What we can learn from the Princess of Wales’ intimate family video

In March, Catherine, Princess of Wales, announced she had been diagnosed with cancer. The video message, in which she was filmed seated on a garden bench sharing her medical condition in a matter-of-fact and measured tone, sent shockwaves across the globe. Five months later, the princess has used video again – but this time glowing and surrounded by family – to announce she has completed her course of chemotherapy.

The three-minute video, shot in Norfolk last month by Catherine and the Prince of Wales’ favoured filmmaker, Will Warr, is personal and intimate, rooted in family, nature and playfulness.

In the video, Catherine’s recovery is shown to be irrevocably connected to her family. Her husband, William, and her three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – feature heavily, often laughing and huddled together as a strong family unit.

The children play cricket, climb trees, splash in the sea, enjoy a picnic and play cards. It’s wholesome fun at its finest, images of a family connecting in the great outdoors and enjoying traditional pursuits, emphasised by the nostalgic feel of the film. Catherine speaks of the “simple, yet important, things in life, which so many of us often take for granted – of simply loving and being loved”.

Dr Brent Coker, a digital marketing specialist at The University of Melbourne, says the video’s focus on traditional family values is an effective way to connect with a global audience.

“Family is something that almost everyone has, and the strongest memories people have are with family,” he says.

The video also depicts an intimate side of the prince and princess – a couple who are not typically demonstrative in public. The couple embrace, kiss and clasp hands. Catherine leans her head on her husband’s shoulder, they lie together on their backs, arms wrapped around each other laughing.