It’s 2025 and, nowadays, real life feuds seem to get underscored based on virtual activity (i.e. if you follow or unfollow someone on Instagram, it’s the internet equivalent of making up…or breaking up). In the case of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Instagram account, it’s true: They do not follow their sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, on Instagram. But the reason for that may not be as dramatic as people think.
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First and foremost, William and Kate’s account—called ThePrinceandPrincessofWales—is a professional one, sharing official news out of Kensington Palace. There, they follow 166 people, but most of those accounts connect back to their royal patronages and work, not to mention various royal engagements from over the years.
For example, the Lionesses. William is patron of the Football Association, but also he and Princess Charlotte recently cheered the team on at the UEFA Women’s Euro Final in Switzerland. They also follow accounts like Wimbledon (Kate is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and sat in the royal box for the tournament this year) and Giovanna Fletcher (Kate famously appeared on her podcast, Happy Mum, Happy Baby, back in February 2020).
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They do follow family members on Instagram such as the official account of King Charles and Queen Camilla, as well as royal institutions like Historic Royal Palaces, but once again, those seem to be limited to professional accounts only. They also aren’t super up-to-date. For example, William and Kate’s account is still following SussexRoyal, which has been defunct since 2020.
Finally, Markle only just joined Instagram in January 2025. While it would have been notable had they followed her (and her Instagram account, As Ever) right out of the gate, it also doesn’t necessarily speak volumes about the state of their royal relationship. After all, Kensington Palace’s Instagram account still follows the Invictus Games, which was founded by Prince Harry. As mentioned above, if social media was being used as a way to underscore royal alliances, you’d think any Sussex-related accounts would be the first to go.
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More than anything, we’d wager that who they’re following—which is likely something handled by the Kensington Palace comms team—is a bit of an after-thought. This isn’t to say that the royal rift between William and his brother Harry doesn’t continue to run deep, but rather, it feels a bit beneath them to intentionally avoid on social media. (FWIW, Meghan—who only follows one account, her As Ever brand—isn’t following them either.)
Our professional opinion? No virtual drama here.