The @KensingtonRoyal Instagram account was created in January 2015 and functioned as a joint account for Prince William, his wife Kate, and younger brother, Prince Harry. When Harry was engaged to Meghan Markle, @KensingtonRoyal began operating as a couples joint account, until April 2, 2019.
On this date, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle opened a separate account, called @SussexRoyal. After opening the account, some strange things happened.
From the beginning, @SussexRoyal gained a lot of popularity. The account set a Guinness World Record for the fastest reaching 1 million followers on Instagram (a record that was broken by Jennifer Aniston). Everyone was starting to anticipate the moment - especially the tabloids - when @SussexRoyal overcame @KensingtonRoyal followers. This seemed inevitable because there was a greater interest in the Harry-Meghan couple than William-Kate.
From Google data, from November 2017 to the end of January this year, Harry-Meghan searches make up 83% compared to those of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The eclipse on Instagram was expected to happen in April or early May, following Archie's birth, but no.
Despite their growing popularity and interest in them, @SussexRoyal never failed to outlast William and Kate's followers. Is it a coincidence or is something else hidden?
Social media experts told the New York Times that this could be explained by Instagram's algorithm, which regulates the distribution of content, which of course results in followers for William and Kate.
However, from data provided by companies analyzing social networks, it turns out that the 10 most liked posts on @KensingtonRoyal and @SussexRoyal are photos of Prince Harry and Meghan and / or their son. The only photo of Kate-William in Top10 is a photo of Prince Charles' first day of school and Princess Charlote, who is still in eighth place.
Data provided by programs that monitor activity on Instagram accounts says that the interaction at @SussexRoyal is greater - referring to likes and comments.
So the fact that the two family couples have the same number of followers - 11.3 million, respectively - is doubtful. Not even the Kardashians have the same number of followers.
One possible scenario is this: @SussexRoyal, as a new account, had an immediate rise in followers, but then peaked and simply stayed the same as @KensingtonRoyal. While the second scenario states that @KensingtonRoyal has "bought" followers to maintain the same number.
It may seem pointless, but the key to the monarchy and royal family life is: Hierarchy. Hierarchy is what makes big brother more important, makes a baby (Prince Louis) more powerful than 35-year-old uncle (Harry). And the hierarchy should be in line with public support, even in the number of followers.
-Adapted from the New York Times
