The royal family’s brand is stronger than ever

One of the world’s strangest parasocial relationships is our affinity with the British royal family. 

It is a decades-long affair that never shows signs of slowing down or subsiding to a simple, casual interest of a nonchalant nature. We are overly intrigued by the inner workings of a world we mere mortals will never be allowed to enter. People all over the world will devour every morsel of content and salacious gossip they can find about William, Harry and all the gang. We love to see them thrive and we enjoy their failures. It is the most toxic of associations. 

It has been a significantly difficult few months for Kate Middleton, The Princess of Wales. Back in January, Middleton was admitted to the hospital for “a planned abdominal surgery” which the palace reported was successful. To allow her to recover, it was announced she would be taking some time away from her royal duties. Then following a missed appearance by Prince William at his godfather’s Thanksgiving due to a “personal matter” and the fact that Middleton had not been seen for weeks, the public became increasingly worried about her health and whereabouts and the gossip mills started moving at rapid pace. 

The salacious rumours being spewed included cheating accusations and that Middleton had fled the royal family to start a new life. In an attempt to calm the public’s discourse, a photo of Middleton with her children was released on Mother’s Day. Now an infamous faux pas in the royal family’s PR history, the photo was eventually found to have been heavily edited. 

The tittle-tattle was relentless and on March 22, Middleton released a video statement informing the public that she had cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy. Her reason for not disclosing the news was to protect her three children. Despite her public position, it was deeply upsetting and uncomfortable that a young mother, who was trying to shelter her kids from a painful onslaught, was forced by an uncompromising public to share private information about her welfare. 

Thankfully, just this week, the Princess of Wales announced she had finished her treatment and is “doing what I can to stay cancer-free.” The news was met with relief and elation and the Princess announced her message in a beautifully shot video that featured her husband, her children and her parents.

The three-minute Instagram-ready video was filmed in Norfolk last month using scenes of the family spending time in nature as a meaningful backdrop and featured a personal message from Middleton herself. It is the most affectionate and emotionally forward we have seen the royal family. The couple hold hands, Prince William kisses Middleton lovingly on the head and they embrace with their children. It’s happy and light and makes them look like a normal, run-of-the-mill family. 

Under the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth and her predecessors, the Britain royal family kept news of illnesses under wraps to avoid appearing weak. The consensus amongst ‘the firm’ always screamed for them to be quiet. However, under King Charles, there has been a slow and steady move to be more forthcoming, emotionally intelligent and dare we say, common. 

The new softly-lit video was shot by William Warr, creative director of Detail Firms. The company says it combines film production techniques and strategic marketing to create “beautiful branded films” and that they “exist to help brands tell stories that speak to their audience.” In the clip, Kate speaks about the challenges her family has faced over the past nine months and expressed her ‘relief’ at finishing her course of treatment. “Life as you know it can change in an instant, and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown,’’ she explained. 

The video has been met with praise and adoration and it is a beautiful tribute to healing and health and life. However, there has been some pushback from cancer survivors who feel the film has glossed over the immense struggles that come during and following treatment. In an opinion piece for The Guardian, survivor Hilary Osborne wrote: “The soft-focus image of life on the other side of a course of chemo – despite the words that go with it – underplays the strain on patients and their families. The words cancer and chemotherapy cover a whole range of things, but if you have never encountered either close up then please know that it doesn’t always look like this.”

When examining how the royal family interacts with us in such situations, we must always remember that it is a brand. Like any business, it has a unique selling point that must be adhered to and pushed whenever the occasion calls for a marketing refresh. From the Meghan and Harry fallout to the disgrace of Prince Andrew, the royals have dealt with a myriad of public relations disasters that would destroy even the strongest of businesses in a heartbeat. 

Yet, the PR machine in Buckingham Palace is adept at navigating such calamities. Once again, they have managed to come out on top. Gone are the guarded and reluctant royals of yore. Today, the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their children, are being marketed as a modern, dynamic royal family. Their approach is characterised by a newfound openness and relatability, embracing contemporary values and engaging with the public in ways that their predecessors never did. 

This shift reflects a strategic adaptation to the changing media landscape, ensuring that the monarchy remains relevant and connected to the broader society. Yet, we must never forget that this video was created by a company that specialises in identity and storytelling. The family didn’t simply hire a man with a camera to capture some behind-the-scenes footage. 

Despite the criticism Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received for their modern, Hollywood-style approach to media, this video seems like something they would have created with Netflix. If that were the case, they would have been annihilated by the UK press too. From the editing to the music to the voiceover, the video plays tribute in many ways to the traditional influencer declaration model. Whether it be pregnancy announcements or divorce settlements, social media is flooded with highly stylised videos shaped in a similar way to Middleton’s. While the story aimed to share good news, it’s troubling that the royal family’s PR team chose this moment to unveil a new brand identity. In doing so, they have taken a recovering young mother out of the story and placed the picture-perfect Princess into its centrefold. It’s a jarring juxtaposition of lived realities.

But, like I said, at its core, the royal family is not a normal unit, it’s a business. It’s a big brand and even bigger money. Monarchy may have always come first in the time of Queen Elizabeth but now it feels like good marketing has overtaken sovereignty. 

And so the video plays on and while we all watch closely, the parasocial relationship lives on too.