Lady Amelia Windsor shared a sponsored Instagram post, but what are the rules for royals?

Lady Amelia Windsor, Prince Harry and Prince William’s cousin, recently shared a sponsored post via Instagram and the move left fans questioning – are members of the royal family allowed to promote brands on social media?

The 23-year-old took to the social media platform to share a photograph of herself clad in a polka dot dress which read: “Paid partnership with Michael Kors”.

First things first, the post itself is rare for the Windsor clan, as key members of the royal family do not even have accounts on the photo sharing platform to start with.

The Duchess of Cambridge and Duchess of Sussex are not permitted to have their own Instagram accounts. Who can forget when the former actress deleted her social media handles just months after meeting Prince Harry?

Instead, the sister-in-laws both share the official Kensington Palace social media accounts with their husbands.

Princess Eugenie for instance, became the first member of the immediate royal family to set up her own Instagram account back in March and has since shared everything from details on her upcoming wedding to throwback snaps.

But the 28-year-old must be careful of her digital footprint, as she admitted to Vogue that she “got in trouble” after sharing an image of her father due to it showing a corridor of Buckingham Palace which is off-limits to the public.

However, Lady Amelia Windsor’s current status in running to the crown (she’s 38th in line to the throne) means the royal rules are sure to be more relaxed.

Royal commentator, Richard Fitzwilliams, told Yahoo Style UK: “Zara Tindall, who is a professional sportswoman has today become officially linked to iCandy and her three-month-old daughter Lena appears in the first advertisement. Without a royal title she has had to forge her own career and sponsorship is obviously a part of this.”

Therefore, it’s not entirely unusual to see Lady Amelia Windsor plotting her future career within the fashion industry with the help of a sponsored post or two.

“I can see no objection whatever to Lady Amelia, who is 38th in line to the throne and a fashion model, sharing a sponsored post on Instagram,” Fitzwilliams added.

Can the royals receive gifts from brands?

While the rules are more relaxed for less-royals, such as Lady Amelia, it’s strictly forbidden to members bearing a HRH title to accept gifts.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex famously had to return £7 million worth of their wedding presents gifted by the public as they are not permitted to use products for commercial purposes.

In an official statement, Kensington Palace said: “When gifts are accepted, the consent of the Member of the Royal Family should be contingent upon the enterprise undertaking not to exploit the gift for commercial purposes.”

“Gifts offered by private individuals living in the UK not personally known to the Member of the Royal Family should be refused where there are concerns about the propriety or motives of the donor or the gift itself.”

In a similar manner, the Duchess of Sussex is reportedly not allowed to wear clothes gifted to her from fashion labels. Every single item which graces the headlines courtesy of the ‘Meghan Effect’ is paid for by the palace while she reportedly footed the bill for her new royal wardrobe prior to the wedding.

Fitzwilliams explains: “Working members of the royal family would not enter into sponsorship deals with companies.”

“Royal patronages are greatly prized, there are currently some 3,000 charities and organisations with royal patronages which boosts their status enormously. A Royal Warrant has an considerable cachet, this recognises those who have supplied goods and services to the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince of Wales for at least five years.”

“Meghan famously gave up her blog ‘The Tig’ and all personal online activity before marriage, as this was regarded as inappropriate for a senior working member of the royal family.”

Amelia Windsor’s recent partnership with Michael Kors is likely a sneak preview of her future career – therefore a vital step in cracking the tough industry. It’s important to remember that the royal has already made a foray into the fashion world, as she’s a FROW regular – often bringing Lady Kitty Spencer with her to A-list after-parties.

Most recently, the royal-turned-model graced Tatler‘s October issue cover further suggesting that both her position in line to the throne and fledgling fashion career allows her to stretch the royal rule book.

With multiple sponsored posts already under her belt and the Dolce and Gabbana SS18 show listed on her CV, the royal is certainly already making waves in the industry.

Watch this space.

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