Royal Family Issues Social Media Guidelines Following Repeated Abuse of Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton

If you haven’t heard the name “Meghan Markle” recently, you must have been living under a rock. The Duchess of Sussex has been in the media more than ever since Prince Harry proposed to her. Then there was the royal wedding in the Spring. And, in the Fall, the happy couple announced that they were going to be parents.

We can only imagine that it has been a life-changing whirlwind for Meghan. These are a lot of big events to have happen in a fairly short period of time, and it has to be even more stressful when every move she makes is scrutinized by the media.

While Markle had to delete her social media accounts before the royal wedding, she’s still present on social media through posts from Kensington Palace. Prince Harry and her in-laws Prince William and Kate Middleton are also on social media through the official Kensington Palace posts, and these accounts have millions of followers.

Recently, the British royal family has instituted new, stricter rules regarding social media due to the two Duchesses. No, they have not being creating their own posts or secretly opening private social media accounts. The new rules aren’t for the royal family members; they’re for anyone who chooses to comment on one of the royal family’s posts.

There have been so many rumors spreading through the media about Kate and Meghan and a supposed feud. Whether or not that is true is irrelevant. What is true is that people who have commented on the social media posts about Kate and Meghan have not been kind.

While Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have guidelines about what is and is not okay to post, the royal family is not going to wait for the platforms to remove anything they deem inappropriate. They’re going to take action into their own hands.

According to the royal family, “These guidelines are in place to help create a safe environment on all social media channels run by The Royal Family, Clarence House and Kensington Palace.”

What are the guidelines? We’re so glad you asked.

Comments must not:

  • Contain spam, be defamatory of any person, deceive others, be obscene, offensive, threatening, abusive, hateful, inflammatory or promote sexually explicit material or violence.

  • Promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age.

  • Breach any of the terms of any of the social media platforms themselves.

  • Be off-topic, irrelevant or unintelligible.

  • Contain any advertising or promote any services.

When the royal family comes across comments that do not meet their guidelines, they may hide or delete the comments, or they might block the users. In extreme cases, they might even send the comments to law enforcement authorities.

They’re not messing around. What do you think of these new guidelines? Do you think they are too strict or perfectly appropriate?