All journalists press thrill to a competition, and now that they were aware that one genuinely existed between the Sussexes and the other royals in general, and the Cambridges in particular, they focused on it. Even before they discovered that Meghan had instructed her American representatives to make her the most popular woman on earth, with the largest Instagram following, and bigger than Diana, they began noting how Harry and Meghan were using postings to trump his brother and Catherine.
Up to January 2020, the Cambridges had more Instagram followers than the Sussexes. While both couples were small change (11+m followers) compared with the big hitters such as Cristiano Ronaldo (187m), Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (159m), Selena Gomez (158m), Kim Kardashian (150m), and Kylie Jenner (148m), Meghan and Harry’s postings systematically rained on William and Catherine’s parade. Even though Meghan’s ambition was ultimately to put Ronaldo in the shade, she nevertheless timed her posts for maximum impact with the seemingly specific purpose of knocking her in-laws out of the running. For instance, on a day that Catherine was fulfilling three official engagements, Meghan managed to steal her thunder yet again by posting a picture of herself, taken two weeks before in London at the Mayhew animal charity, as she beamed beatifically while stroking an infirm dog. The Daily Express royal correspondent Richard Palmer felt compelled to tweet, ‘Wow what unfortunate timing that once again, just as a senior member of the Royal Family was heralding an important initiative, the Sussex Royal Instagram account kicked into life with some PR pictures at the very same moment.’
Meghan is nothing if not canny. Being a child of Hollywood, she knows what grabs attention. Dogs, kids, and beatific beaming will do it every time, at least for people who like their idols wearing their hearts on their sleeves and showing their admirers what wonderful, caring, feeling, hyper-glamorous but always-down-to-earth individuals they are. There is also the unavoidable fact that Meghan Markle is an infinitely more interesting personality than Catherine Cambridge. People with side are always more unpredictable and entertaining than straightforward women like Catherine. For that reason alone, it is not surprising that she and Harry finally caught up with Catherine and William on Instagram, though their success would remain short lived.
There is also the fact that while Meghan is obsessively competitive, with the stated goal of possessing the largest Instagram following on earth, Catherine did not want to be in a competition with her sister-in-law. Now that Meghan has departed, the Duchess of Cambridge is said to be relieved that the competitive atmosphere has abated. As far as she is concerned, being Duchess of Cambridge who will one day be Princess of Wales then Queen of the United Kingdom is more than enough for her. She does not need to strip Ronaldo of his crown and disliked the air of tension Meghan created as she set about scene-stealing on her quest for ever-greater acknowledgement.
Meghan, however, had a far more American view of her position. Her goals belied her heritage, just as Catherine Cambridge’s belied hers. Meghan’s target audience was not and had never been the British people but the American worlds of commerce and entertainment. Being a businesswoman, she understood only too well the monetary value a large Instagram following could have. The Kardashians are paid hundreds of thousands of dollars per posting, sometimes even millions, and her goal is to supplant them and derive all the financial benefits they possess.
Meghan understood that she did not have to be popular with everyone, just with those who liked her. She could therefore afford to disdain her critics, for, painful though their disregard of her was, they were not worth winning over because they did not hold the keys to success. Only her supporters held those, and it was to them she and Harry played, making the point time and again that they were the premiere couple in the royal world, not William and Catherine. That, of course, did not mean that she could abide criticism, and that wouldn’t work to shut down her critics, but it did mean that she had contempt for those who stood in her way as only someone who is as self-righteous and self-confident as Meghan could.
It was therefore not surprising that she and Harry chose the night before Catherine’s 38th birthday on the 9th January 2020 to reveal to the world and the Royal Family via Instagram that they would be reconstituting their roles.
They announced:
‘After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between North America and the United Kingdom, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation of the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.’
Once more, Meghan and Harry had chosen to use social media to dictate the agenda and shape the narrative. There had indeed been discussions over the past few months concerning their desire to live on both sides of the Atlantic while engaging in commercial activities. These had not gone as well as
