Prince William's Expert Use of Instagram Stories Showcases His Influencer Skills | Vanity Fair

Written by Erin Vanderhoof

Since 2015, Kate Middleton and Prince William have used social media to interact with their followers across the globe. As an example, on Thursday, Prince William used the Instagram story feature on their joint account to respond to some questions, mostly concerning the Earthshot Prize and highlights of the prize's awards ceremony. However, he also made time to discuss his predictions for some upcoming soccer matches.

When one follower queried who he thought would win the current Europa League cup, Prince William responded by referring to his beloved Aston Villa, a soccer team based in Birmingham. “A more accurate question might be whether Villa will win a European cup this year," he responded. He shared his hopeful outlook for their performance in the Europa Conference league. He also mentioned his excitement for Villa's match against Alkmaar upon his return, which was to take place at Villa Park.

He had initially planned to watch the match in person but due to his recent journey to Singapore for the climate change prize ceremony, which left him jet-lagged. "I may doze off during the game," he confessed, "But I'll be at home, rooting for the Villains." In April, Prince William demonstrated his passionate following of Villa during a game at Villa Park with Prince George, with their idential shocked reactions captured in photos.

As part of the continued digitally oriented promotion for the prize, the Prince and Princess of Wales published a panel discussion featuring Prince William and the chair of the prize, Christiana Figueres, on their YouTube page. Filmed at Wednesday's Earthshot+ event, Figueres asked him for his opinions on the ceremony.

“I won't divulge all of my thoughts, but I will share what I can," he humorously replied. "I'm not the person who just sits back and congratulates himself. Sure, I do praise the team for doing an excellent job, but I always want to achieve more."

He also expressed his desire for the prize to continue to grow over the coming ten years. “We’re on a journey, with a decade for change ahead of us," he stated. He noted that the aim for the next decade is to create significant impact, raise awareness and listen and learn. This is a global issue that affects us all, regardless of our location, and that is what he aims to communicate.