Monarchy as a Mega-Influencer: A Cost–Benefit Analysis of the Royal Family in the Algorithmic Driven AI Economy

Debates about the relevance of constitutional monarchies have intensified in recent years, with critics questioning their democratic legitimacy, symbolic role, and public cost. This study moves beyond normative debates by evaluating the monarchy through a measurable economic framework grounded in the artificial intelligence (AI) driven influencer economy via mass and social media. Specifically, it analyzes the Royal Family’s presence on YouTube, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), alongside traditional media coverage indexed in the Newsstream database, to estimate tangible benefits relative to institutional costs using mathematical modelling and sensitivity analysis. The findings highlight that the combined annual value of social and mass media influence is approximately US$26,672 billion, with an estimated benefit–cost ratio of 40.0 million to 1. Even under conservative assumptions, the scale of media reach and engagement substantially exceeds the per capita cost of maintaining the institution. By reframing monarchy as a large-scale soft-power actor embedded within contemporary digital AI driven media ecosystems, this study contributes to research on constitutional governance, nation branding, and influencer economics. The results suggest that, in an era of globalized media and algorithmic amplification, monarchies may function not only as ceremonial institutions but also as influential and economically significant actors within modern evolving communication networks.