Chileans invade the Royal House's Instagram with recipes as a form of protest

The recent controversy surrounding the dissemination of private photos of Princess Leonor in Chile sparked an unusual reaction on social media. Dozens of Chileans flooded the Royal House's Instagram profile with traditional recipes, a digital custom that has already become a symbol of protest in the country.

The Chilean Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation following the leak of images of Princess Leonor at a shopping center in Punta Arenas. The complaint was filed by Spanish guards  to the Carabineros on March 21 and is based on Article 161 letter A of the Penal Code, which penalizes the capture and dissemination of private images without consent.

A judicial investigation and a controversial leak

The Royal House described the leak as "inadmissible" and stated that its distribution could constitute an administrative violation both in Chile and Spain. In the photographs, Leonor appears dressed informally and accompanied by some of her companions from the training ship Juan Sebastián Elcano, which caused discontent in the Spanish royalty.

The shopping center Zona Franca,  in a statement,  acknowledged that it provided the images to the media for "journalistic purposes." According to the document, the princess visited the premises privately without announcing her presence and without being disturbed at any time. Even so, the entity expressed its willingness to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

The Chilean controversial response: recipes as a weapon of protest

In response to the controversy, hundreds of Chileans resorted to a well-known digital protest strategy: filling the Royal House's posts with comments and typical recipes.  From mapuche sopaipillas to cochayuyo charquicán, the Spanish monarchy's networks became an unexpected Chilean recipe book.

Alongside the recipes, there also appeared messages about the monarchy and the history of the conquest of America. Some users even mentioned Emilia Dides, the Chilean representative in Miss Universe 2024, referring to her as "the only queen in Chile."

This type of manifestation  has become common in Chile, where social media users have adopted the tactic of "trolling" official accounts with culinary content. Previously, they had done so with beauty pageants and other international events. The Spanish royalty, this time, was the new recipient of the peculiar tradition.