Kate Middleton and Prince William have continued to work on their campaigns and initiatives amid the pandemic crisis. On Saturday, they agreed to their first "Instagram takeover" with volunteers from Shout85258.
The official account of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, @KensingtonRoyal, which has over 12 million followers, will be managed by the mental health campaign volunteers for 24 hours. As stated, this is the first time that they have done something like this, which is why this move sparked "social media meltdown," according to Express UK.
Shout85258 is, reportedly, the United Kingdom's first 24/7 "crisis text line." Prince William and Kate Middleton launched the initiative last year alongside Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. In marking its first anniversary, the Cambridge couple gave the authority to the charity's volunteers to take over the account.
The 24-hour takeover, reportedly, featured "Q&As" and videos from the volunteers. While the stats of the event on Saturday have remained undisclosed, it has appeared that takeover was a success, as per claims.
The news about the takeover move first emerged last week when Prince William and Kate Middleton engaged in a video call with the volunteers, Hello! reported. The volunteers, reportedly, headed by Alexis Caught, were comprised of Jo Booth, Jo Irwin, Kiel McPhilips, and Michelle Fernandes. Even the CEO, Victoria Hornby, also,reportedly, joined the call.
During the discussions with the royal couple, they talked about the "impact" of the pandemic crisis to the public's "mental wellbeing," especially on the "young people." As reported, they also revealed that the demand for Shout85258's service has "sky-rocketed" since the emergence of the lockdown measures.
At the end of the call, Prince William and Kate Middleton, reportedly, "thanked" everyone for their efforts and hard work. The royal born-Prince also said that the team has been doing a "fantastic job" as they help Shout continue to move forward. You guys are the "trailblazers," and "we appreciate it, he added.
The Shout's head volunteer, Alexis Caught also, reportedly, talked about the Instagram takeover on BBC Breakfast. As asserted, he touched on how the move made by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would help the campaign.
He, reportedly, went on to share that, "pre-lockdown versus now," there has been a huge surge in the number of the messages they have received. However, he said that Shout's "text-only" service means that individuals could not share their struggles out loud. So, the video platform that Instagram offers will certainly help, and so is the takeover.
