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The tradition whereby the English Royal Family are forbidden from having a presence in the online social space is most definitely outdated. @KensingtonRoyal – the account which covers the day-to-day happenings of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – is controlled via a social media monitor. Last night, however, as the English soccer team lost to Croatia in a thrilling World Cup semi-final and in an unprecedented move, Prince William took over Kensington Palace’s account with some words to his team.
“I know how disappointed you must feel right now but I couldn’t be more proud of this team and you should hold your heads high,” Prince William wrote. “You’ve had an incredible #WorldCup, made history, and gave us fans something to believe in. We know there is more to come from this @england team. W.”
At first, the first-person voice appeared to read as the Palace’s social media monitor’s voice as everybody knows Royals don’t have Instagram accounts. Could the monitor have had a few too many drinks, gone rogue and thought it was a great idea to congratulate the national football team? As we neared the end though, we realise, via the W sign-off, it’s William – and his prompt use of hashtags signals he’s very well-versed in Instagram how-to.
There are so many ways in which the younger Royals are breaking tradition. From hemlines to hairstyles to PDA to pantyhose, in this digital era it’s important they have a voice in the social space. It’s reported Prince Harry had a secret Facebook account for four years under the name “Spike Wells” and a secret Instagram account in which he used to follow Meghan Markle prior to them dating. The Queen also reportedly has a secret Facebook account and regularly checks it on her personal iPad and laptop. Enough said, really.
