Prince Charles Finally Joins Instagram, See His First Photo

Prince Charles may be a part of one of the oldest institutions in the United Kingdom (i.e. the royal family), but he’s officially joined the 21st century with his latest social media move. As E! News noted, Prince Charles joined Instagram by sending his followers a message ahead of his tour of India. Like the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex before him, Charles has taken a personal approach to Instagram with his Nov. 12 post.

“As I depart for India, on my tenth official visit, I did just want to convey my warmest best wishes to all of you in the Sikh Community in the United Kingdom, and across the Commonwealth, on the 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji,” he wrote, captioning a photo of himself and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

The prince continued, “The principles on which Guru Nanak founded the Sikh religion, and which guide your lives to this day, are ones which can inspire us all–hard work, fairness, respect, and selfless service to others. In embodying these values, Sikhs have made the most profound contribution to the life of this country, and continue to do so, in every imaginable field, just as you do in so many other places around the world.”

He concluded his post on a meaningful note, “This week, as Sikhs everywhere honor the founder of your faith, my wife and I wanted you to know just how much your community is valued and admired by us all, and that our thoughts are with you at this very special time.” Given that one of Charles’ titles once he becomes King will be “Defender of the Faith,” it’s great to see the prince showing such strong support for the Sikh community in the United Kingdom.

It’s worth noting that his post was made on the official Clarence House Instagram, the account for the prince and his wife, Camilla. While Clarence House has updated followers on all of the couple’s updates since late 2012, this marks the first time that Charles has written a post himself and signed it with his official title, “HRH The Prince of Wales.”

As previously mentioned, Charles’ son, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, recently joined Instagram, too. In April, the couple announced their own, Sussex Royal account with a personal message to their fans.

“Welcome to our official Instagram,” they wrote in the caption of their very first post. “We look forward to sharing the work that drives us, the causes we support, important announcements, and the opportunity to shine a light on key issues. We thank you for your support, and welcome you to @sussexroyal.”

Now that there are multiple, official royal accounts out there, you’re going to want to get right to following and liking all of the family’s latest news ASAP.