Kate Middleton and Prince William have announced they are launching a YouTube channel as discussion of the future of the monarchy swirls after the death of Prince Philip.
The Duke, 38, and Duchess of Cambridge, 39, posted a 25-second clip on their social media channels today called: ‘Welcome to our official YouTube channel!’
At the start of the video, the couple could be seen sitting on their sofa at their Norfolk home of Anmer Hall, with the Duke turning to Duchess and joking: ‘By the way you need to be careful what you say now because these guys are filming everything.’
The flashy video then goes on to show various clips from engagements over the years, including Kate launching her Early Years survey last February and the couple visiting Pakistan in October 2019.
The public relations offensive comes just weeks after the death of Prince Philip, the steadfast consort at Queen Elizabeth II’s side for more than 70 years, and at a time when the royal family is under intense public scrutiny.
It brings the next generation of royals into sharp focus, with observers questioning how the traditional institution might take shape in younger hands.
“I think there’s a really real risk that if Charles does succeed the Queen that the monarchy will go over a cliff very fast,” said Clive Irving, an author who wrote a biography of Queen Elizabeth. “This question of the survival of the monarchy hasn’t really arisen since the time of Edward VIII’s abdication, but it will come up as a real smack in the face.”
Modernizing the monarchy may mean a smaller number of working royals; more virtual engagements, which began during the coronavirus pandemic; and less prominence given to set-piece ceremonial royal calendar events, in line with trends in other European royal households, said Carolyn Harris, a royal historian and author.
“The monarchy has existed for over a thousand years and has reinvented itself numerous times over the centuries to reflect changing societal norms, political conditions and public opinion,” Harris said.
The last few years have been tough on the United Kingdom.
It has endured a messy and protracted split from the European Union following the 2016 Brexit referendum and the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe and is now mourning the death of a senior royal, each denting and recasting the collective national identity.
The queen, 94, is seen by many as a stabilizing figurehead, defined by her quiet custodianship of the institution through controversies and crises.
But with the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, the shift from the old guard may also bring a change in royal attitudes and values.
“The younger generations of the royal family are more inclined to speak their minds and prioritize their personal lives in addition to their royal duties,” Harris said.
She noted that Prince Charles was criticized for speaking out on issues such as climate change, inner cities and homeopathic medicines, in contrast to the non-interference and guarded private persona that has characterized Elizabeth’s reign.
Public squabbling among younger royals — including between Prince William and his wife, Catherine, and the self-exiled Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan — generating headlines in the British and American press has also put the family under substantial scrutiny.
“Can it survive long enough under Charles for it to be still intact for them to take it over and do a better job with it? We don’t know,” said Irving. “And does it matter in the end? It does to the Brits a lot.”