Hate against Meghan Markle being on Instagram must stop – William and Kate wouldn’t receive the same treatment

The reaction was completely different when Kate and William created their YouTube channel

Meghan Markle shocked everyone by unveiling her new Instagram at the start of 2025. But two months in, it seems the social media platform has become a new thing for people to hate on.

While admittedly it’s not the norm for a member of the royal family to have their own personal social media account, posting snippets of their lives, is it actually that big of a deal?

Prince Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, are no longer working royals. And in the times we live in, social media is a huge part of anyone’s life. So is it that shocking that the duchess has created her own account?
Meghan has been getting too much hate for having an Instagram account (Credit: Zak Hussein / SplashNews.com)

The hate over Meghan Markle having Instagram needs to stop

As of today (February 13), Meghan has posted a total of five main feed posts and has accumulated 1.7 million followers.

Over the past week, she has been posting numerous stories, highlighting what she and Harry have got up to at the Winter Invictus Games in Canada. And just last night she gave fans another rare glimpse into her home life with Archie and Lilibet.

Despite this, she follows nobody which means she isn’t just using it in the same way other people would – or that she would have been used to.

Before meeting Harry, Meghan had a huge online social media presence and gave it up to join the royal family. But now that she and Harry have stepped away, she doesn’t have to be as strict with the norms as previously.

Backlash against Meghan on Instagram

While her first few posts were promoting her upcoming Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, the rest have been to raise awareness for the recent L.A wildfires, and the Invictus Games. And both times she was heavily criticised as using it for ‘attention’ or as a ‘PR stunt’.

This past week, some trolls online have hit out at Meghan posing about the Invictus Games on her Insta. One ranted: “How about putting your phone down and being present in what you went there for.”

Another said: “She isn’t even tagging Invictus? Wow. Talk about self serving!”

But what she’s posting is quite similar to what other royal family official accounts post. The only real difference is that she is doing it herself, in her own time and on her own account.

The basic foundation remains the same, though, updating fans and followers on what she’s up to. It’s just more relaxed and more personal content compared to what royal fans are used to.
She has been accused of using her platforms as a PR stunt (Credit: Zak Hussein / SplashNews.com)

The reaction would be different for other royals

Social media has been on the continuous rise for years, with no signs of slowing down. So, it makes sense that the royal family could progress towards the new trends to try and connect with their younger audience.

If it was flipped, and Prince William or Kate began their own individual social media channels, I don’t think the response would be so strongly negative.

For example, in 2021, the Prince and Princess of Wales began their own YouTube Channel, as a way of showcasing their royal engagements, and things they get up to.

While it has stayed a professional account, at the time, fans flooded the comments – “excited to see more” of their lives. Many fans were hoping they would showcase more private moments that we don’t always get to see.

Let’s not forget Princess Eugenie is also a big fan of Instagram

So, now that Meghan is doing exactly that, there seems to be a huge issue. But in reality, she’s not the only member of the family to have their own personal account.

Princess Eugenie, who has remained close to her cousin Harry and Meghan since their move to the US, also has her own account. She regularly shares snaps of her life, along with her charitable work. But there has never been much negativity towards that.

It leads to the assumption that there is only this much drama and outrage over the public personal Instagram account, because it’s Meghan’s. So maybe it’s time for the double standards to stop.