The royal feud between Prince William and Kate versus Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might have escalated in the digital platform. Speculations from conspiracy theorists suggest that one of these royal pairs could be padding and buying their Instagram followers to beat the other.
According to an extensive analysis in the New York Times, Prince William and Kate's Instagram, @KensingtonRoyal, could be buying followers based on the account's activities. To date, they have 11.3 million followers, which is the same number of followers as Prince Harry and Meghan's Instagram, @SussexRoyal.
However, Prince Harry and Meghan's Instagram is supposed to have more engagements. According to the experts, the Sussex pair's account has more likes, shared posts and comments, regardless if it's positive or negative, than the Cambridges.
Thus, analysts are wondering why Prince Harry and Meghan's Instagram continue to trail Prince William and Kate's followers. If the Sussex couple have more engaging content, then why can it not eclipse the Cambridge royals?
One potential reason explaining this could be because Kensington Royal, being an older account than Sussex Royal, is on the "Who To Follow" list of the social media platform. Another reason could be because Sussex Royal was initially opened with bot followers when Prince Harry and Meghan separated from Prince William and Kate.
Now, those bots following might have stopped thus Sussex Royal's organic growth is at a slower pace. Both houses, however, denied that they have manipulated social media numbers in the past or currently. However, royal fans believe that the conspiracy holds water.
A British media consultant, however, said that the Instagram numbers of Prince William and Kate don't appear suspicious. The expert said that it's very possible the account is raising its numbers organically since many people like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, especially after Prince Harry and Meghan decided to step down from their royal roles.
Meanwhile, royal fans also believe that Prince William and Kate are having an Instagram war with Prince Harry and Meghan in the way they post their contents. According to some royal experts on the podcast HeirPod, Prince William and Kate have ramped up their strategy by posting plenty of beautiful couple photos, similar to Prince Harry and Meghan.
Sophia Money-Coutts said that since Prince Harry and Meghan hold hands all the time, Prince William and Kate posted a couple of shots of their last trip to Ireland as well. However, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are still careful not to go over the top with their couple pictures.
It reveals, however, that they have grown more comfortable as a pair in front of the cameras. Money-Coutts said that this wasn't the case in the past but it's a good indication that Prince William and Kate are emotionally on the same page and closer than ever.
