Prince William and Kate Middleton are making their own rules for royal life—and the video the Princess of Wales shared to announce that she's completed her cancer treatment is proof, according to at least one royal expert.
In the deeply personal video, which the Prince and Princess of Wales shared on social media Monday, Sept. 9, the royals shared intimate footage of Middleton enjoying time with her family, including William and their three children Prince George, 11 Princess Charlotte, 9 and Prince Louis, 6.
Middleton even narrated the video herself, and penned a personal message for the post's caption on Instagram, telling supporters "what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment" and candidly sharing that her cancer diagnosis has been "incredibly tough" for her family.
“A video means that firstly you connect very, very personally rather than just in a statement,” royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Us Weekly after Middleton's video went viral. “You can also show family life and you can also get an impression of what normality is like. And that is of course what we see. But equally, if you listen to the words, you understand that for nine months there’s been a struggle. And that struggle has been tough, and there’s plenty still to go.”
According to Fitzwilliams, the deeply personal nature of the video Kate and William decided to share says a lot about how unique the couple's approach to royal life really is.
“From a public point of view, this gave us an insight into [their] personal [lives] that we hadn’t seen before. I think it’s unique and deeply touching, because I think that what they felt was that it’s one thing to say what you’ve been through or try [to] convey it. And it’s quite another to actually show closeness, which members of the royal family normally don’t. I think there are important exceptions, and I think this was an exception. It reminds me of the Queen’s comment: ‘Well, protocol is rubbish.’ They make their own rules.”
For Will and Kate, that clearly includes a willingness to be more open and vulnerable with the public than previous generations of royals have typically been—and the way they shared their recent personal news exemplifies that.
"This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted," Middleton wrote in her caption for the video on Instagram. "Of simply loving and being loved."
