Princess of Wales makes a low-key return to work after a rare high-profile glimpse into family life
Video offers unprecedented look into daily life but also raises questions about communication
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Catherine, Princess of Wales, was back at work this past week, holding a meeting at Windsor Castle that dealt with an issue close to her heart.
The engagement that focused on early childhood development was revealed in the Court Circular, an official record of royal comings and goings. It was only the third time this year that Catherine, who announced in March that she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy for cancer, had been mentioned there.
The low-key return to work was in marked contrast to an unprecedented royal public display a week earlier by the 42-year-old, who was front and centre in a personal and polished video revealing her great relief that she had completed her chemotherapy.
"Doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus," she said during the video, which was full of images of Catherine, her husband, Prince William, and their three children revelling in rural family life in Norfolk, northeast of London.
"Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes."
Still, she was quick to say she was looking forward to being back at work, and doing a few more public engagements when she can in the coming months.
The relative quickness of a public indication that she is back working — just over a week after the release of the video — came as no surprise to royal commentator Justin Vovk.
"If a public statement — in this case, the video — announced she would be returning to work, she would probably not want to wait too long before carrying out her first engagement," said Vovk, a PhD candidate at McMaster University in Hamilton who specializes in the history of the monarchy, in an interview.
"I suspect rumours would start fairly quickly if they announced her return and yet it was a month or longer before any duties were undertaken."
The video and its public reception are the antithesis of events six months ago, when rumours swirled wildly before Catherine announced her cancer diagnosis.
Silence from the palace after her abdominal surgery in January left a vacuum that was filled — particularly on social media — with rampant and sometimes disturbing speculation about Catherine.
Six months on, it seems some lessons in public relations have sunk in.
"I think they learned a great deal in the winter and in the summer," Vovk said.
"I think they wanted to be really clear about the fact that they want to control the narrative around Kate's health. They want to be the ones giving us the information, not having it appear in tabloids. They want to make sure that they are showing things that will quash any potential rumours, whether it's rumours about the marriage, rumours about the kids."
Vovk said there's a lot going on in that three-minute video, where a reflective Catherine does the voiceover as carefully curated images — many steeped in warm, golden tones of happy summer days in the woods or the field — pass by.
"I think it's all very, very deliberate to make sure they have covered their bases and that there's very little that the predatory media can exploit…. This seems to have been a very successful PR endeavour for them. I have seen little to no negative reaction to it."
There's little doubt the video, produced by Will Warr, who also filmed a video for William and Catherine's 10th wedding anniversary, was delivering a wide range of messages.
Central to it was a focus on the family unit of Catherine, William and their children, who were seen playing cards with their grandparents, frolicking over bales of straw, climbing trees, running on the beach.
"There is that sense of wholesomeness, of ordinariness, of relatability," said Chandrika Kaul, a professor of modern history at the University of St. Andrew's in Scotland, in an interview.
"Secondly, this was about Kate, about her being well and happy and healthy and loved and cocooned in a family and supported by her family."
Vovk was also struck by the focus on the family unit of Catherine, William and their children, and saw it presented to the public in an unprecedented way.
"The hands-on parenting, the tactile relationships, the hand-holding, the hugs, the being out in nature and playing — we've never seen this from that inner core of the Royal Family."
Vovk couldn't help but notice the timing of the video, coming a day after the second anniversary of the death of William's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.
The anniversary itself, Vovk said, could have been a day of reflection for the family. The next day would offer an opportunity to look ahead.
"The announcement [in the video] seemed like a declaration of hope for the future, of wanting to move forward and really communicating to people that this next generation is up to do the job."
For all the glow and good will the video created, however, there are lingering questions.
"It's very difficult not to be charmed by the soft filters, the clearly sophisticated framing of the family, the background and the idyllic surroundings," said Kaul.
"I think it was successful in conveying that image of wholesomeness and of underlying the importance of family that this royal couple have always stressed."
But Kaul was also left with a "slight, niggling concern."
"Where does this stop? You know, where does this end? Is every major decision going to be announced with yet more sophisticated video messaging, video films?"
Vovk suspects we will see similar videos down the road.
"How often and how detailed, that I couldn't speculate on, but given the fact that they've now had success with this … I think this is a medium that they are now more familiar with and they're able to use to their advantage in a positive way.
Off to Australia — with a scaled-back itinerary
In ways, King Charles's upcoming trip to Australia will be like any overseas visit he might make — there will be chances to meet local residents, along with time spent on issues such as the environment and sustainability, which have long been a priority for him.
But the agenda for his first visit as monarch to a Commonwealth realm next month also takes into account his health, coming as it does eight months after his cancer diagnosis.
Royal visits to Australia in years gone by have covered the country's vast geography, but details about the upcoming trip Down Under released by Buckingham Palace the other day reveal a tour that appears scaled back. King Charles and Queen Camilla will remain in the general areas of Sydney and Canberra.
"The physical demands have to be in proportion to what he's able to handle," said Kaul.
Both Kaul and Vovk were nonetheless struck by the number of events Charles will undertake on the trip, which will also include time in Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
"It was actually more than I expected, considering he's still undergoing cancer treatment," said Vovk.
Kaul sees Charles's interest in the Commonwealth as a central driving force for him to make the trip, which will take place from Oct. 18 to 26.
"I think what's really underlying [this] is Charles's determination to show how serious he is about his commitment to and support for and work of the Commonwealth," she said.
"I'm very interested to see what he has to say in terms of the Commonwealth … because of course, we know that the Commonwealth itself as an organization is facing challenges of its own."
Kaul will also be interested in hearing what he has to say "when it comes to Australia's role in the environmental movement."
The public response to the tour will be under scrutiny.
"I'll be looking for the crowds. I'll be looking at the size of them, the response from them," said Vovk. "I will be quite interested to see if there are protesters. These are starting to become more common on royal tours."
The tour could also offer some hints of how royal visits might play out in the future.
"I think it will definitely set the tone in terms of when the next overseas visit is planned, the extent of the duties, the extent of the events and sort of the pageantry of it," said Vovk.
"I think what happens over the next month or two will give us a much clearer picture of what we might be able to see on a potential visit to Canada."
Planning for a visit by Charles to Canada last spring was put on hold after his cancer diagnosis. There has been no official word of any upcoming visit here.
A call with the King
Ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting next month, King Charles has been on the phone with leaders of Commonwealth countries, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The King spoke with Trudeau from the Balmoral estate in Scotland on Tuesday, Buckingham Palace said.
"It's easy to speculate and overanalyze any constitutional responsibilities undertaken by the sovereign, but the fact that Buckingham Palace announced it, in my opinion, is their way of communicating the King's role as head of state for multiple Commonwealth realms, not just Britain or Australia," Vovk said.
"I suspect it was a way of showing his engagement and continued interest in his role as head of the Commonwealth."
Trudeau and Charles speak periodically via phone or video. While this week's call was billed by the palace as a pre-Commonwealth Heads of Government chat, current politics in Canada might also have been discussed.
"On a domestic level, it would also not surprise me if this conversation also included an update on [Trudeau's] situation," Vovk said. "A vote of no-confidence is a constitutional concern for the King, as would be any potential change of government."
A Conservative motion of non-confidence in Trudeau's Liberal government next week in Ottawa appears likely to be defeated.
Royally quotable
"It's good news but there is still a long way to go."
— Prince William, speaking to the media after his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, said she has finished her chemotherapy treatment.
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