Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were once excited to start their own Instagram account, @sussexroyal. However, the passion project has recently become a nightmare after a series of PR blunders left their account flooded with negative comments.
As a result, the royal couple decided to turn off comments for several hours for their latest Instagram post, according to The Express . Comments have since been reinstated.
The public relations fiasco occurred after news spread that the duke and duchess had taken four private jets within 11 days. Royal watchers branded the redheaded prince and his former Suits star wife hypocrites since the two had previously championed environmental causes.
After the pair shared a quote on Instagram about doing “a little bit of good” by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, users flocked to the upload to post their own thoughts on the gas-guzzling ways of the Sussex Squad.
“Stop flying on private jets and start doing some good,” returned a disgruntled user.
“No more lecturing about climate change. Actions speak louder than words,” echoed another royal watcher.
“I’m ‘doing my little bit’ and unfollowing. Was a huge fan of Harry but sick of the hypocrisy,” added a former fan.
Harry and Meghan have tried to brush off criticism with a new focus on the duchess’s capsule collection with Smart Works, as well as with a new Instagram post highlighting Luminary Bakery, a business that helps disenfranchised women. It was on this post that the royal couple initially decided to ban comments.
Though it is not known whether it was a mistake or a technological glitch, royal critics commented on older Instagram posts that they believed it was a method for which Harry and Meghan were able to weather an initial flood of negative reactions.
“Ridiculous that you had to turn off comments on the latest post,” wrote a user, who resorted to writing a comment on the previous Desmond Tutu post.
“So scared [not] to allow for comments after the quote fiasco and all the criticism they received from public. There are more comments on their hypocrisy than any positive comments,” added a second, adding several tear-laughing emoji.
Despite initially turning off comments, it appears they have been reinstated.
This is not the first time Meghan and Harry have been accused of deleting Instagram comments they did not like, according to International Business Times .
An Instagram post from the Sussex account asked followers for nominations in the comments for their “Force For Change.”
A large number reportedly nominated the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, only to see their comments had later been removed.