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Back in October, royal sources insisted that Prince William and Kate were planning a “Christmas coup” to overshadow King Charles. Those sources claimed that William and Kate would perhaps post some personal photos of their kids in Anmer Hall, celebrating the holiday away from Charles and the Parker-Bowles clan. That didn’t happen over Christmas, but now I wonder if the “Christmas coup” plan morphed into a plan for William to post a personal message on Kate’s birthday. Alongside a brand new birthday portrait of Kate, William wrote: “To the most incredible wife and mother. The strength you’ve shown over the last year has been remarkable. George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Catherine. We love you. W.” Did it break the internet? No. Was it a coup? Also no. But royalists are still trying to make it sound like William is lovesick and devoted to his wife.
[William’s message] could be no clearer sign of the impact the last year has had on the family, and no simpler insight into the priorities of a Prince and Princess. In years gone by, such sentiments would have been shared privately. Indeed, most of the couple’s birthdays go largely unmarked, other than with a basic short message from the Royal family’s social media page. However, just as their lives have changed in the face of serious illness, so has their communication.
On Thursday, the Wales family have no public engagements. Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are at school, with time for a birthday breakfast, tea party and the daily dog walk for William and Catherine in between. Since her last birthday, the Princess has endured major abdominal surgery, a cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy, and is building her way back gradually to a full life and public work again. As of now, the Prince’s pride in her is spelt out for all to see.
The royal stiff upper lip – or what small part of it had survived – is over for good.
The Prince of Wales’s message accompanied a new photograph of the Princess, taken by Matt Porteous – who has worked with the family numerous times before – in Windsor over the summer. At the time, the Princess had not yet announced that she had finally finished her chemotherapy, and was doing her best to enjoy the school holidays with her young family. The black and white image, which features her distinctive engagement ring prominently, is another unusual choice, following the Princess’s more recent aesthetic of outdoor, countryside photography shoots.
Asked why the Prince had chosen to send a personal message this year, palace sources indicated that the words spoke for themselves. The Princess, they noted, is increasingly choosing to share her “journey” with the public directly, through her video messages and signed letters.
Over the past year, we’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out the big mystery or mysteries of what exactly happened, why official photos were so badly cobbled together, why a princess went missing for months, why the communications offices were beset with clownery, and why it felt like some kind of bargain was struck which saw the Middletons re-enter polite society after their shameful financial catastrophe. I still don’t have the answers to most of those mysteries, but it’s clear that there’s a new communications strategy at play in the past six months or so, with William suddenly more eager to selectively play the part of family man and loving husband. I still want to know what the hell William and Kate were thinking with that “cancer free” video in September though. And it appears that Kate’s birthday portrait was taken around the same time? Yeah. Mysteries abound.
Photos courtesy of Kensington Palace, Cover Images, Matt Porteous for KP.
