Prince William and Kate get an official YouTube channel. Video / The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
OPINION:
Being Queen just isn't what it used to be. Back in the early 20th century, if a young woman of impeccable breeding and questionable orthodontics had gotten hitched to a future King, she got a newly designed crown for the coronation.
In 1911, Queen Mary got one that was made with 2,200 diamonds. In 1937, it was Queen Elizabeth's turn (or as she came to be known, the Queen Mother), with hers featuring stones from Queen Victoria and the famous Koh-i-noor diamond, which had previously been used in crowns for Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary - all 105.6 carats of it.
When Kate, Duchess of Cambridge becomes Queen Consort somewhere down the track, it is highly unlikely that she will get her a new diamond dazzler of her very own and will just have to make do with one of the hundreds of pieces in the Crown Jewels. You know, the budget and all.
But no matter this unfortunate crown situation, Kate will get something that none of her regal forebears ever did.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge laughs as she meets young people supported by the Cheesy Waffles Project. Photo / Getty Images
She may well just become "Queen" while her father-in-law King Charles III is still alive and banging on about preserving 17th century hedgerow techniques.
Before you think I've gone quite mad, let me explain.
Buckingham Palace has a huge, thorny problem right now. The next British sovereign will be Charles, unless some sort of calamity occurs.
However, the 72-year-old is not exactly the most beloved figure in the UK. While he has earned the grudging respect of many Brits for his workmanlike dedication to addressing climate change and his Prince's Trust charity (950,000 young people helped and counting), popularity and Charles have never been – and will never be – bedfellows.
While it will probably be years before he ascends to the throne, he could still have a good 15 to 20 years of reigning ahead of him, more than enough time for a fractious public to decide this whole royal family caper is an irrelevant, moribund and very expensive waste of time, money and prime London real estate.
A republic you say? What a great idea!
So just what is a courtier intent on ensuring the monarchy survives this century to do?
Enter stage left William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge during the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle. Photo / Getty Images
Somehow in the past decade of marriage, the Cambridges have become … actually really good at their jobs. Without anyone quite realising it, they have radically shifted their interpretation of monarchy from being a plaque-opening powerhouse to a far more activist vision, a monarchy that actually gets stuck in and achieves impressive, tangible results for the public.
There's William's passionate climate change and mental health work, which has rightly earned him plaudits, along with Kate's early childhood work, all done with the aim of reducing homelessness, addiction and mental health issues in generations to come.
These are not nice, "safe" issues where an enterprising HRH can cut a ribbon, deliver a speech and zip home to a palace for a well-earned round of hobknobs.
That's not the only ingenious thing William and Kate have been up to.
In the nineteenth century Queen Victoria and her redoubtable husband Prince Albert set to work improving the standing of the monarchy after the excesses of the Regency period and the profligacy of King George IV. They supported the arts, proved their charitable chops by becoming patrons of hundreds of organisations, and Albert came up with the idea of the famous 1851 Great Exhibition. More than that, they rebuilt the image of the royal house as being predicated on their happy family unit and Victoria cannily used her position as a wife and mother to connect with the nation.
Whether consciously or not, William and Kate have been following in the footsteps of his great, great, great grandmother. In late April, they released a professionally shot, highly-stylised "home video" showing the couple and their three adorable kids enjoying a Enid Blyton-esque frolic around a frosty looking Norfolk beach and in the garden of their country estate.
Cockles were warmed, hearts were lifted, and the institution of the monarchy got a nice jolt of public goodwill.
And therein lies a clever way forward for the palace: The "co-reign", if you will, of King Charles III simultaneously with that of King William and Queen Kate.
By dint of necessity by the time Charles is crowned, and very likely approaching 80, he will need his son and daughter-in-law to assume some of the more of the taxing responsibilities of the King-ship, such as overseas tours to placate the Commonwealth every time we get a bit too interested in becoming a republic.
Cathering, Duchess of Cambridge tries archery during a visit to The Way Youth Zone on May 13, 2021 in Wolverhampton, England. Photo / Getty Images
But far more important than any practical considerations, such as how often kingly knees can contend with lengthy investiture ceremonies, will be the central role William, Kate and their family will play in fighting the battle for public hearts and minds.
Far more than any Prince and Princess of Wales before them, William and Kate could very well be brought to the fore of the royal house to "co-reign" in an attempt to win the PR war.
The prospect of Charles as King has never really roused the masses or inspired much but apathy and the 20 years which he could well spend on the throne is far too much time for antimonarchy sentiment to foment.
Winning the support of millenials and young Brits, that is, swaying them from a position of generational scepticism about the whole unelected, hereditary monarchy caper, is something only William and Kate can do.
The clues are already there that the palace is deploying this strategy.
It is no accident that this month, along with their "home video", William and Kate have launched their own YouTube channel, kicking things off with a video featuring footage of the couple larking about together. ("Larking" of course being a very suitable upper-crust way of enjoying oneself along with "gadding" and "frolicking".The overly enthusiastic "romping" is just too much though. Desist at once.)
This channel, like their renamed Instagram account, will allow them to try and sell a version of the royal family as one defined by happiness, all warm and fuzzy feelings; a clear break from the dysfunction and trauma that characterised royal life for decades.
This channel, along with their podcast appearances, docos, video selfies and social media Q and As, are all clever ways of not only making them seem relatable but also relevant. What better way to prove to the yooooof how useful a monarchy is than 30-second videos of them doing Genuinely Helpful Charity Stuff?
Make no mistake, in the coming decades it is going to take not one sovereign but three, along with a YouTube channel, an Instagram account and countless more "family videos" to keep the monarchy afloat.
Daniela Elser is a royal expert and a writer with more than 15 years experience working with a number of Australia's leading media titles.
