A woman who will never become queen and whose husband is the furthest from the throne, Meghan Markle has stolen many hearts and become more influential than Kate Middleton. Is it because her story is like a fairy tale? Is it because she stands for change? Or maybe she just understands how to create influence and give people what they expect? And is the fact that she was able to build such a strong position in such a short space of time a sign that people might want more from her?
Here at indaHash we are watching social media trends closely and a royal wedding is definitely something that causes a stir. Findings from our report last year show that women are the ones who lead in the new media field but the ‘newest’ female members of the Royal Family are exceptional examples as they don’t even own social media accounts of their own and yet have a huge impact on them globally.
As indaHash have unique access to a large base of global influencers, we decided to ask them about the new Duchess of Sussex (Meghan Markle). We also wanted to compare her with another admired, beloved and strong woman – the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton. So what did we learn? Keep on reading!
Who wins the popularity contest?
As Meghan Markle is the first American to join the Royal Family, we wanted to see if she was as influential in the UK and rest of the world as she is in the US. We were surprised by the fact that influencers from both the UK and US recognised her as more influential than Kate Middleton – 55% and 68% respectively. The future Queen of Great Britain is however seen as a more influential person by the influencers from rest of the world (apart from UK and US).
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A social media presence without a social media account
So where do most influencers consume information about the royal family? Turns out social media is the biggest news forum for the royal family, regardless of the fact that none of the British Royal Family actually own their own social media accounts.
We asked influencers would they be interested in seeing Instagram posts from the Duchesses and it was a resounding YES! 74% of those surveyed would click ‘Follow’ on the personal account of the Duchess of Sussex and 64% of influencers around the world would prefer to follow Meghan rather than Kate Middleton with the most enthusiastic being those in their mid-20s.
Maybe it’s time for Royal Family to change their views on social media and allow some members to use the medium?
What does it mean “to be a princess”?
Being a public figure and a part of Royal Family means more privileges and even more responsibilities. Among many other expectations, people want to see that those in positions of power are using their influence to do good.
Princess Diana was well-known for her involvement in many social and humanitarian causes and was often called the ‘Queen of Hearts’. Today, both Meghan and Kate are also very socially active and support many charitable organisations. Even though Kate has been Princess for over seven years now, over half of our surveyed influencers believe that Meghan is the one who will do the most good by way of social justice in the future.
Is it all about the dress?
When it comes to the Royal Family, one of the most hotly contested topics on social media is fashion. It seems that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are no strangers to fashion and they remain both faithful to their style and respectful of the royal etiquette. So whose fashion sense is better? Again Meghan overtakes Kate with 61% of the overall vote.
The Meghan movement has already started
Both Kate & Meghan are perceived by the world in a very similar way. The Duchess of Cambridge still has a strong position as a woman in Royal Family. However, it seems that Meghan is the one who has captured the hearts and minds (and Instagram accounts!) of the people.
Considering that Meghan is at the beginning of her journey as a Princess, we can assume that she actually might be something more than ‘just a Queen’ and influencers seems to agree on that.
