As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
On the JJ Barnes Blog, I look at research from Financial World into social media searches that shows Harry and Meghan are now the most influential members of the royal family.
With the new series of The Crown getting loads of attention, it’s no real surprise that the royal family are the subject of a new round of curiosity and interest. The Charles, Diana and Camilla affair is taking centre stage on screen, but with Royal Family drama out of the TV studio also getting lots of attention, it’s interesting to see how people respond to them.
Influential Royals
New research by Financial World, analysed global Google searches, TikTok views and Instagram hashtags for 29 of the Royal family members to see which are the most popular, searched for, and influential.
| Royal | Rank | TikTok Views | Instagram Hashtags | Average monthly searches | Influence Score out of 30 |
| Queen Elizabeth | 1 | 18.7 billion | 1,600,000 | 4,700,000 | 30 |
| Kate Middleton | 2 | 6.3 billion | 1,400,000 | 2,900,000 | 24 |
| Meghan Markle | 3 | 5.9 billion | 1,200,000 | 4,500,000 | 23 |
| Prince Harry | 4 | 7.3 billion | 1,100,000 | 1,400,000 | 21 |
| Princess Diana | 5 | 9.8 billion | 1,106,000 | 927,000 | 20 |
| Prince William | 6 | 5.5 billion | 1,042,300 | 966,000 | 15 |
| King Charles | 7 | 3.2 billion | 418,000 | 1,104,000 | 14 |
| Princess Anne | 8 | 878 million | 86,400 | 367,000 | 8 |
| Princess Margaret | 9 | 706 million | 76,600 | 471,000 | 7 |
| Camilla Parker Bowles | 10 | 191 million | 34,600 | 281,000 | 3 |
The late Queen Elizabeth pulled in a total of 4.7 million Google searches a month, features in 1.6 million Instagram hashtags, and has had 18.7 billion views on TikTok under her hashtag making her the most influential and searched for royal ever.
Kate Middleton is the royal with the second biggest score, with 1.4 million Instagram hashtags, 2.9 million Google searches per month and 6.3 billion views on TikTok of videos that contain her. However, from what I’ve seen on Twitter, it’s not all positive as her relationship with Prince William is judged as cold, and accusations of bullying against Megahan Markle are regularly thrown about.
In third place is the aforementioned Meghan Markle. The Duchess of Sussex left her official royal role in 2020, but is the second most Googled royal of all, being searched 4.5 million times per month around the world. Meghan has spoken candidly about her struggles with royal life and the media attention that’s piled on her, but it seems, for now anyway, that the attention is becoming more positive from many corners.
Prince Harry ranks fourth with 1.4 million Google searches a month and 1,1 million Instagram hashtags. The hashtag #PrinceHarry has been viewed 7.3 billion times on TikTok.
Despite having passed away 25 years ago, Princess Diana still pulls in 927,000 searches a year and reigns as the fifth most influential royal on the list, ahead of former husband King Charles. Her portrayal by Elizabeth Debicki in the latest season of The Crown is going to only increase the searches and social media chat, as people debate how much of the show is based on fact, and how much is purely fiction. This, combined with the Princess Diana hashtag on TikTok being viewed 9.8 billion times, and the nearly 1.2 million Instagram hashtags on the list, makes her one of the most influential royals.
Financial World
“This year has seen the monarchy transform with the death of the beloved Queen Elizabeth II in September. As King Charles begins his reign, many will be curious to see how he chooses to adapt the royal family to a new era and who he will choose to help him do so.” said a spokesperson for Financial World. “Popularity and influence are vital for the tenure of the royal family, and this study provides a fascinating insight into the royals that have the widest reach and remain in the public’s favour. With a new season of the hit Netflix show, The Crown, set to revisit the trials and tribulations of the King’s relationship with former wife, Princess Diana, it will be interesting to see how these rankings evolve.”
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or its affiliates.
