An influencer met Prince William and Kate Middleton on the subway. His video capturing it went viral, and divided opinion among viewers.
Francis Bourgeois via TikTok and Instagram
- Trainspotting influencer Francis Bourgeois posted a video with Prince William and Kate Middleton.
- He received some backlash from users who did not appreciate the seemingly pro-royal sentiment.
- Other users defended the influencer, saying his post was probably not intended to be political.
Francis Bourgeois, a popular British TikToker known for his trainspotting content, has divided online opinion after posting a video where he met Prince William and Kate Middleton on the London subway.
Bourgeois, 22, rose to fame on TikTok in 2021 by talking about his passion for trains, going out in search of some of the UK's rarest trains and reacting excitedly upon seeing them driving past him, often filming his reactions through the distorted fish-eye lens of a GoPro camera. His huge popularity thrust him into the mainstream, winning him brand deals and a digital series with British TV outlet Channel 4.
Bourgeois' latest video, uploaded on May 4, showed him running to catch a train on the Elizabeth Line, the newest line on the London subway system, which opened in May 2022 and is named after Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022.
As Bourgeois sat down on the carriage, the GoPro camera strapped to his head captured the Prince and Princess of Wales on the train, which they were traveling in on the way to a London pub they were visiting ahead of King Charles III's coronation on May 6, according to British broadcaster Sky News, which followed the royals on their journey.
"Nice to meet you. I hope you enjoyed the Elizabeth Line," Bourgeois said, appearing flustered and lost for words, as he shook both the royals' hands in the clip.
"Yeah, it's been good," William replied, before Kate added, "Nice to meet you," and the pair exited the train.
The video received over 4 million views on his TikTok account, and 3 million on Instagram. Fans of Bourgeois on these platforms seemed to be entertained by the video, joking that the interaction might get the influencer knighted in the future, or saying that it was actually the Prince and Princess who should have been starstruck to meet such a beloved member of the British TikTok community.
"Wow, William and Kate got to meet a true celebrity! What a lucky day for them," one Instagram user commented.
William and Kate's official Instagram account also responded to Bourgeois' post, with a comment that read, "Nice to see you," and re-posted his video on their Instagram story.
However, Bourgeois' video was also reuploaded to Twitter, where some users criticized him, saying they disagreed with its seemingly pro-royal sentiment and speculated that the video might have been staged or organized by the royals' PR team.
Journalist Ben Smoke criticized the trainspotting influencer for not making a public statement in relation to ongoing industrual action from rail workers who have been striking for higher pay in the UK, while simultaneously promoting the royal family on his platform. The comment received more than 10,000 likes on Twitter.
—Ben Smoke (@bencsmoke) May 5, 2023
Some Twitter users agreed, saying they disapproved of or even unfollowed the influencer for his post, while others said they thought the video was making political statement. However, other viewers came to the influencer's defense, saying he should not be under any obligation to talk about his stance on political topics like the rail strikes or the royal family, as they believed the video was primarily made for entertainment purposes.
"Why should he say anything about the striking 'workers'? He's a trainspotter, who's passionate about his hobby. The Kids having fun, leave him be," one user wrote.
Online discussion about the royal family has been particularly intense over the past few weeks in the run-up to King Charles III's coronation, as many have said the lavish celebrations will come across as insensitive towards the millions of Britons impacted by the ongoing cost of living crisis the country is currently facing.
It's not the first time Bourgeois has become the subject of intense controversy. Towards the end of 2021, online users discovered for the first time that "Francis Bourgeois" was an online pseudonym, and that the influencer's real name was Luke Nicolson. Online sleuths dug into the influencer's past and began to accuse him of faking his online personality and love of trains for clout on social media, based on older photos of him where his hairstyle and outfit choices made him look different, Rolling Stone reported.
At the time, Bourgeois responded to the accusations with a TikTok video, saying that he previously hid his love of trains to fit in while he was growing up, but reclaimed the hobby during the pandemic by posting videos on social media.
Representatives for Prince William and Kate Middleton, and representatives for Francis Bourgeois, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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