Princess Kate Middleton released her family-focused video to “connect very personally” with the world in a way that a written statement can’t — and channels her late mother-in-law Princess Diana, royal experts tell Us Weekly.
“It was a message that you could see the deep struggle. It was obviously a very, very positive spin was on it because she has now finished chemo, but she emphasizes in her message the long road ahead,” Richard Fitzwilliams said when discussing the “moving” video released by the Princess of Wales on Monday, September 9.
In the cinematic, now-viral video — which also featured Prince William and three kids Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 — Kate revealed that she had officially completed chemotherapy.
“The millions of people who’ve suffered in one way or another from this dreadful disease — I, being one of them with my mother — will relate so personally to this,” Fitzwilliams added. “It’s also clear that she is with them all the way, and yet she is also in a much better place. But it is still a struggle.”
By focusing on family within the video, Kate and William, both 42, gave “an impression of what normality is like” at home.
Fellow royal expert Christopher Anderson agreed, telling Us exclusively that choosing to showcase the entire family proves that Kate “is a master communicator.”
“Emphasis on family, healing, nature, empathizing with the health struggles of others — it’s all there,” he explained. “It’s hard not to think of Princess Diana when you look at this video. She brought the same kind of energy to the royal family.”
Royal family historian Gareth Russell also noted a comparison to the late Diana when discussing the video exclusively with Us. He explained that the public display was reminiscent of what Diana did with William and Prince Harry in their youth.
“This does seem to be a very close loving family, and it was a much more emotionally demonstrative family,” he said. “I do think this is not just the Wales’ managing their privacy and their family with the princess’ public profile. I also think this was a very clear declaration of how the Wales would like to communicate with the public going forward.”
Russell explained that Kate and William have “control” over their “narrative” in public.
“It’s still a narrative in which you will see their personalities and you’ll still see the emotions at the heart of the family,” he added. “I think culturally, in terms of the monarchy, it was very interesting and groundbreaking way to discuss something of this importance.”