Prince William and Kate Middleton are trying to appear ‘friendly and fun’ by adopting a more casual approach to their social media, a brand expert has claimed.
The Duke, 39, and Duchess of Cambridge, 40, have just returned from a whirlwind seven day tour of the Caribbean, with stops in Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas.
During the trip, the couple broke the Buckingham Palace ‘no selfie’ rule, posing for snaps with the Olympic Bobsleigh team as well as Early Childhood Commission chairman Trisha K Williams-Singh.
They have also adopted a more personal tone in their approach to social media during their trip, dropping all official titles from Instagram captions and tweets and writing many in first person.
Brand expert Nick Ede told FEMAIL the change to the couple’s social media strategy was intentional in order for the Duke and Duchess to give a sense of ‘friendship and fun’.
Brand expert Nick Ede told FEMAIL the change to the couple’s social media strategy was intentional in order to give a sense of ‘friendship and fun’ to the Duke and Duchess
He explained: ‘The word selfie and the action with your phone breaks down barriers, makes you feel included and gives a sense of friendship, fun and kindness all three thing the future King and Queen portray daily.
‘This move is one that once again shows that they are progressive and understand the need to move with the times and appear more accessible and for the people.
‘Like most Hollywood stars who stop for a selfie or who make it a ‘thing’ like Tom Cruise, the royal couple know that it’s going to cause a stir, create excitement and ultimately make everyone smile which is part of the revolution of kindness that’s happening nowadays.’
The Queen is known not to like selfies because she prefers to make eye contact with the public, but younger royals such as the Cambridges and Harry and Meghan appear to enjoy them.
During the couple’s tour of Jamaica, they have been snapped enjoying a selfie at several different points – including meeting the bobsleigh team
Locals were able to take a rare selfie with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the event earlier this week
Posing for pictures with the public is not the only change Kate and Prince William have made to their social media strategy during the Caribbean tour.
The Duke and Duchess shared a video as they went scuba-diving through coral reefs while visiting Belize at the start of their tour.
Meanwhile they also compiled snapshots from the week-long trip in an Instagram ‘Guide’, one of only three on their official page.
It allows followers of the couple to see a compilation of images from their tour with ease.
Tweets from the tour appear to be written by the couple themselves, with tweets in the last few days reading: ‘What a incredible day at Trench Town’, ‘Good morning! We’re looking forward to our first full day in Belize’ and ‘Catherine and I are delighted to be here in Belize at the beginning of our first official visit to the Caribbean’
The couple have also adopted a first person, casual tone for their Instagram posts during the tour.
The change in tone is likely to have been part of the ‘charm offensive’ from the royal couple who are visiting Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas in an attempt to drum up support for the monarchy ahead of the Queen‘s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Tweets from the tour appear to be written by the couple themselves, with tweets in the last few days reading: ‘What a incredible day at Trench Town’, ‘Good morning! We’re looking forward to our first full day in Belize’ and ‘Catherine and I are delighted to be here in Belize at the beginning of our first official visit to the Caribbean’.
Tweets from previous royal tours often refer to the couple in third person, using HRH titles or referring to them as the ‘Duke and Duchess’ rather than by their first names.
Tweets from previous royal tours often refer to the couple in third person, using HRH titles or referring to them as the ‘Duke and Duchess’ rather than by their first names. They are also more formal in tone, something that might be expected from royal communications.
They are also more formal in tone, something that might be expected from royal communications.
However, the new tweets use exclamation marks, more emojis and emotive words in another sign of a modernisation of the monarchy.
One tweet from November reads: ‘ This evening The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall for a #COP26 reception, which saw Her Majesty The Queen address the assembled delegates via a recorded message
Another from a recent visit says: ‘The Duke and Duchess’ next visit was to the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre in Whitechapel, where volunteers have played an important role in supporting members of their community by helping to deliver warm meals, food and medication to the most vulnerable.’
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10645815/Prince-William-Kate-Middleton-breaking-no-selfie-rule.html
