Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Unfollowed the Royal Family, Including Will and Kate—for a Special Cause

Meghan and Harry, plus potentially a social media guru working with them, are continuing to do really interesting work on Instagram. That work includes unfollowing all the accounts they used to be following—including other members of the royal family—because they're now following ONLY the 16 mental health resources they're spotlighting this month.

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As I continue to wait impatiently for Baby Sussex to arrive (royal reporters got a new hashtag, #SussexStandby, trending, so I'm not the only one excited), Meghan and Harry, plus potentially a social media guru working with them, are continuing to do really interesting work on Instagram. That work includes unfollowing all the accounts they used to be following—including other members of the royal family including the Royal Family (which posts on the Queen's activities), Princess Eugenie, Kensington Royal (Prince William and Kate Middleton), and Clarence House (Charles and Camilla). Luckily, though, it's not a sign of any horrible drama—just that they're now following ONLY the 16 mental health resources they're spotlighting this month for Mental Health Awareness Month.

"We are hoping to shine a light on several Instagram accounts that promote mental well-being, mental fitness, body positivity, self-care, and the importance of human connection," the account said.

They continue, "Each month we will honour this same concept and change the accounts we solely follow based on a different theme or cause." So does this mean they're no longer going to follow other royal accounts at all? Intriguing.

So, as I put my tin foil hat on and speculate whether Meghan is writing these posts directly—I imagine that waiting to deliver, when the rest of the world is so so excited, might make a person long for something else to do in the meantime—reporters and fans noticed that the date is tabulated in the "American" way (May 13, not 13 May), but that the spelling of "honour" and "organisations" are spelled the British way. So it's some kind of hybrid between American and English style standards. Sara Latham, who is Meghan and Harry's new PR rep, is also American, but has worked with British public figures before, so this might be a clue as to her influence.

Here's the original post:

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal)

A photo posted by on

I certainly love that the Sussexes are pushing the envelope for their social media (still no Twitter yet, intriguingly), and experimenting with ways to support their causes.

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Katherine J. Igoe
Katherine J. Igoe
Contributing Editor

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award. 

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.