EXCLUSIVE: Prince William and Kate Middleton 'Winning PR War' With Kids — While Harry and Meghan Face Backlash Over Hidden Children
Prince William and Kate Middleton's social media with their kids is crushing that of Harry and Meghan.
May 6 2026, Published 2:20 p.m. ET
Prince William and Kate Middleton are being hailed for getting it exactly right when it comes to showcasing their three children to the public, while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are being slammed for bungling their every attempt, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Waleses shared a photo of Princess Charlotte on her 11th birthday, accompanied by a brief video of the sporty tween enjoying a beach getaway over Easter weekend in Cornwall, England. William, 43, and Middleton, 44, did the same in April to mark Prince Louis' 8th birthday, a winning move praised by a royal expert.
Willian & Kate's 'Perfect, Shiny, Lovely Instagram Post' For Princess Charlotte's Birthday
Princess Charlotte was shown cuddling the family dogs and playing cricket on the beach in her birthday video.
"I think that if William and Catherine want to communicate with the younger generation who are going to be their subjects when they become king and queen, and indeed, to Charlotte's contemporaries, they need to be all over Instagram. They need to be communicating in this language," royal expert Tom Sykes noted on his The Royalist podcast on Tuesday, May 5, about the photos and videos of their daughter.
Sykes dished that it was "Very, very controlled. We see her on the beach playing cricket. It's the perfect, shiny, lovely Instagram post."
He pointed out that the Waleses are "hiring people who are naturally fluent in the language, and it's really working" when it comes to social media, adding, "This is the massive difference towards the Sussex approach."
The Waleses Are 'Acing It In The PR Game' With Family Content
Royal fans have watched the Wales children grow up in both public appearances and on social media.
"The point is that by letting us know a bit about the children and being able to control it, and by showing their faces, William and Catherine, in my opinion, absolutely acing it in the PR game as a family because we feel like we know them enough, but we also feel like we don't feel grubby when we look at those pictures, because they're being given to us in a spirit of respectful friendliness. And I think they're accepted in that way," Sykes raved.
Harry and Markle are a completely different story, as the former actress only shares photos of Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 4, in awkward poses, with their faces not directly visible, with the royal author describing the Sussexes' PR strategy as the "complete opposite" of their in-laws.
Sussexes Make Fans 'Feel Guilty' About Looking at Photos of Their Children
Markle followed daughter Lilibet around their yard on Easter, but never showed her face in the Instagram video.
"Whereas I think with the Sussexes, the way the children's faces are hidden, it's almost like you're being made to feel guilty for looking at the picture of them, because it's like their parents are saying, 'Our children are being exposed and exploited, and we don't need to see their face,'" Sykes observed about how the couple present their children on Instagram.
He then took aim at Markle’s privacy push, pointing out that it’s the former actress who keeps flooding social media with photos and videos of the kids.
"And it's like, well, who's actually putting them on Instagram in the first place?" Sykes scoffed.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Social Media Is 'Floundering'
Markle shared video of a family trip to a pumpkin patch but kept her children's faces hidden.
"Charlotte's photo isn't just sweet; it's strategic. I think that the Waleses get it. I think they understand what they are trying to do. I think they are all over their media operation," Sykes observed.
He added, "And I think the Sussex media operation, frankly, is floundering."
