Kate's Chemo Video Did Not Detract from the Magic of the Monarchy
In the days following the release of Kate’s chemo video, reactions to the video were mixed. After polling many of you on social media, it seems that the overwhelming response was positive. But not everyone loved the video. Richard Eden, a prominent royal reporter (who is very pro-monarchy and who likes William and Kate) was not in love with the “slick” film. He reported:
[T]he super-slick video that Kensington Palace released on Monday to broadcast the welcome update on her health has divided opinion among courtiers – and provoked a scathing backlash from some friends of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Eden’s piece had two primary points—the first was the reactions from friends of Charles and Camilla which were not only less than flattering but were downright scathing.
Some of the monarch’s friends are critical. One told me: ‘There’s no coincidence that the Middletons appear in it and not the King and Queen. 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 un-regal.’
I spoke to another insider who was even more scathing.
‘All that lying round, hugging and kissing – they’re not soppy teenagers,’ they said. ‘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.’
Yikes. I actually don’t think the King and Queen briefed against the video, as some believe, but I do think this shows there is some light rivalry and their friends might be overly protective.
The second point he made in the piece was that this video is a new method of communication, which Eden fears will wear away some of the luster and mystery of the monarchy.
[T]he highly-stylised video certainly laid bare how radically different Prince William and Catherine’s approach to communications has become from the more traditional methods favoured by the King and Queen, and Queen Elizabeth before them.
A lot of people jumped on Eden and claimed he hated William and Kate, which was absolutely ridiculous. As I say, he is very pro-monarchy and “pro-Waleses.” But he has his opinions and is honest in sharing them. His position is simple. After detailing the new approach to media William and Kate have taken (including the behind-the-scenes coronation video, the anniversary video, etc) he made the following points:
Even though I think the latest video is very sweet, I stand by those comments now. William and Catherine don’t need to be ‘Instagram royals’, hungry for ‘likes’ and ‘engagement’ online.
They should follow the example of Queen Elizabeth. The late Queen was always keen to keep up to date with the latest technology but, at the same time, maintain the dignity of the Monarchy.
I’m sure that she would have done as Catherine did with her statement in March, following her cancer diagnosis, and perhaps release a simple video updating the nation on her health – but no more than that.
Eden is worried that the videos won’t maintain the dignity of the monarchy and that the couple are chasing likes, but I don’t think that is the case. The video does not undermine the magic of the monarchy, in fact, it accomplishes in this new digital age exactly what the Queen understood was necessary for the monarchy to survive—they must be seen!
It doesn’t undermine the magic because