It seems that modern royalty comes hand in hand with a presence on social media! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Eugenie and some of their European counterparts are just some of the royals who have jumped on the Instagram bandwagon and opened official accounts.
Our favourite famous faces have been using their platforms – which have thousands of followers – to connect with fans, share official portraits and update followers on their charity work and engagements. Some royals, such as the Swedish and Greek families, even go as far as to post personal holiday snaps and family pictures. Love it! Let's take a look at the royally famous Instagram accounts you need to follow…
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Prince William and Kate
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Instagram account was officially launched in 2015, which originally documented William, Kate and Prince Harry's charity work. Meghan Markle became part of the fold when she became engaged to Harry in 2017, and the couple then branched out to set up their own account.
William and Kate have upped their social media presence of late, having experimented with the fun reels feature during their royal train tour of the UK and the Duchess took part in her first ever Instagram Q&A session in December 2020.
@KensingtonRoyal
Prince Harry and Meghan
When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex set up their own royal household separately from the Cambridges in 2019, they also launched their own @SussexRoyal Instagram account. Harry and Meghan shared photos from their royal tours and would highlight different charities to their followers on a monthly basis. Instagram was also where they revealed their son Archie's arrival in May 2019.
Sadly, the Sussexes' decided to stop using their Instagram handle shortly after stepping back from royal duties in March 2020, sharing a final sweet message with fans. It's not known whether the couple will launch a similar account for their non-profit organisation Archewell, but here's hoping…
@SussexRoyal
MORE: The big detail you missed in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s final Instagram post
Princess Eugenie
In 2018, Princess Eugenie surprised royal watchers by opening a public Instagram account. The Queen's granddaughter shared her first post on International Women's Day and posted a video of her giving a speech at WE Day. "I can think of no better day than today, International Women's Day, to launch my personal Instagram. I hope to use this platform to share the causes, passions and people close to my heart. #scoliosis #iwd2018 #weday #firstpost," she wrote.
Eugenie, whose profile photo is from her wedding day, has since amassed over a million followers. She shares a mix of personal family snaps, including some adorable throwbacks from her childhood, to posts related to her charity work – and of course, personal photos with her husband Jack Brooksbank.
In September 2020, the couple even announced they were expecting their first child in early 2021 with an adorable Instagram post of Eugenie holding a pair of baby slippers.
@princesseugenie
MORE: How Princess Eugenie's royal baby announcement was different to Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton's
Keep clicking for more royal Instagram accounts to follow...
Sarah, Duchess of York
Prince Andrew's ex-wife opened her Instagram account in November 2015, documenting a trip to India. But Sarah's most popular posts are those related to her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
The Duchess also supported HELLO!'s #HelloToKindness campaign in 2018, writing: "People feel licensed to say things online that they would never dream of saying to someone's face and that encourages others to join in. It's so ubiquitous that we have all become numb to what is going on. It is time to take a stand. I have written for @hellomag this week backing #HelloToKindness campaign."
@sarahferguson15
Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia of Sweden
In May 2018, what was apparently a private account belonging to the Swedish prince and princess was finally made public! The couple's Instagram is a mixture of official engagement photos and our favourites - candid family pictures you won't see anywhere else.
@prinsparet
Princess Madeleine of Sweden
Following the success of her Facebook account, Princess Madeleine opened her personal Instagram account in March 2018. Her first post adorably showed her elder children Leonore and Nicolas kissing newborn baby sister Adrienne on the head. "Leonore and Nicolas welcoming their little sister home," the caption read.
The Swedish mum-of-three shares some gorgeous photos of her family with her followers, plus the important work she does with her mum Queen Silvia's charity, World Childhood Foundation.
@princess_madeleine_of_sweden
Marius Borg Hoiby
While technically not a royal, Marius is the son of Crown Princess Mette-Marit and her ex, Morten Borg, and is also stepson of Crown Prince Haakon of Norway. The striking Scandinavian has landed a place in our file of royals on social media thanks to his undeniable royal ties. Just four years old when his mother married the Norwegian future king in 2001, we've watched Marius grow up in the public eye, and now we can follow his adventures, from skiing to surfing and even cuddling with bunnies, on his Instagram account.
@marius_borg
Lady Kitty Spencer
Though she is not a royal herself, she has quite the royal roots as the eldest child of Earl Spencer – the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales – and former model Victoria Lockwood. Since Lady Kitty moved to London from South Africa, social media has been her life, allowing her to keep in easy touch with family and friends, especially her mother. "We send pictures of what we're both doing," the 28-year-old previously admitted.
And though she's said to be close to her cousins, Prince William and Prince Harry, she wouldn't dream of compromising their privacy to her 460,000 followers. What you can expect from her feed is a mix of blue-eyed selfies, enviable trips to St. Tropez and Cannes, and front-row seats at Paris Fashion Week. But it's not all fun and games, as the beauty also highlights her work with Centrepoint, a charity for the homeless of which Prince William is patron.
