Prince William and Kate Middleton may be loosening up their social media personas a bit. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have always been very official in their social media communications. They often tweet and caption photos with similar language to that used in official palace announcements and press releases. It played into Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to launch their own social media accounts, where they are often more conversational and informal. That may start changing now, however, as Kate has shared her first personal message via Instagram.
Kate used the personal caption to highlight a very important cause. She discussed the SOS Children's Villages organization, one of the charities she and William visited during last week's royal tour of Pakistan. In a message that she simply signed off as "Catherine," she discussed what a beautiful family dynamic the charity has and how important it is to support it.
Kate Middleton is lending her personal touch to the kensingtonroyal Instagram account. The 37-year-old mom of three penned a personal caption for a post about SOS Children's Villages in Pakistan, which she and Prince William recently visited.
The visit to the SOS Children's Villages charity was part of William and Kate's five-day tour of Pakistan. The charity provides orphaned children with homes and family structure. The Lahore location is home to over 150 children.
During Thursday's visit, the couple helped celebrate three children's birthdays. Kate gave her first speech of the tour, testing out her Urdu. "Assalam O Alaikum,” she said. “Iman, Ibrahim, aur Daniyal apni salgirah pur bulanay ka bohat shukria."
Kate's greeting translated to: "Hello. Peace be upon you. Iman, Ibrahim, and Daniyal, thank you for inviting us to your birthday celebration." Kate told the group that she and William "have been really moved and touched" by getting to know them.
"I’m aware that many of you have experienced extremely difficult times in your lives,” Kate continued. “But it is inspiring to see how you have used your strength and positivity to help transform the lives of so many young children here."
Kate also admired the role of family in Pakistani culture. "Parents, children, aunts, uncles, grandparents all play important roles — you have reminded us exactly what family means," she noted. "You have shown us too that it is not simply a term that describes the relationship between blood relatives."
"Instead it describes those special bonds we share with those who make us feel safe and supported," Kate pointed out. "It is the quality of those relationships that matters." Her touching message was received warmly.
The couple was supposed to leave Lahore to return to Islamabad that same evening, but an insane electrical storm forced their jet to turn around. Upon realizing they were staying there, Kate asked that another visit to the charity be set up for the following morning.
A source told People that Kate was able to learn more during the second visit. She learned more about the past and present students and how the organization was set up. She was deeply moved by both experiences there.
"Some of the things I’ve been looking at back home are how best do you support children and what do they need to have a successful life," Kate told mentors. The subject is one that's close to Kate, who has focused a lot on the early childhood experience in her time as a royal.
Although William and Kate are now back home, that experience has lingered with her. It is perhaps why she decided to release a personal statement on the charity via an Instagram caption.
"The community at the SOS Village is built around family – and the best possible family you could imagine – where everyone comes together to nurture, love and protect the children in their care," Kate wrote.
"These vulnerable children, many who have come through traumatic circumstances, are nurtured in this caring environment and are able to form these quality relationships that they so desperately need to thrive. — Catherine," she concluded the caption.
It's clear that William and Kate's visit to Pakistan clearly meant a lot to them both. While Kate was moved by the children of SOS Children's Villages, William was touched by the memories of his mother's visit that were so dear to so many.
The trip to Pakistan was anticipated to be a challenging one for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. By the looks of it, however, they handled themselves with all the grace and empathy of future leaders and enjoyed their stay and safe return.
