Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are many things: philanthropists, activists, roast-chicken eaters. But they’re also, according to a new report from the BBC, a couple of thieves. Yup, you read that correctly. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are apparently out here stealing Instagram handles from civilians.

What am I talking about, you ask? Well, let me take you back to earlier this week, when the couple launched their own Instagram account, @sussexroyal. It’s been active for only three days, and yet it’s amassed nearly 4 million followers. That’s a lot of people wanting to see photos of Markle smiling and waving.

But Page Six reports a @sussexroyal account already existed. A driving instructor from the English county of West Sussex, Kevin Keiley, claims that was the name of his IG for three years. No, this isn’t a Kensington Palace family member you don’t know about: Keiley had that handle because of where he lives and his favorite soccer team, Reading FC, which is nicknamed the Royals.

“I got a jokey text from my son, which said, ‘Ha ha, I see your handle has gone then,’” Keiley told BBC’s Radio 1 Newsbeat. “I thought, What’s that all about? He said, ‘Look on Instagram,’ so I looked on Instagram and suddenly my handle wasn’t @sussexroyal anymore. It was @sussexroyal. It had been taken.”

Taken, he says. The queen needs to launch an investigation immediately. Call Liam Neeson! Call Kris Jenner! Ryan Murphy, I’ve found the next true-crime story you should adapt for Netflix.

Keiley says he was “annoyed” no one from the royal family or Instagram reached out about taking his handle. “I didn’t ask for this,” he says. “I’ve had the account for years. It’s not very pleasant.”

For what it’s worth, Instagram did cop to scooping up the name, citing a policy that permits them to make changes to inactive accounts. (Keiley didn’t post much to Instagram prior to this incident.)

Here’s my question: Are Markle and Prince Harry even aware they took this man’s Instagram handle? How did they find out? Given Markle’s preroyal affinity for social media—RIP, The Tig—she seems like the one who would step in with an explanation. She should call Keiley and be like, “We’re so sorry for taking your Instagram handle; here are 3,000 loaves of homemade banana bread as an apology.” This man lost something near and dear to him, after all. He needs answers, as do I.

The plus side to all of this? Keiley’s Twitter following has grown exponentially: from four to more than 200. We love an influencer on the rise.

Source link