Why Kate’s Personal Video Shows a Strikingly Different Approach

Why Kate’s Personal Video Shows a Strikingly Different Approach

Such a personal video is a strikingly different approach to a health update on the Princess of Wales.

It is a very emotional and colourful painting full of harvest colours, which changes into an almost melancholic tone. It shows Catherine walking through the countryside with her family.

There could have been a traditional press release or on-camera statement, but instead there’s a soft, cinematic slant to this message.

Instead of footnotes and explanations about completing her chemotherapy, there are stylized shots and intimate first-person narration.

This is clearly a well-planned approach to releasing information. The Will Warr filming took place in Norfolk last month and the clothing changes suggest that there was more than one filming session.

It’s a world of difference from the old-fashioned royal releases, which were limited to the smallest details and remained as dry as the desert.

This much more lavish treatment is in line with the trend of celebrities and public figures delivering their messages directly to the public, using the language of social media rather than conventional news reports or interviews.

It gives her a lot of control over the message, with the atmospheric music and slick editing propelling the story forward, rather than raising questions about her health or treatment.

We see Catherine, dressed in a long, flowing 70s-style dress, spending time with her family in the woods and on the beach, while playing a game with her own parents.

These are presented in a recognizable way: a family relaxing after a difficult time, in a rural setting. The intention is to convey a message about the soothing powers of nature.

Above the photographs, Catherine’s story is told in the style of a film commentary, capturing her cautious optimism as she welcomes the end of her chemotherapy, yet realizes how fragile life is.

Here Norfolk meets Hollywood and Instagram.

The music video almost echoes a film like About Time, with its melancholic music, sad themes and an encouraging story about how a family can be changed forever by unexpected events.

The comparisons are made with film styles and flashbacks, not press releases.

There is also a clear sense of how this short film might be seen by the many families who have to deal with cancer in their own lives. It is a sensitivity that seems to lie close to the surface.

It almost becomes a prayer at the end, with the invocation: “To all those continuing their own cancer journey – I stand with you, side by side, hand in hand. Out of darkness can come light, so let that light shine brightly.”