Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Dominate Social Media as Most Discussed Royals, Mostly Negative: Research
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have emerged as the most discussed royals on social media, according to a recent study by artificial intelligence social media listening platform YouScan. Unfortunately, the majority of these conversations are negative.
The study assessed mentions of each member of the British royal family across various social media platforms, including YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, from January to March 2023.
Prince Harry, 38, topped the list with 3.9 million social media mentions. However, negative mentions outnumbered positive ones, with 593,000 against 239,000. The release of his best-selling memoir, "Spare," contributed to 21% of the mentions. In the book, the prince shared royal family secrets, his experiences growing up in the public eye, and coping with the loss of his mother, Princess Diana.
YouScan reported that at least 12,000 social media posts alleged that the Duke of Sussex had used drugs. He had previously admitted to consuming cocaine, cannabis, and magic mushrooms at a party at "Friends" star Courteney Cox's Los Angeles home, as well as using the illegal psychedelic drug ayahuasca as part of his therapy in the United States.
Many social media users accused Prince Harry of "selling" his family secrets for "financial gain" through his autobiography. The Sussexes reportedly no longer receive financial support from the royal family after stepping back from their senior royal roles in 2020 and relocating to California, according to the BBC.
Additionally, the couple gained attention after being parodied in the American animated comedy series "South Park" in Season 26, Episode 2, titled "The Worldwide Privacy Tour."
Meghan Markle secured second place with 3 million social media mentions, making her the second most-discussed British royal. Since marrying Prince Harry in 2018, she has received significant social media attention and been accused of driving a wedge between her husband and his family.
The 41-year-old former "Suits" actress accumulated approximately 384,000 negative mentions and 98,000 positive mentions. Nearly half a million publications mentioned that her image was further damaged by the release of "Spare" in January.
The list also included Kate Middleton, ranking third with 2.2 million mentions, King Charles III with one million, Prince William with 659,000 mentions, and Queen Consort Camilla with 307,000.
The media has closely followed Prince Harry and Markle since they revealed several royal secrets and alleged that an unidentified royal member made racist remarks about Archie before his birth.
Besides "Spare," they released highly publicized content about the royal family, such as the Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan" in December.
Despite the ongoing tensions, Prince Harry is scheduled to attend his father, King Charles' coronation on May 6 at Westminster Abbey.