The Royal Family social media rankings: why we can’t stop talking about the Sussexes, and nobody cares about Camilla

The Royal Family and gossip go together like fish and chips. We all love to talk about the latest drama that has leaked from the palace to the press. But which Royals get talked about the most on social media, and who hardly gets a mention?

A recent study from YouScan analyzed social media data from the 1st of January until the 28th of March, 2023. The research shows the volume of mentions for each current member of the Royal Family across all publicly available social media posts. This included content from YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Using AI, each post was then analyzed to reveal if it was generally positive or negative towards the Royal mentioned.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

According to YouScan data, the most talked about Royal was Prince Harry. He managed to rack up a massive 3.9 million mentions on social media alone. However, the number of negative publications exceeded the positive ones: 593 thousand vs 239 thousand.

Of course, when you publish an autobiography with juicy details about the world’s most famous family, that’s going to happen. His book Spare caused an explosion on social media, making up 21% of his mentions. That might be good news for the publisher but not for the prince because his memoir received mixed reactions from social media users.

The publication of Spare was intended to show Harry’s vulnerability, but many were critical of his revelations. The study noted that 12 thousand of social media posts claimed that Harry had used drugs.

Furthermore, social media users felt that Prince Harry was selling family secrets for financial gain by publishing his autobiography. Another spike in interest was when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were parodied on the American animated comedy series South Park.

Which brings us to number two on the list. With 3 million mentions on social media, Meghan Markle is the second most talked-about Royal.

Since the Suits actor decided to marry into the Royal Family, Markle has received much attention. And, like her husband, that hasn’t always been positive. According to the data, negative mentions were almost four times more numerous than positive ones: 384 thousand vs 98 thousand.

The Duchess of Sussex continues to be seen as a divisive figure who has damaged the relationship between Prince Harry and the rest of his family. Meghan received almost half (1.4 million) of her total mentions in January, suggesting that the publication of Spare also wasn’t good for her image either.

While Harry and Meghan have a lot of critics, it’s worth pointing out that they also have plenty of supporters who think their reputation is unfair. It just seems that we all love to have an opinion about the polarizing pair. The couple alone received more social media mentions than the other Royals combined! Maybe they can brag about that to the rest of the family over Easter lunch…if they’re invited.

Catherine, Princess of Wales

Surprisingly, Kate is next on the list, ranking higher than her heir-to-the-throne husband with 2.2 million mentions. Moreover, the number of positive mentions for her was twice as high as negative mentions (105 thousand vs 48 thousand).

While drama has swirled around Harry and Meghan, the Princess of Wales has quietly gone about her business, working with charities and performing ambassadorial duties. Her “Shaping Us” campaign, which highlights the importance of early childhood, was particularly well received.

There was even more positivity towards Kate during the three months analyzed as she celebrated her birthday on the 9th of January, producing 66 thousand social media mentions. This has helped Kate’s image significantly, with the British public seeing her as a humble and dedicated servant.

King Charles III

The new king struggles to be anywhere near as popular as his much-loved mother, Queen Elizabeth II, because of one million mentions about him, 124 thousand expressed a negative opinion, and only 59 thousand were positive. Embarrassingly, it was revealed that many famous musicians were turning down the opportunity to perform at his coronation, which damaged the king’s reputation further.

Unfortunately for him, Charles is becoming tarnished by the scandals that circulate about the Royal Family, and his canceled visit to France due to protests made him appear even more detached from the general public. The state visit of King Charles to France received 250 thousand of mentions on social media, with French users becoming particularly negative when it was revealed how much the visit would cost the taxpayer.

It’s safe to say that King Charles still has some work to do to improve his reputation online.

William, Prince of Wales

Despite being towards the bottom of the list, it’s not all bad news for Prince William. Of the 659 thousand mentions, 44K were positive and 14K were negative.

His involvement in charitable causes is excellent for his image, and the public sees him increasingly as a king in the making. Also, the publication of Spare and its reception were indirectly pretty good for the heir's reputation.

Camilla, Queen Consort

Oh, dear. With a little 307 thousand mentions, it seems nobody has much to say about Camilla. Or much good to say either because the volume of negative publications was considerably higher than positive ones: 26 thousand vs 7 thousand.

Her close links with press members have poorly reflected on the Queen Consort, especially considering the harsh treatment of other Royals and Meghan Markle in particular by the media. Furthermore, leaked plans about the lavish coronation ceremony haven’t gone down well at a time when many people are struggling to make ends meet.

So there we have it, the Royal Family’s popularity according to social media. Do you agree with the list, or do you have an unpopular opinion about one of the Windors? With the King’s coronation coming up, I’m sure we’ll all have many more opportunities for some royal gossip.