Yahoo News Kate Middleton and Prince William's social-media post about Meghan and Harry's daughter could be part of a plan to change their image
Kate and William took a less formal approach to congratulating Meghan and Harry on their daughter's birth.
They referred to the Sussexes by their first names instead of their titles in an Instagram post.
A royal commentator said the palace press team could be trying to change their image.
When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry introduced their son, Archie, to the world in 2019, they received messages of congratulations from the royal family.
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted with the news of the birth of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's son today, and look forward to meeting the latest addition to the family," a spokesperson for Prince William and Kate Middleton wrote on Instagram.
Two years later, Middleton and William congratulated the couple on the birth of their daughter, Lilibet Diana.
This time around, they took a less formal approach. "We are all delighted by the happy news of the arrival of baby Lili. Congratulations to Harry, Meghan, and Archie," they wrote on Instagram.
There are two major differences in the second post: It was written in the first person, and it refers to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex by their first names instead of by their titles.
Kinsey Schofield, a royal commentator, broke down why the post may be part of a wider plan to change their image.
Royal press teams could be trying to repair their reputation after backlash from the Oprah interview and 'The Crown'
Prince Charles and Camilla's Instagram post about Lili also referred to the couple by their first names, perhaps to "add a depth of warmth" to their message, Schofield said.
The royal family's account, which represents Buckingham Palace and the Queen, referred to them as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Schofield told Insider that Clarence House's and Kensington Palace's public-relations teams might have "teamed up to weather this storm" caused by Harry and Markle's interview with Oprah in March.
Markle and Harry made several accusations about the royal family during the sit-down interview. The duchess said Middleton had made her cry before her wedding, while Harry said his father stopped taking his calls before they stepped back from royal duties.
The couple also said that they received no support from the institution of the royal family when Markle had suicidal thoughts and that some royals had expressed "concerns" about Archie's skin color.
"Things have been rocky for the entire family since the Oprah interview online, but Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall have been dodging negative feedback on social media since November thanks to 'The Crown' Netflix series," Schofield, the founder of the website To Di For Daily, told Insider.
Charles and Camilla disabled their Twitter replies in November after fans of Princess Diana watching "The Crown" trolled them; the show's fourth season showed the three royals' love triangle.
"The real crown and the Queen are a testament to tradition, sophistication, and rich history," Schofield said, adding that "the Queen has lived her entire life within a strict set of rules, and she's not about to break those for an Instagram post."
The caption is one aspect of a rebrand for the Cambridge family. William and Middleton recently launched a YouTube channel and had an affectionate photo-op for their anniversary, possibly in an attempt to appear more relatable and down-to-earth, Insider's Anneta Konstantinides reported.
Schofield added that while these changes would have come from the royal press teams rather than the royals themselves, "they likely approved these captions since there would be so much public interest in them."
Kensington Palace and Clarence House did not respond to Insider's request for comment.
Read the original article on Insider
