassuring vigour – her youngest, Louis, on a swing. The family dog makes a cameo appearance.
She looks relaxed and carefree, enjoying precious time with her loved ones. But some scenes, in particular one of Catherine leaning alone against a tree in a shaft of light, suggest the “vulnerabilities” and “stormy waters” that she refers to.
Unlike the video released in March, in which Catherine disclosed her cancer diagnosis by speaking directly to camera, in this film the princess speaks in a voiceover, set to gentle background music.
The mood is positive and uplifting. As the music builds, the family are filmed looking over a view of fields – a hopeful future. “Out of darkness, can come light,” is Catherine’s message.
The video was made by Will Warr, who filmed the Wales’s 10th wedding anniversary video. That also showed the family playing on a beach and enjoying the garden of their Norfolk home.
Warr is the owner and creative director of Detail Films, which has produced branded films and creative campaigns for companies such as Gousto, Tesco and McDonald’s.
