The Sussex Royal Instagram Account: Creative self-indulgence at the taxpayers' expense

The new Instagram account for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was launched yesterday, boosted by a major publicity campaign.

The Instagram accounts of ElleUSA, Glamour Magazine, InStyle Magazine, MarieClaire Magazine, Oprah Magazine, Travel and Leisure Magazine all posted comments to congratulate the Sussexes on their new account, which proves that a lot of PR people know each other and probably have drinks together after work.

Instagram itself congratulated the couple on their new accounts, as did poor Princess Eugenie, whose wedding was postponed in favor of the Sussex wedding and then spoiled by Meg's extremely early pregnancy announcement.

"Welcome, Cousins!" Eugenie commented, showing either that she is trying to be the better person or that she is a master of sarcasm.

Major PR campaign

A major PR campaign ensured that the story reached nontraditional celebrity outlets like the BBC and, in one case, a local Miami TV newscast.

And negative voices were kept at arms lengths. Several fans complained that they were not able to post on the new account and were not sure why; apparently they had been blocked, not for commenting on previous royal posts but by offending someone in the Meg universe. 

One woman guessed it was because she had once called a dress on stylist Jessica Mulroney's account "tacky"; this was apparently enough to put her on a blocked list for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The Guinness Book of World Records

The Guinness Book of World Records soon arrived to certify that @SussexRoyal had achieved 1 million followers faster than any account in history, a fact I'm sure will be taught in schools many years from now, right alongside the most-hot-dogs-eaten-in-one-sitting record and the World's Largest Tower of Jenga Blocks.

Were some of those followers purchased and paid for? It seems likely; it would have been terribly embarrassing if the new account had been a flop.

And when Meg had her own Instagram account before the marriage, a cursory check found that a large percentage of the followers were from a bot farm in Kazakstan.

A bot farm, where thousands of likes or follows can be generated in an instant.

At any rate, a great deal of money was spent - probably the British taxpayers' - to launch an Instagram account that celebrates the Sussexes. Not necessarily the British and Commonwealth citizens the Sussexes are supposed to serve, but the Sussexes themselves.

And that gets to the crux of the matter. Not only can Meg (and Harry, who just seems like a passenger on her magic carpet ride these days) still not tell the difference between royalty and celebrity, but this account has no visible benefit for the people of the UK.

Confirming the Forbes article 

On March 30, Forbes posted an article by Roger Aitken, a financial journalist formerly employed by the Financial Times. It was headlined "Meghan Markle: Does the British Taxpayer Know How Much Me-Gan Royal is Costing Them?"

"They are spending taxpayers money to make the Duchess of Sussex likeable to the very people who are not warming to her, by spending their money...the British public ARE paying for Meghan's PR, and hopefully they will learn to love her, for Harry's sake.

"Regardless of what opinions are about Harry's girl, the bill for Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is being paid for by the British taxpayers, and hopefully they will get what they pay for. And it's certainly racking up in any currency."

The article was only live for a few hours before it disappeared. It's still available a few places online - screenshotted by people who happened to have it in an open browser window when it was deleted - and I copied and pasted it myself into a CDAN comment section. 

Clearly, the article offended someone. But after yesterday's PR orgy to launch a self-indulgent Instagram account, it is hard to argue that it is wrong. 

Ignoring Advice

Meg likes to do things her own way; she famously ignores advice from others about her clothing, spending, or PR efforts.

The Instagram launch seems to be another example of this, since it includes yet another black-and-white photo in which Meg and Harry stand with their backs to the audience.

What message is this supposed to send? Turning your back to someone is a cross-cultural symbol of disdain and rejection. 

And to  turn your back twice on the public, after being criticized for it after the release of the 2018 Sussex Christmas card, shows an exquisite hard-headedness. 

The new black-and-white Instagram image, the final one in a series of 8, is odd. Harry's suit is terrifically rumpled and he seems to have a wedgie. (Wouldn't this be a good time to use Photoshop?) 

The pair is standing looking over a balcony and Harry is waving, but there is hardly any crowd.

And two-thirds of the photo is comprised of a monotone carpet and an empty night sky. Even from a compositional standpoint, this is not an outstanding photo. 

The only possible excuse is that Meghan likes this look - she did a similar black-and-white, back-to-the-audience shot for her engagement photo to previous husband Trevor Engelson -  and that the point of the @SussexRoyal Instagram account is to let Meghan do as she likes. 

But if Meghan (and Handbag Harry) are just doing what feels good, why should the British taxpayers be paying to promote it?