Prince William and Kate Middleton are ready to control their image

When Prince William and Kate Middleton released their cinematic video on Monday, September 9, to announce the good news that their cancer treatments were over, the internet went wild for the romantic glimpse into their life together. Gone were the stiff, formal portraits the royal family usually shared. The Prince and Princess of Wales officially ushered in a new media generation.

As successful as the clip was, it's hard not to look back at how it got here. Kate was thrown to the wolves by the palace earlier this year when she asked for medical privacy over her cancer diagnosis. She had every right to keep her news private while she processed the journey that lay ahead of her. Yet the royal communications team allowed her to be hit by a bus in the press – reports that she was missing, that she was divorcing William, and that he had rekindled his alleged affair with Rose Hanbury were rife. Not once did a royal spokesperson attempt to stop the freight train while Kate went through a terrible time in her life.

Well, the Wales family is telling everyone that the PR blunders stop here and now. “They didn't want to leave anything to chance this time,” NBC News Royal author Emily Nash told the media outlet: “I think that given the difficulties of the past year, William and Kate have understood that they need to control the narrative to some extent.” She described the video as “a really stylish and beautiful way of doing that.”

Some critics would say that Kate and William took inspiration from their royal rivals – yes, that's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who have used their positive press reception in the US to their advantage. A look at the Sussexes' recent trips to Nigeria and Colombia shows that a goodwill tour goes a long way in generating good headlines – and that's exactly what Kate and William are looking for as they return to their royal duties. “Inevitably, the same critics who loathe Harry and Meghan's barefoot California content refuse to look at the style of the Wales video and consider that the Meghanization of the royal family is proceeding apace,” wrote The Guardian's Marina Hyde.

The Prince and Princess of Wales want to appear relaxed, fun and in love – a story that has sometimes eluded them, as Harry and Meghan usually get the public display of affection. By giving their royal fans a curated behind-the-scenes look at their lives, they are projecting an image that is meant to erase the bad memories that ushered in the year. A new Kate and William era is here!

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