Why A Video Of Prince William Typing Has Royal Fans Scratching Their Heads

Prince William, born in 1982, is a true millennial. While he's never expressed any particular passion for avocado toast, nor is he stressing over student loans or spamming social media with selfies (no need to be your own paparazzi when the real ones follow you 24/7), in many ways he's settled into a groove typical of those in his generation: he recently celebrated a 10th wedding anniversary, is the father of a young family, is now staring down his upcoming 40th birthday, and yes, has started losing more than a little hair. 

Although computers and the internet were widely available by the time young Wills was in middle school (or the United Kingdom equivalent thereof), it seems he may be a bit of a grandmillennial in one aspect, at least. A video he recently released on Instagram shows him in his office making use of a cool vintage typewriter (although admittedly that's a pretty redundant description, since all typewriters have been retro for the past few decades), and social media users have been quick to point out a rather hilarious detail. 

Apart from the shock of seeing anyone using such an antiquated device, the most attention-getting part of the social media video in question was Prince William's typing technique. Perhaps because he came of age when typewriters were on the way out, young William apparently never learned proper touch typing, so he's using the classic "hunt and peck" method. As one Instagram commenter put it, "So cute to see him typing with one finger.... so relatable to our generation."

So why was William using a typewriter at all? Surely the future king has courtiers at hand to handle all of his correspondence, not to mention top-of-the-line technology should he feel the need to compose a few lines. The likely answer may lie in the reason behind the video. It was released to promote Earthshot: How to Save Our Planet, a new book with an intro written by William himself, and evidently was meant to show that the prince's commitment to the environment extends to his actions as well as his words. 

The video was also posted to Twitter, where one user weighed in with a possible explanation for the symbolism behind the typing. "William is using a manual (non electric) typewriter instead of a laptop that consumes energy and therefore isn't environmentally friendly." Another concurred, tweeting, "It's the fact no electricity is being used to type and probably recycled paper as well." Good for you, William! Way to walk the walk ... or rather, type the type.