Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are receiving a royal welcome to Instagram.
After launching their official Instagram account on Tuesday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are currently expecting their first child together, received a warm welcome from fans and other members of the British Royal Family, such as Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie.
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“Welcome cousins [Sussex Royal],” the 29-year-old royal, who remains one of the only royals to have their own Instagram account, wrote alongside a photo of Harry and Markle from their 2017 engagement announcement.
The Sussex’s launched their Instagram account alongside a gallery of images from their first months of marriage, including their official monogram, photos from their first international tour as newlyweds, Harry’s work with the military, Markle’s work at the Hubb Community Kitchen, and several others.
“‘Welcome to our official Instagram; 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 [Sussex Royal],’” the post was captioned, with the royal couple signing off “Harry & Meghan.”
While fairly new, the Instagram account not only boasts a total of three posts, but also a Guinness World Record. Within just five hours and 45 minutes of the account’s launch, it gained one million followers, surpassing the previous record for the fastest time to gain one million followers on Instagram held by K-Pop star Kang Daniel, who earned one million followers in 11 hours 36 minutes.
The surge of royal fans to the account reportedly temporarily crashed Instagram due to the sheer volume, according to journalist Benjamin Wareing.
Prince Harry and Markle’s account currently sits at a healthy 3.5 million followers, with the couple only following a total of 23 people, including the three official Instagram accounts for the royals – The Royal Family, Clarence House, and Kensington Palace. It also follows Princess Eugenie and Prince Andrew’s accounts, as well as a number of charities and organizations they work closely with.
The account’s launch comes as the Sussex’s and Cambridge’s split their “joint” court at Kensington Palace, creating two separate offices – one for Prince William and Kate Middleton and one for Harry and Markle.
The split was a means to “ensure that permanent support arrangements for The Duke and Duchess’s work are in place as they start their family and move to their official residence at Frogmore Cottage,” a statement from the palace read.
