ROYAL STAMP: Did Queen Elizabeth Have to Approve of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s New Instagram Account?

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Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, are no strangers to making headlines. Every day, the royal couple deals with an onslaught of media attention, with fans desperate to learn every detail they can about the royal newlyweds.

Now, fans of the pair will be able to keep track of them on an even more personal basis – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle just launched their own Instagram account. 

Is the new Instagram account breaking royal protocol?

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Historically, the royal family has taken a very hands-off approach when it comes to social media. While there are a series of social media accounts that share certain happenings within the royal family as a group, they actually have a strict set of rules they have to follow when it comes to their public images.

Furthermore, the royal family’s social media accounts aren’t actually monitored by any member of the family, so while fans certainly love seeing the images that are shared on the platforms, it is markedly less personal than other celebrity social media pages.

However, with the marriage of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle, there has been a definite shift in the palace’s attitude towards social media. With the vast amount of scrutiny that Markle receives on a daily basis, not all of it positive, the royal family recently published a set of guidelines that were created with the intent to police hateful online comments and react accordingly.

One would think that this would make the palace wary about allowing even more social media accounts, therefore it was even more surprising when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle launched their own Instagram account on April 2.

Did the queen personally approve the account?

What isn’t surprising is the fact that Queen Elizabeth still has to personally approve most of what happens within the royal family, including the creation and dissemination of information via social media.

While she hasn’t always ruled in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s favor when it comes to their independent attitudes (she recently vetoed their request to form their own separate court, independent of Buckingham Palace), she most likely gave her stamp of approval to their new Instagram account.

The account, which goes by the handle @sussexroyal, gained over 1.2 million followers in the first few hours it was active, showing that royal fans are more than interested in seeing what the couple has to say via social media.

As for who exactly is running the account, information has not been released, so whether it is actually Prince Harry and Meghan Markle posting things, or a member of their staff is not clear. 

What kinds of things will the royal couple post?

Prior to her marriage to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle was quite active on social media. She had a popular lifestyle blog, and regularly shared glimpses into her life via Instagram. However, her accounts were deactivated when she became a royal family member, in accordance with royal tradition.

She is likely quite excited to get back into the swing of things on Instagram and to connect with fans in a bit more personal way. While the initial post that the couple shared on April 2 didn’t detail exactly what they would be posting, they did give a few clues.

In their first post, they said that they looked forward to sharing the work that inspires them, the causes that drive them, and important announcements. Eagle-eyed fans were quick to point out that “important announcements” could include baby news since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expecting their first child in late April or early May.

Whether or not the pair share any personal pictures of themselves or their baby, having their own Instagram account is a huge step forward for the royal family – it propels them into modern times in a big way. 

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