The Princess of Wales bucked tradition on Mother's Day in the UK on Sunday, opting to share a poignant video in lieu of her traditional family photos.
Her choice to release a clip comes a year after she faced intense scrutiny over an edited photo posted to commemorate the occasion.
Kate, 43, traditionally celebrates the special day with photos or nods to her three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, but this year, she chose to release a beautifully-edited clip celebrating the power of Mother Nature.
© Getty ImagesPosted on Prince William and Princess Kate's official social media pages, the video featured a number of different natural environments from across the UK, including woodlands, fields, beaches and the ocean. Clips included the slow unfurling of a daisy, plumes of fog rolling down a craggy hill and a tiny ladybird inching its way along a blade of grass.
An accompanying message read: "Over the past year, nature has been our sanctuary. 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 decision comes after the controversy surrounding last year's Mother's Day portrait, which was later revealed to have been digitally altered.
Following widespread speculation over inconsistencies in the image, Kate took the rare step of issuing a personal apology, acknowledging that she had edited the photo herself.
"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she said. "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day. C."
© GettyAt the time, the Princess was still recovering from the abdominal surgery she underwent in January - her cancer diagnosis had not yet been made public.
A different approach
In light of what happened with Kate's Mother's Day post from last year, their decision to share a video in 2025 suggests a different approach from the royals, perhaps adopted to prevent another over-reaction from the media.
Robert Hardman, author of King Charles III: New King, New Court, the Inside Story, reflected on the media's over-reaction regarding last year's incident.
© Getty"It was a really ludicrous, over exaggerated response to something, particularly in an industry where doctored photos of celebrities are routine…" he told HELLO!.
"They grasped it very quickly. There was a quick turnaround the next day where I think she apologised. And I think that was the right thing to do."
He continued: "And in the same way that the picture was very hands-on, so was the response. She took it on the chin, she dealt with it, and that was the end of it."
Of the incident as a whole, Robert added: "I would have thought for her and for her and William, that's got to be one of the sort of the low points of what he [William] called a 'brutal year'.
Mother's Day tradition
Over the years, the royals have publicly marked Mother's Day either by releasing personal photos or by sharing a glimpse of their celebrations.
In 2023, Kensington Palace released two portraits at the Waleses' home in Norfolk – one of Kate with her three children sitting in a tree and another of the Princess cradling Louis.
© Chris JacksonWhile no photo was shared in 2022, the Palace did choose to release an image in 2021 that showed a cake baked by Kate's children, as well as photos of cards the kids had written to their late grandmother, Princess Diana.
Although it's not known how Kate celebrated on Sunday, it is likely she spent the day surrounded by her children at home in Windsor during their Easter break.
The family are also likely to decamp to their country home, Anmer Hall in Norfolk, where they will have the freedom to go out for walks on the beach with the dogs, paint Easter eggs and do some baking.
