Why Kate Middleton Might Be Looking to Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's PR Strategy Moving Forward
Kate Middleton is being sneaky about her public appearances now that she’s completed her chemotherapy treatments. The Princess of Wales shared with her followers on X that she recently enjoyed a performance of Giselle by the English National Ballet at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London — and nobody knew about it until after the Sept. 26 matinee was over.
“Congratulations and thank you to @ENBallet and @Sadlers_Wells for the wonderfully powerful, moving, and inspiring performance of Akram Khan’s Giselle. Creativity at its best!,” she wrote while including a photo of the dancers and her personal signature, “C.” It looks like Kate is taking a page from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s PR playbook where they let people know about the events they attended after it happened. It allows them the privacy they deserve to enjoy an outing without press interference.
In 2023, the Sussexes unexpectedly appeared in Vancouver, Canada to promote the Invictus Games and then the Duchess of Sussex turned up at the Variety Power of Women event without any notice — it was amazing! She also kept her future projects rather close to the vest during her red-carpet interview. “We have so many exciting things on the slate. I can’t wait until we can announce them, but I’m just really proud of what we’re creating,” she said vaguely in November 2023. “My husband is loving it, too. It’s really fun.”
The Telegraph noted in June that royal fans should expect more “last-minute” events from Kate moving ahead to align with her health needs. The media outlet described her PR plan as “under-promising and over-delivering” by offering “a powerful emotional message, a surprise photograph, and a full-scale outing to come that no one would have expected her to manage.” Upcoming events that the Princess of Wales will likely attend include Remembrance Sunday on Nov. 10, her annual Together at Christmas carol service in early December, and the royal family’s walkabout on Christmas Day.
“It will be a slow adjustment to getting back on duty and we mustn’t expect anything mammoth overnight,” royal expert Dickie Arbiter told the Express. “We shouldn’t be pushing her, and she certainly shouldn’t be pushing herself to keep people happy that she is coming back, she will do it gradually and in her time … She’s not out of the woods yet and we must allow her to pace herself.”
Kate is doing things a bit differently this time around, and she might have Harry and Meghan to thank for their under-the-radar PR strategy.
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