威廉王子和凯瑟琳与te聊天achers and students at Casterton Primary Academy yesterday to check in with the staff and the kids during the lockdown. They likely weren’t on House Party. Zoom is the daytime platform, and certainly more on brand with House Cambridge. So the title here is just because I thought it sounded cuter.
Teachers across the UK are dedicating their time to keeping schools open for the children of key workers and vulnerable children.
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal)April 8, 2020
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge called teachers and school staff at Casterton Primary Academy to thank them for their hard work and dedication.pic.twitter.com/2h9N66O4EP
That said, have you heard about all the Zoom-bombing that’s been happening? Authorities issued an alert a few days ago about trolls and hackerscrashing Zoom meetings. Last week, the New York Rangers set up a Zoom chat with K’Andre Miller, a first round draft pick, and some asshole hijacked the call and posted racist messages. It took a while before the NHL could shut it down. This did not happen, thankfully, to the Cambridges. But it crossed my mind that the possibility was there and what precautions would have been taken to prevent it. How many Kensington Palace staffers were white-knuckling on standby ready to cut in?
That was clunky segue to talking about who Will and Kate have hired as their new social media manager: David Watkins. Interestingly David Watkins was formerly working on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s social media. House Sussex, as we know, is currently in the middle of a reset so now David’s playing for a new team.
A couple of things here that you should pay closer attention to. Many media outlets are crediting PEOPLE for the reporting on this David Watkins story and they link back to PEOPLE’s site on the coverage. But… when you打击,link, the URL is the same…
…but the title of the actual article doesn’t match the URL. And, as you can see in my screencap, when you do a search of David’s name, he doesn’t come up. They’ve changed the story.
Why? And is this weird?
When the news about David Watkins first came out yesterday, gossips, naturally, made the connection. There’s been some speculation about Will and Kate’s social media activity in relation to Harry and Meghan’s social media activity, with Caity Weaver doing the forensicsin her article for The New York Times, wondering whether or not the Cambridges buy their followers and analysing how they’ve upgraded their social media strategy to keep up with the Sussexes.
Prior to Harry and Meghan stepping down as senior royals, there was also a LOT of leaking happening from within the royal family, almost all of it to the Sussex disadvantage. And now one of their former staffers is working with Will and Kate?
Coincidence or conspiracy?
PEOPLE of course has never been unfavourable towards Harry and Meghan. But it’s not like they’re in the business of taking sides either, and certainly not against the Cambridges. Did they change their story because they didn’t want to be seen as suggesting that the Cambridges were poaching from the Sussexes? Were they asked to change the story? Why can’t I find a mention of David Watkins at PEOPLE.com? Again, look closely at that embed that I just posted above. The URL readshttps://people.com/royals/kate-middleton-and-prince-william-hire-meghan-markle-and-prince-harrys-social-media-manager/but a search of “David” turns up 0/0 results.
This is not nothing, when sh-t like this gets updated, there’s always a reason.
As for Will and Kate and their Zoom chat – they’re actually pretty cute in this format, especially Kate. She looked relaxed, much less stiff than she can be when she’s speaking in public. She’s not worrying about her posture, at one point, she casually rests her face in her hand. It’s a good look for her and for Will too, who’s quick with a joke and a smile, super engaging with the kids and the teachers. The Cambridges are definitely playing the social media game a lot better. And, clearly, their social media team is getting deeper too.
