If anyone wanted an insight into the world of the Welsh, it was yesterday’s remarkable ‘mini film’.
It was striking that there was no phone or tablet in sight. With rosy cheeks, bright eyes and bare legs, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and little Prince Louis ran around the woods, fields and beaches near their Norfolk home, playing cricket, climbing trees and competitively challenging their parents to card games.
Some cynics were quick to scoff that this bucolic and decidedly wholesome slice of family life seemed contrived – but they were wrong.
What you see is pretty much what you get with the Prince and Princess of Wales. And because parents William and Kate really do what they preach, their friends are emphasizing that.
The lack of ‘technology’, the outdoor life and their love for nature are inextricably linked to their daily lives.
While Adelaide Cottage, their relatively cosy (by royal standards) four-bedroom house on the Windsor estate, is their home during school years, Anmer Hall, the Waleses’ much more posh country retreat in Sandringham, where the family was captured by filmmaker Will Warr, is undoubtedly their retreat.
I am often told that they would have liked to live there full-time, if they could. As soon as the family can escape to Norfolk, they do so, and the youngsters are encouraged to spend as much time as possible outside in the fresh air, playing in the garden, climbing trees, swimming, sailing or, if it is wet, enjoying crafts and, as we now know, cards indoors.
It is indeed heartwarming to see the family share not one, but two games in their three-minute video message.
Some cynics were quick to scoff that this bucolic and decidedly wholesome slice of family life seemed contrived, but they’re wrong, writes Rebecca English
It’s illuminating to see the family play games in their three-minute video message
One of the most striking aspects of the video, however, is the affection shown by the couple, who are not known for their public displays.
In the first part, we get a rare glimpse of Anmer’s interior – a chic, rustic yet cosy place, with plates hanging on the walls and crockery displayed in white, distressed glass cabinets – with family photos, ornaments and baskets strewn about on the sideboard.
Sitting around the table are the couple and their children, along with Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, playing a game of Spoons.
Players pass cards until they have collected four of a kind, and quickly grab a cutlery set from the middle of the table. If you are the one left standing, you get a letter – spell ‘spoon’ and you are out. However, instead of cutlery, the Waleses play with used Nespresso coffee pods. Definitely not the kind you find on the tea table at Buckingham Palace.
William and Kate can also be seen lying on a tartan picnic blanket with a deck of Battle of Britain-themed playing cards, almost certainly a sweet nod to her late grandfather, Peter Middleton, an RAF hero from World War II. At one point, the prince uses a card to remove a caterpillar from his daughter’s hair, suggesting that he’s also the kind of dad who’s learned how to do a quick ponytail or braid in the morning.
One of the most striking aspects of the video, however, is the affection shown by the couple, who are not known for their public sexual contact.
The children’s public appearances will only take place on William and Kate’s terms, largely unannounced in advance, if and when the children feel comfortable.
It is thanks to the relaxed, middle-class normality of the Welsh that we see three such gloriously unaffected and unadorned royal children today
In the video, we get a rare glimpse into Anmer – a chic, yet cozy, rural setting with plates hanging on the walls and crockery displayed in white, weathered display cases.
I’ve heard it’s a sign of how cancer has redefined their relationship with each other, and what they’re willing to share as a couple. Like anyone who goes through such a life-changing experience at such a young age, William and Kate simply care less about what people think and redouble their attention to what matters to them.
A few years ago I wrote that the Princess has something of the “steel marshmallow,” as the late Queen Mother was nicknamed, soft and squishy on the outside but with a bar of iron across her back. Kate has put that inner steel to good use, particularly over the past incredibly challenging nine months, but also from the very beginning of her journey into royal life, shielding her marriage, family and children.
She was always convinced that her children would suffer as little as possible from the predetermined roles into which they were born. William has always been very supportive of her in this.
Public performances by the youth take place only on their terms, usually unannounced in advance, if and when the children feel comfortable with it.
In fact, wherever possible, at least one parent drives the children to school every day and both parents regularly join together on the sidelines at football and cricket matches, or to cheer on the ‘kiddies’ in the swimming pool or at dance performances.
Thanks to this relaxed, bourgeois normality, today we see three such wonderfully casual and unadorned royal children.
And parents eager to offer a unique insight into the private world they have always so fiercely protected, to, as the Princess herself said, ‘shine brightly’ the light that has emerged from the darkest times in the hope that it can help others on their own devastating and terrifying journey with cancer.