• Trainspotting influencer Francis Bourgeois posted a video with Prince William and Kate Middleton. 
• He obtained some backlash from customers who didn’t respect the seemingly pro-royal sentiment. 
• Different customers defended the influencer, saying his put up was in all probability not supposed to be political. 

Francis Bourgeois, a well-liked British TikToker identified for his trainspotting content material, has divided on-line opinion after posting a video the place he met Prince William and Kate Middleton on the London subway. 

Bourgeois, 22, rose to fame on TikTok in 2021 by speaking about his ardour for trains, going out in the hunt for among the UK’s rarest trains and reacting excitedly upon seeing them driving previous him, usually filming his reactions via the distorted fish-eye lens of a GoPro digital camera. His big recognition thrust him into the mainstream, successful him model offers and a digital sequence with British TV outlet Channel 4.

Bourgeois’ newest video, uploaded on Could 4, confirmed him working to catch a practice on the Elizabeth Line, the latest line on the London subway system, which opened in Could 2022 and is known as after Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022.

As Bourgeois sat down on the carriage, the GoPro digital camera strapped to his head captured the Prince and Princess of Wales on the practice, which they have been touring in on the way in which to a London pub they have been visiting forward of King Charles III’s coronation on Could 6, in response to British broadcaster Sky Information, which adopted the royals on their journey. 

“Good to satisfy you. I hope you loved the Elizabeth Line,” Bourgeois mentioned, showing flustered and misplaced for phrases, as he shook each the royals’ fingers within the clip. 

“Yeah, it has been good,” William replied, earlier than Kate added, “Good to satisfy you,” and the pair exited the practice.

The video obtained over 4 million views on his TikTok account, and three million on Instagram. Followers of Bourgeois on these platforms gave the impression to be entertained by the video, joking that the interplay would possibly get the influencer knighted sooner or later, or saying that it was truly the Prince and Princess who ought to have been starstruck to satisfy such a beloved member of the British TikTok group. 

“Wow, William and Kate bought to satisfy a real movie star! What a fortunate day for them,” one Instagram person commented. 

William and Kate’s official Instagram account additionally responded to Bourgeois’ put up, with a remark that learn, “Good to see you,” and re-posted his video on their Instagram story.

Nevertheless, Bourgeois’ video was additionally reuploaded to Twitter, the place some customers criticized him, saying they disagreed with its seemingly pro-royal sentiment and speculated that the video might need been staged or organized by the royals’ PR staff.

Journalist Ben Smoke criticized the trainspotting influencer for not making a public assertion in relation to ongoing industrual motion from rail employees who’ve been hanging for larger pay within the UK, whereas concurrently selling the royal household on his platform. The remark obtained greater than 10,000 likes on Twitter. 

—Ben Smoke (@bencsmoke) May 5, 2023

Some Twitter customers agreed, saying they disapproved of and even unfollowed the influencer for his put up, whereas others mentioned they thought the video was making political statement. Nevertheless, different viewers got here to the influencer’s protection, saying he shouldn’t be underneath any obligation to talk about his stance on political subjects just like the rail strikes or the royal household, as they believed the video was primarily made for leisure functions.

“Why ought to he say something in regards to the hanging ’employees’? He is a trainspotter, who’s captivated with his passion. The Children having enjoyable, go away him be,” one user wrote. 

On-line dialogue in regards to the royal household has been notably intense over the previous few weeks within the run-up to King Charles III’s coronation, as many have mentioned the lavish celebrations will come throughout as insensitive towards the hundreds of thousands of Britons impacted by the continued value of dwelling disaster the nation is presently dealing with. 

It isn’t the primary time Bourgeois has grow to be the topic of intense controversy. In the direction of the tip of 2021, on-line customers discovered for the primary time that “Francis Bourgeois” was an internet pseudonym, and that the influencer’s actual title was Luke Nicolson. On-line sleuths dug into the influencer’s previous and started to accuse him of faking his on-line persona and love of trains for clout on social media, primarily based on older photographs of him the place his coiffure and outfit decisions made him look totally different, Rolling Stone reported. 

On the time, Bourgeois responded to the accusations with a TikTok video, saying that he beforehand hid his love of trains to slot in whereas he was rising up, however reclaimed the passion in the course of the pandemic by posting movies on social media.

Representatives for Prince William and Kate Middleton, and representatives for Francis Bourgeois, didn’t instantly reply to Insider’s request for remark. 

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