ROYAL NEWS
How the Queen’s family can keep in touch while under lockdown
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has issued a stay-at-home order
There’s no denying the coronavirus has greatly impacted how we go about our daily life and interact with others—naturally the same can be said for the royal family. Due to the pandemic, Queen Elizabeth, who has been in consultation with the UK Government, has taken refuge at Windsor Castle ahead of schedule with her husband Prince Philip. Meanwhile, with her relatives scattered around the UK and across the pond in Canada—Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Archie—practicing social distancing and self-quarantining, the British royals are likely keeping in contact with each other the same way many of us are doing with our own friends and family. Perhaps even more so now that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has issued a stay-at-home order. Scroll through to see the different methods of communication the royals use...
Back in 2018, Zara Phillips’ husband Mike Tindall revealed that members of the royal family have a WhatsApp group chat. "Me, my brother and then a few of Zara's side like her brother Pete and the cousins are on WhatsApp groups. I wouldn’t say we're cutting edge, but it's just easier for some reason on WhatsApp. I'm in about 25,000 groups,” he shared. "You might do it for a get-together and just stay on the group, and occasionally people will post. You're scared to leave because you don’t want to be seen to be rude!"
FaceTime
When it comes to maintaining her long-distance friendships, Meghan Markle uses FaceTime. The Duchess of Sussex’s friend Janina Gavankar told Entertainment Tonight in 2020, "We met 16 years ago, and we've just been apart since, so our friendship lives on FaceTime, no matter where we are." Prior to Meghan’s royal days, Janina shared a photo of the Suits alum sipping on a glass of wine, writing: “This is what it's like to FaceTime @meghanmarkle.”
Social Media
The royal family’s respective social media accounts have been keeping calm and carrying on amid the pandemic, sharing photos from royal engagements and marking special holidays, like Mothering Sunday and birthdays, including Princess Eugenie’s. Meghan and Harry also used their personal account to share the Queen’s statement on the pandemic, and revealed their plan to post “information and resources to help all of us navigate the uncertainty” during these “uncertain times.”
The @WeAreInvictus patron, the #DukeofSussex, has released a video message to the #InvictusGames competitors recognising their disappointment at the news, but that it's the best outcome for their safety and recovery. #CoronavirusUpdate#IG2020#COVID19pic.twitter.com/SLbT7QOl7D
— Invictus Games The Hague 2020 (@InvictusGamesNL) March 19, 2020
Video Conferencing
Like many of us working from home and using remote conferencing services, such as Zoom, the Queen’s youngest child, Prince Edward, recently participated in a video conference in relation to the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation. Meanwhile, tech-savvy Prince Harry used a video message to announce the postponement of his Invictus Games in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Letters
Though it might not be the most modern form of communication, the royal family is known for replying to letters from well-wishers. However, because of the coronavirus, Clarence House said (via Gert’s Royals) that their “capacity to deal with correspondence is currently reduced” and replies will take longer than usual when it comes to correspondence for the Princes of Wales, Camilla, the Cambridges and the Sussexes.
