Give the Princess of Wales her due, she got our full attention with that video. Posted on Instagram to mark the completion of chemotherapy to treat her cancer, and her reintroduction to public life, filmed by Will Warr in rural Norfolk, it was instant PR dynamite. The Veronica Beard boho dress (a sell-out, naturally). Those flickering sepia-soaked scenes with Prince William and the children; wheat fields, haystacks, hugs, kisses. The heartfelt voiceover, and overall “Eat, Pray, Picnic” vibe, all pulsing with keynotes: home, family, recovery and hard-earned positivity.
How fascinating. Pointed. Revealing. You could appreciate why some fellow cancer sufferers might find it overly photogenic and filtered, and not just in terms of the images. Might the rupture with Harry and Meghan be playing into it? Probably. (When does it not?) It’s also telling how the video swerves palaces, grandeur and other jarring wealth motifs (mindful that British people are under financial pressure?). After the cyclone of scrutiny surrounding her diagnosis, one could easily imagine Kate feeling pressured into appeasing the ever-ravenous double-headed triffid of media and public. Rarefied regal reserve doesn’t cut it these days. Red meat must be thrown to the hounds.