@kitty.spencer
Princess Olympia of Greece
Olympia is the oldest child and only daughter of Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece. With over 200,000 followers on Instagram and a designation from Tatler as "the world's most eligible girl," the former Parsons student is definitely one to watch. From Christmas spent on Harbour Island in the Bahamas, where her parents have a home, to skiing in Aspen with friends like Robert F Kennedy Jr.'s daughter Kyra and yachting in Greece with her Mykonos Squad, the princess's jet-setting lifestyle is featured prominently on her feed. Plus, we never tire of seeing her fashion week outings alongside celebrities like Emma Watson.
@OlympiaGreece
Arthur Chatto
Many remember Arthur as the young son of Lady Sarah Chatto, Princess Margaret's daughter, who acted as a pageboy to his great aunt, the Queen. Over the years he has also been spotted at big family events, attending the Queen's annual Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace and the occasional church service.
@artchatto
Prince Mateen of Brunei
A prince of one of the wealthiest countries in the world, Mateen is one of the Sultan of Brunei's 12 children. Born in 1991, Prince Mateen – dubbed by GQ Thailand as one of "one of Asia's most eligible blue-blood bachelors" – shares a look at his lavish life via his increasingly-popular Instagram page, which boasts over 2m followers. The royal, who, like Princes William and Harry is a graduate of Sandhurst Military Academy, shares snaps of his polo playing, fit physique, hobbies and even baby tigers on his account.
@tmski
Pauline Ducruet
While some of her contemporaries reveal only the picture-perfect version of themselves on social media, Pauline's feed offers her 74,000 fans a more natural version of herself. Whether the 26-year-old is enjoying a "Holy Sunset" in Bali or "Dancin' till I'm dropin'" at Coachella, rock chick Pauline is happy to share.
Family is clearly a focus for Prince Albert's neice, who regularly posts photos with mum Stephanie and half-sister Camille Gottlieb. The accomplished diver has also represented Monaco at various championships, including the Summer Youth Olympics, but fashion is clearly her passion, and the ambassador for skincare brand Lancaster is keen to pursue a career in the field and establish an identity beyond her royal connections.
@paulinedcrt
Camille Gottlieb
The youngest child of Princess Stephanie of Monaco and former palace guard Jean-Raymond Gottlieb, Camille may not be in line to the throne as her parents never married, but she nonetheless lives the life of a true princess - from her lavish 18th birthday party at Monaco's La Vigie restaurant, to nights out with friends at Monte Carlo's destination nightclub Jimmy'z. Pouting her way through regular selfies, Camille has also revealed her tattoos to her followers.
@camillerosegottlieb
Princess Charlene of Monaco
Princess Charlene is married to Prince Albert, who is the reigning monarch of the Principality of Monaco and head of the Princely House of Grimaldi. Having joined Instagram in November 2016, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella's mum has 200,000 followers on Instagram. From pictures of her adorable twins celebrating holidays, Monaco's National Day, to her humanitarian work and trips abroad, the palace gives followers a peak inside Charlene's glamorous and busy life.
@hshprincesscharlene
Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis
Elisabeth is the middle child of Johannes, 11th Prince of Thurn und Taxis, and Gloria, Princess of Thurn und Taxis. Vogue's style editor-at-large, often referred to by her nickname TNT, had an exceptional childhood in Germany, where she grew up in a 500-room castle brimming with risque modern art - and her life has gotten no less exceptional throughout the years.
The 38-year-old's jet-setting lifestyle is well on display for her 41,000 followers, from Fashion Week tête-à-têtes with Gwyneth Paltrow and Karl Lagerfeld to royal and society weddings with her stylish mum and exotic jaunts to Salzburg, Kenya and beyond. The London-based journalist also shows off her love of adventure, sharing photos from a shark-tagging trip, kite-boarding excursions, horseback riding and international marathons.
@elisabethtnt
Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan
Hussein is the eldest son of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan and first-in-line to the throne. The royal is as Instagram-savvy as the next 26-year-old and has amassed a following that's over the two million mark. While most of his posts concern the serious business of supporting his father King Abdullah II in royal duties and meeting international figures like the Pope and former US President Barack Obama, there are plenty of others which give insight into the off-duty prince's life.
From playing football and strumming his guitar to riding his motorcycle, Prince Hussein has a rich personal life filled with fun and adventurous hobbies. And as a first lieutenant in the Jordanian armed forces, his followers also get occasional glimpses of the royal during training exercises in the dessert and on the water trail at Jordan's Wadi Mujib near the Dead Sea.
@alhusseinjo
Prince Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum
Dubai's Crown Prince has a staggering ten million Instagram followers. The 38-year-old's feed features a mix of family photos with his many siblings, special moments with furry friends (lions and horses and elephants, oh my!), official outings with his father and adrenaline-fuelled glimpses of hobbies like skydiving and spear fishing. The London School of Economics graduate, who pops up at British society events like Royal Ascot, completes his posts with poetic captions - no surprise given his many romantic and patriotic published works under the name Fazza.
@faz3