Behind-the-Scenes Video of Princess Kate's Three Peaks Challenge Sparks PR Crisis for Kensington Palace
Princess Kate was praised for climbing the UK's highest peaks solo until a fellow climber's video put the Palace's PR machinery to the test.
Princess Kate proved she had the heart of a fighter when she undertook the National Three Peaks Challenge. While headlines celebrated her for conquering the peaks solo, a video posted by fellow climber Phillip Tebajjwa painted a very different picture. The now-deleted clip showed Kate's brother, James Middleton, accompanying her down the summit, raising fresh questions about Kensington Palace's well-oiled PR machinery.
The now-deleted video showed the Princess of Wales descending Snowdon Summit, holding hands with James, while one of his dogs walked alongside them. This seemingly warm clip landed Tebajjwa in hot water, especially after Kensington Palace caught wind of the criticism and sought the rights to the footage. Shortly afterwards, Tebajjwa posted an apology, saying he had handed the video to the Palace so they could "deal with the media interest." For critics, the issue was never that Kate had received support, but rather how the footage contrasted with the Palace's long-standing narrative. The royal family has frequently highlighted her fierce independence—from doing her own wedding makeup to tackling grueling peaks just a year after overcoming a major health battle. Watch the video here!
The incident, according to Feminegra, points to a long-running pattern. For instance, reports highlight that while major outlets praised her for doing her own makeup on her 2011 wedding day—despite the vast network of staff on duty for royal weddings—makeup brand founder Bobbi Brown later revealed that Kate had actually received help from a professional team.
Another instance that fueled public scrutiny came in 2025, when photos of Kate and Prince William's private ski holiday with their three children were leaked by Paris Match. The images surfaced at a time when Kensington Palace was citing Kate's ongoing cancer recovery as the primary reason for her lack of public engagements, creating a noticeable contrast in the public eye.
Interestingly, the Palace has now logged Kate's hike in the Court Circular as an official royal engagement. They presented the challenge as both a deeply personal milestone for Kate, considering that she raised money for the same hospital that treated her, and a public-facing initiative. Tebajjwa's footage, however, showed how James's warm support for his recovering sister was never the issue. Instead, because every outlet reported the endurance event as Kate's solitary achievement, it only rightfully prompted questions about the gap between the official narrative and what the public later saw.
