Princess Kate, the beloved Princess of Wales, has found herself at the center of a brewing controversy within the royal family following the release of a highly stylized video that offered a rare glimpse into her private life. The video, which featured moments of familial warmth and affection with her husband, Prince William, and their three children, has ignited a debate among royal insiders and sparked comparisons to the media approach of Meghan Markle.
The three-minute video, released earlier this week, showcases the Wales family engaging in playful activities at the beach and in the woods. The video also includes an emotional update from Princess Kate regarding her recent battle with cancer, revealing that she has completed her preventative chemotherapy treatment. While the public response has been largely positive, with many praising the princess for her openness, some within royal circles have expressed deep concerns.
A royal source criticized the video for its departure from traditional royal norms, describing some scenes as "unregal." The source pointed out the conspicuous absence of King Charles and Queen Camilla in the video, contrasting it with the prominent inclusion of Kate's parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, according to The Daily Mail.
"There's no coincidence that the Middletons appear in it and not the King and Queen," the source noted. "I can assure you that Charles and Camilla will not be filmed kissing each other on a beach [as William and Catherine were] until hell freezes over. It's distinctly unregal."
The criticism did not end there. Another insider went so far as to compare the video to content typically produced by Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, who has been known for her more modern and media-savvy approach to royal life. "All that lying around, hugging and kissing-they're not soppy teenagers," the insider remarked. "It felt manipulative. It's the sort of thing that Meghan would make. All the time, effort, and expense put into making the video could have been much better spent elsewhere. Why not visit other women being treated for cancer? That's what Diana would have done."
The comparison to Meghan Markle is particularly telling, as it highlights the growing divide within the royal family over how to engage with the public and manage their image. Meghan has been both praised and criticized for her more contemporary, often celebrity-style approach to public relations-a stark contrast to the more reserved and traditional methods favored by Queen Elizabeth II and now King Charles III.
Richard Eden, a royal commentator, expressed his unease with the direction in which Kensington Palace's media strategy seems to be heading. "William and Catherine are vulnerable to PR people who want them to be these slick celebrities. That's not what the Royal Family is. It's important to make that distinction," Eden remarked, echoing concerns that the Waleses are being molded into "Instagram royals," hungry for "likes" and "engagement" online.
This latest video is not the first time that Kensington Palace has released such polished content. In May last year, a five-minute film about the Coronation was posted, featuring behind-the-scenes footage of William and Catherine preparing for the event. A similar review of the year was released last December, both of which drew mixed reactions from royal watchers.
Despite the criticism, the video has also received support from the public and some within the royal family. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson, when asked about the video, stated, "Their Majesties consider the details in [the] announcement to be wonderful news, and will continue to offer all love, thoughts, and support to the Princess on her continued path to full recovery."
The spokesperson for Kensington Palace declined to comment on why the Middletons featured in the video but not King Charles and Queen Camilla.
