After the Photoshop mishap last year, Kate Middleton decided to take a different approach this Mother’s Day.
In the past, the Princess of Wales has marked the occasion by sharing a heartwarming photo with her three children—George, 11, Charlotte, nine, and Louis, six—on the family’s official social media pages.
However, Kate’s 2024 Mother’s Day post sparked a global debate when it was discovered to have been altered.
Sharp-eyed viewers noticed several issues in the photo, such as a distorted area near Charlotte’s sleeve, uneven window panes, a window with no reflection, and Kate’s zip only going halfway down her jacket.
The controversy also came amid growing concerns for the wellbeing of the mother-of-three. After staying out of the public eye for January, February, and March, global headlines were filled with bizarre theories about her whereabouts.
Eventually, the 43-year-old confessed to editing the photo and offered an apology for the mistake.
Sadly, just a few weeks later, Kate revealed that she had undergone planned abdominal surgery, received a cancer diagnosis, and had been secretly undergoing treatment, all behind the scenes.
After finishing her treatment in September, and with her cancer declared in remission by January, the Princess seemed to decide she would approach Mother’s Day in a different way this year.
Instead of a family photo, she shared an emotional video. The clip doesn’t feature her children and instead highlights the power of Mother Nature.
“Over the past year, nature has been our sanctuary,” Kate wrote in the caption of the video.
“This Mother’s Day, let us celebrate Mother Nature and recognise how our bond with the natural world can help not only nurture our inner selves, but remind us too of the role we play within the rich tapestry of life. C.”
The brief clip shows Kate—whose face is not visible—gently touching the bark of a tree.
Prince William, 42, also appears in the video, but viewers only see the back of his legs as he walks through the forest with Kate.
The couple is also accompanied by their family dog, Orla.
The video bears a resemblance to the one Kate shared last year, which featured William, as well as Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, where she shared the news that her chemotherapy had finished.
In that social media post, the Wales family could be seen enjoying the outdoors, walking through the woods, with the couple cuddling and holding hands.
“I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can,” Kate said in the September video.
“Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life.”