Kate Middleton and Prince William have found themselves making surprising moves in order to captivate the public and compete with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the fame game.
In the past few weeks, the heir to the British monarchy and his wife made several changes on social that confirmed that they feel the need to adapt to the new reality to sell themselves as modern-day royals.
It all began with the royal couple’s decision to change the username on their popular Instagram page.
The couple ditched their old username, which was “Kensington Royal,” and opted for “Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.”
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and her husband have also updated their profile picture.
Initially, they had a lovely picture that featured the entire family — Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, his wife, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
The family portrait has been replaced with a lovey-dovey candid photo of the couple that was taken in Ireland last year. The Duke of Cambridge and his spouse have surprised royal fans by launching a YouTube channel.
The couple shared a first video where they are laughing and goofing around, along with never-before-seen footage of them celebrating St Patrick’s Day and other private moments.
For their wedding anniversary, Prince William and Kate Middleton unexpectedly posted a video of their three children running on the beach and camping.
Experts weighed in, saying that the Cambridges have clever strategies to use technology to connect with royal fans by sharing intimate moments without too much of their children’s privacy.
Duncan Larcombe, author of Prince Harry: The Inside Story, explained that Catherine, the future queen consort, along with her husband, are now in a popularity contest with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry.
Larcombe said that with the whole world watching, the future king and queen of England would do what is necessary to up their profiles and dip their feet in the cult of celebrity.
The royal expert shared: “Whether William and Kate like it or not, they are now international players in a transatlantic popularity contest with their own flesh and blood. Harry and Meghan have shown that modern royalty will only survive if it is absolutely at the cutting edge of social media and their profiles play into the narrative of the cult of the celebrity.”
He added: “Which is a complete change from the era of Prince Philip. It was never about the royals; it was about the causes, never complain, never explain, ignore questions about you and make it about your causes.”
Larcombe concluded by: “William and Kate are quite clear they need to do more to sell themselves as a couple, family, and personalities. I think in the first few years of their marriage, they were very formal. Things like their anniversary video that is a deliberate charm offensive to sell them as personalities as well as people who are going to be the king and queen.”
The popularity race between the two couples has gone global.
