Prince William and Kate Middleton are making love not war when it comes to leading the next generation of the Royal Family, and it’s already ringing in big changes. The past 12 months have been indescribably challenging for the Prince and Princess of Wales, as Kate has gone through her much-documented battle with cancer, something that William has admitted made 2024 the “hardest year of my life.”
That admission alone is unusual for the Royal Family, who are famous for their stiff upper lips and steadfast refusal to talk about anything involving human emotion — hence why Harry and Meghan were so vilified for their no-holds-barred interviews and Netflix shows in the early part of this decade. After going through such a tumultuous year, however, it seems William and Kate have a new outlook on what they can and can’t do — an “evolution” that has seen them wrestle back control from the Palace.
William and Kate’s “new approach” takes the power away from the Palace
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) February 14, 2025
On Feb. 14 2025, the Kensington Palace X account — the official social media platform for the Waleses — quietly broke new ground. The account shared a sweet-natured snap of William and Kate enjoying an affectionate moment in the woods, with the caption comprising a simple heart emoji. This marked the first time the couple had made an official post for Valentine’s Day. In doing so, the prince and princess are proving that they are making big changes to how things are done.
Royal expert Kate Mansey of The Times said, “The new approach to communicating with the public over the past year was described by a Palace source as an ‘evolution.’” What’s different about what Wills and Kate are doing is that they are skipping over royal protocol to interact with the public in their own way. Mansey continued, “when they have something important to impart, William and Kate want to say it themselves without their words being taken out of context.”
Notably, the couple’s Valentine’s Day photo appears to have been taken during the same family excursion that was filmed for Kate’s touching video released last September, in which she announced that she had concluded her cancer treatment.
“Both the Valentine’s post and the video are part of a wider departure from the traditional way the couple have engaged with the public,” Mansey notes, with a source acknowledging, “The princess, when she has updates to give about her health, has given them herself directly to the public. You’re not seeing that coming from a Palace spokesperson.”
We only have to read Harry’s book Spare to see that William was once as opposed to PDAs and going against the family line as they come. And yet it seems the tough time he and his wife had of it last year has made them think a little differently and go against the grain themselves. The first step on the road to reconciliation? Well, it’s possible, but William might not have changed that much.
