Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Again Shatter World Records

Given the millions of followers picked up in the first hours of their new Instagram account, and the millions of pounds in bets over their unborn baby beating all records, it's fair to conclude that “Brand Sussex,” as the ultra-popular Duke and Duchess of Sussex have become known, is out of control.

Expected at the end of this month or early May, the imminent arrival of the royal baby Sussex has unleashed more action at the bookmakers than the birth of any previous royal baby - including the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Punters have already bet more than nine million euros speculating on the sex, name and the precise date of birth, with a girl to be called Diana as the favorites to date.

That's more than three times the three million pounds that, according to the website Bookmakers, was wagered before the births of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis of Cambridge, the children of William, future King of England.

The betting frenzy as the baby’s due date comes closer compares only to that reached over the couple’s 2018 wedding that surpassed £3.5 million , which also broke the royal wedding record.

Meghan’s pregnancy, studied almost daily by the global press, “has already doubled that amount and there is a month to go for the long awaited birth,” notes Le Point.

Another Sussex Brand record made the headlines over the past weekend: As part of the move to their new house, Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Frogmore House in Windsor, and the separation of the administration of their courts by the two princes and their wives, Meghan and Harry announced the launch of  a new dedicated Instagram account.

It seemed a safe handle, @sussexroyal. But it blew through the roof when, in its first six minutes it gained more than 8,000 followers  - rocketing to more than four million by the end of the week.

By surpassing one million within six hours it had already broken the Guinness world record.

The announcement by Kensington Palace - “Welcome to Instagram, @SussexRoyal! Follow @SussexRoyal for more on the work of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Follow @KensingtonRoyal for more on the work of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge” - was interpreted by experts as the official notice confirming the split between the royal houses of Sussex and Cambridge.

“We knew they would no longer share a team of advisers, aides and press officers,” writes Eleanor Steafel in The Telegraph. “But a split of their Instagram accounts sealed the deal. @SussexRoyal entered the social media stratosphere with a post which was, frankly, peak Harry and Meghan.“

The new account that starts with a post featuring their monogram symbol is a slideshow of photos highlighting moments in their life and the causes they support.

“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,” Meghan and Harry wrote to their followers along with a series of pictures that, according to Stoefel, hit all those classic Sussex notes: “First there’s the snap of them being playful with some smiling children; then there they are on a boat, looking chic and sporty, wearing sunglasses; oh look now Harry’s togged up in his military gear looking like a scruffy action man (he does look lovely in camo though, doesn’t he?); and there’s Meghan hugging some teenage girls, before the final snap – the trademark sexy black and white, backs turned, us-against-the-world shot.”

Now that they have moved from London to their newly-renovated and refurbished ‘cottage,’ which stands about half a mile south of Windsor Castle in Windsor Home Park and has been a Royal Residence since 1792, the Sussexes will probably find some welcome peace and privacy to prepare for their baby’s arrival.

Kensington Palace has also announced that Harry and Meghan are moving office and will be based in Buckingham Palace rather than Kensington Palace where William and Kate have theirs.

For the pundits and for the Sussexes’ Instagram followers, the anxiety will continue to mount. Upcoming bets will probably include what are they going to publish next at @sussexroyal.

“Whether decoratively-placed avocados start appearing on their feed remains to be seen,” a hopeful columnist writes. “Though doing the whole being-a-royal-on-social-media thing their way would be, in truth, very ‘Sussex’ indeed.”

For other royal observers in Europe, a new media frenzy is likely next from the birth of the  royal baby, given that there is particular interest in the U.S., Meghan's native country.

Le Point believes the new bets could move another direction, speculating on whether the baby will generate as much or more business as the revenues linked to the children of William and Kate from the sales of mugs, pajamas, strollers and infinitely more memorabilia.

“Previous records are held by Charlotte (€100 million), George (€85 million) and Louis (€60 million), which already sets the bar very high,” the magazine notes. “It is estimated that the British royal family has generated €2 billion in business of all kinds in the kingdom, between family events, souvenir sales and targeted tourism...Almost as much as the annual merchandising around Star Wars!”