The Royal Family & Social Media
When thinking about the Royal Family, social media is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. After all, the Royal Family represent a thousand year old institution and social media is still so modern and new. However, the Royal Family is constantly adapting and evolving to remain relevant in ever changing times. Few things have demonstrated this better than their embrace of social media in recent years.
The Royal Family officially joined social media in April 2009 with the creation of @RoyalFamily. Clarence House followed suit a little over a year later and operated as the account for Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and following their wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge used the account. Once William and Catherine decided to become full time working royals (they spent the first few years of their marriage in Anglesey Wales as they settled into married life and adjusted to being a young family) they created their own court and launched @KensingtonRoyal in September 2014.
They have historically used social media in a more traditional sense; posting announcements of upcoming engagements, sharing videos from charity visits or military events and raising awareness for their patronages. However, the past few weeks have seen them adopt some new social media tactics.
They have been sharing more IGTV clips, palace recipes, formatting official press releases, pre-recording video messages and even allowing charities to partake in account takeovers. As COVID-19 has forced companies and employers to become inventive with the way they do work, the Royal Family has also found new ways to carry out their duties while adhering to social distancing and quarantine guidelines.
The main way they have been doing this is by sharing zoom calls that they have taken with charities on the frontlines. While I do miss in-person engagements and will be excited to return to covering them when it is safe, I absolutely love the Zoom calls they have been sharing. In particular the collaborative all for International Nurses Day that included a call from the Queen as well as appearances from The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Countess of Wessex and Princess Anne. I have always loved joint engagements and this was such a special way to mark such an important day.
Social Media has become the main way in which the royal family are not only continuing their work but spreading joy. They have reposted uplifting photos and stories such as the incredible fundraising done by Captain Tom. They have expanded their social media to not only show their support but to act as a source of good news and inspiration from the incredible stories of togetherness in campaigns like #ClapForCarers and launching photo projects or encouraging people to get back to nature with gardening tips and celebrating #WorldBeeDay
The York Princesses have also been utilizing their social media accounts more. Princess Eugenie has had her own account for a number of years but she is now using it much more frequently. She has been sending her thanks and appreciation to frontline workers and highlighting the charities doing vital work via instagram stories. There have been some photos emerging of Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, volunteering with the Salvation Army. It has also been shared via social media that Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and Sarah, Duchess of York, have been dropping off food parcels and helping assist in vital areas during lockdown.
In addition to sharing zoom calls and pre-recorded messages, members of the family have also been partaking in interviews. Typically fans are lucky to get an interview or two every year from the royal family as they are usually reserved to mark big events such as engagements or landmark birthdays. The Duchess of Cambridge launched a new photography project in partnerships with the National Portrait Gallery called Hold Still to show what life in the pandemic looks like. She was interviewed by Phillip and Holly to launch of the project.
The new social media tactics are going well to say the least. Fans are enjoying the more intimate look into the royals work and are able to respond to it in real time, something that was much harder to do with in-person engagements. The royals also seem to be listening to what royal watchers are enjoying during lockdown as they have continually posted pre-recorded videos and zoom calls while stepping back from press releases and stand alone photos.
The Royals social media pages have never been so active and therefore, royal watchers are more active as well. They are continuing to highlight and bring awareness to the charities that they work with as well as the charities working on the frontlines of the pandemic. It is a new way to bring attention to their work and I sincerely hope they will continue to utilize some of these social media tactics even after lockdown is lifted.
What are your favorite parts about the royals in quarantine? Is there anything you wish they would do differently on their social media? Is there anything that you hope that they keep once lockdown is lifted? Let me know in the comments below! xx