A royal expert has explained the new rules Prince William and Kate Middleton have implemented to ‘protect their family’ from the public eye and the impact of social media.
Protecting kids on social media is one of parents' top priorities in the digital age. Today, there's not just worries about the amount of time kids are spending on the various apps, with many looking for tips to stop kids from doomscrolling, but there's also fears about what, and who, children are being exposed to online.
Knowing how to keep kids safe on social media is difficult as technology continues to evolve at an alarming pace. And, for the senior royals who find themselves holding the top positions in the royal line of succession, knowing how to handle their exposure to social media when they're already in the public eye - and have been for their entire lives - must be incredibly hard.
That's the problem Prince William and Kate Middleton, according to one royal expert, are now having with their three young children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, six.
No, the children aren't joining Instagram, but how their pictures are shared across the platform is set to change as their parents implement new rules around what it and isn't shared online in order to better ‘protect their family’ from the public eye.
Speaking to Fabulous, Ingrid Seward, royal expert and Editor in Chief of Majesty magazine, revealed, “When the Princess of Wales was attacked for editing her Mother’s Day family photograph, it hurt her deeply.
“She had been taking photographs of her children since their birth. After several photo agencies decided to drop her photoshopped Mother’s Day photograph, her hurt was such that together she and William decided if they were going to let the world see pictures of their children it would be on their terms.
“Now when they release a photograph it will be through their Kensington Palace offices, that way they have control. It is a small but necessary step forward towards protecting their family in the increasingly hostile world of social media and beyond.”
We saw the new rules in action when the family celebrated Prince Louis' sixth birthday last week, with the couple releasing a sweet birthday portrait of the youngster to their Instagram and only their Instagram. Normally, media outlets would receive a copy of the photo the night before the child's birthday but this won't be happening anymore.
But, while the couple are taking steps to be more in control of what is shared with the public, just last year they completely 'overhauled' their social media, taking a new approach by sharing high quality behind the scenes videos of key royal events. The move is thought to be an attempt at better connecting with the younger generation, bringing them into their lives of the monarchy more so than ever before.
Royal expert Jennie Bond told OK! Magazine about the new approach, "It's a very slick production and gives us a glimpse behind-the-scenes with footage that isn’t on TV. You always feel that anything like that is a little bit special as that is when you see them at their most relaxed and maybe even forget the cameras.
"Social media is a very valuable PR tool and particularly important in keeping the monarchy connected with the younger generation as it's very important that they do engage with them."
In other royal news, Kate Middleton is enjoying ‘precious’ family time with her kids as she recovers from ‘preventative’ cancer treatment. And, Prince George, Charlotte and Prince Louis will skip iconic royal event this year - but the reason why is completely understandable. Plus, Princess Charlotte will be grateful Kate Middleton made this unique change to her wedding vows - and she was only the second royal ever to ditch tradition.
