This Kiwi grandmother has one of the biggest royal-themed accounts on Instagram

Friday, 18 December 2020

Instagram queen Sharron Molcak tells Sophie Neville why sheâs mad about the monarchy.

This story was published on Woman.

At first glance, New Zealand-born grandmother Sharron Molcak doesn’t seem like your typical international Instagram superstar.

But with more than 165,000 followers, Sharron’s page, @RoyalTeaWithJam, has quickly become one of the most successful royal-themed accounts to be found.

What began as “a little hobby” after her four children left home is now an all-consuming labour of love.

“I never in a million years thought this would happen,” she tells Woman, on the phone from the home she shares with husband Kevin in Alberta, Canada.

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“But I’ve just sat back in awe as I’ve watched it grow. You become so invested in it. It really is my baby.”

A self-confessed royal addict, Sharron’s Instagram page is a feast of stunning images – both new and historic – and conversation around all things royal, from weddings to walkabouts, scandals to setbacks.

Sharron spends hours at her desk each day, trawling news sites, collating images and engaging with her followers.

“The whole reason I set this up was because I couldn’t find what I wanted online – a place to have real, in-depth conversations about the royal family.

“I remember scrolling through and feeling frustrated, because there was a lack of education about the royals. People were putting them on a pedestal and forgetting that, in many ways, they’re just like the rest of us.

Sharronâs whanau have been extremely supportive of her Instagram venture.

“They walk and talk and breathe and feel, just like normal human beings.”

Of utmost importance, Sharron insists, is creating a friendly space online. While robust discussions and differing views are very much welcome, haters are not.

“It’s all about kindness – towards the royals and each other. We can critique them, sure, but that doesn’t mean tearing people apart.

“Sometimes the ugliness creeps in and I get busy deleting and blocking, but for the most part my followers want the same sort of conversation as me.”

While the Duchess of Sussex’s arrival on the scene in 2016 gained RoyalTeaWithJam thousands more followers, Sharron says it also brought a new level of nastiness that she wasn’t prepared for.

“It’s been tough at times maintaining the positivity of the page,” she says. “The American way of looking at things is very different to the British.”

A growing obsession

Born into a devout family in Hamilton in 1962, Sharron’s royal interest developed from a young age thanks to her mum Ngawati Clarke, who was a diehard monarchist.

When Sharron’s dad Cyril was asked to move to England in the mid-60s to help build churches for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he and Ngawati leapt at the chance.

“He had such a sense of adventure,” recalls Sharron.

It was in England that Sharron had her first real-life royal experience – waving at the Queen as Her Majesty drove by in a chauffeured car to nearby Epsom Downs racecourse. “She waved at me! Well, that’s my story anyway,” Sharron laughs.

“Before Diana, the royals were people we just liked to look at in newspapers and magazines. But with Diana, I could relate to her.

By the time she was eight, Cyril had moved the whānau, which included seven children, to Canada, where his brother was living. There, Sharron’s royal interest continued to grow, and as a teenager she devoured every royal story on offer. For a young Sharron, Princess Diana’s arrival on the scene was a pivotal moment.

“Before Diana, the royals were people we just liked to look at in newspapers and magazines. But with Diana, I could relate to her – if not in status, then in age. I fell in love with her.

“Her death in 1997 was heartbreaking because I genuinely thought I would grow old with her. I hadn’t realised just how much she meant to me until then. She embodied what we all wanted to aspire to.”

Despite being away from New Zealand for most of her life, Sharron, whose mum is of Te Arawa descent, tells us she’s a wahine Māori first and foremost.

She has returned home to Aotearoa several times over the years, but most recently in 2015, where she felt overwhelmed by the connection to her homeland.

Sharron visited her mother’s marae near where she was raised in Manaia, Coromandel, and was reunited with distant relatives – a moving experience.

“I was awestruck. Even though I’ve been so much raised in a Pākehā world, the Māori part of me has always been so strong and being immersed in it was beautiful. It was a wonderful feeling of ‘I’m home.’”

As a university student in Hawaii, Sharron even took a job performing in a Māori dance troop at the Polynesian Cultural Centre on O‘ahu. “I learnt so much just being amongst my people.”

While her parents speak te reo Māori fluently, Sharron never learnt it herself.

“It was their secret language,” she says, explaining that her Pākehā dad Cyril learnt to speak it as a child growing up in Rotorua.

Sharron is delighted that the connection is strong in the next generation too, with her four children – Deiter, 35, Natalie, 32, Payton, 30, and Griffen, 25 – all requesting Māori names when they were in their teens.

They are known as Maketu Amorangi, Ngawati Taua Aroha, Tuwharetoa and Te Arawa Manako, respectively. “I was so moved by their deep, deep desire to connect with their heritage,” says Sharron. “They carry these names so proudly now.”

Sharron, who was a stay-at-home mum before her new life as an Instagrammer, laughs when asked what her family think of her royal obsession.

“At first my kids thought I was crazy, but now I hear them telling their friends about their mum’s Instagram following and the number of likes my posts get, so I think I’ve finally gained their respect.

“They do accuse me of knowing Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s birthdays more than their own,” she laughs, admitting there may be some truth in that.

Her husband Kevin is “very patient” about the many hours she spends at her computer each day and her mad-dash trips around Canada to catch sight of the royals when they visit.

But despite her huge investment of time, Sharron doesn’t earn a penny for her work.

She’s tried to think of ways to monetise her page, but becoming an influencer (where people are paid to make sponsored posts) isn’t something she’s comfortable with. “I worry that if I start doing a monetised thing, there goes my passion.”

Close encounters

It’s clear this passion comes straight from the heart.

Some of Sharron’s best memories are of the times she’s been up close to members of the royal family.

She camped out overnight to see Princess Diana and Prince Charles during a visit to Canada in the 80s, and in 2016, she flew to Kelowna in British Columbia, standing in position from dawn to be at the front of the crowd for a highly anticipated visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

“That really was one of the best days of my life,” Sharron recalls.

“Kate was five feet away from me and I had an unobstructed view – she was as striking as she is in pictures. She’s statuesque and absolutely beautiful and it just shines through in her eyes. There was a beautiful humility to her.”

People were putting them on a pedestal and forgetting that, in many ways, they’re just like the rest of us.

While it was Kate she was most excited to see, Sharron says it was William who made the biggest impression.

“I felt a real tie to William,” she explains. “As his eyes scanned the crowd, I felt there was an awareness to him, and a guardedness. But there was also a real sincerity in the way he spoke to people, which is so like his mother.”

But when Sophie, Countess of Wessex, visited Canada in 2016, Sharron wasn’t quite as composed as she’d have liked.

In fact, she was barely dressed when she came within just a few metres of the countess!

“I didn’t know what time she was coming, so I asked a friend on Twitter and she said, ‘She’s 10 minutes away!’ I didn’t even have time to put a bra on or brush my hair, but I got there just in time. I was so close to her and dying to call out, but vanity got in the way and I was terrified I might get caught on camera looking a mess.”

While @RoyalTeaWithJam takes up most of her days, Sundays are reserved for rest, relaxation and family time.

As a woman of faith, she simply posts an image of the Queen accompanied by a scripture or hymn.

Revealing her religion was a nerve-racking moment for someone who prefers to stay out of the limelight.

“I was terrified I was going to get attacked for that. But my faith is incredibly important to me and it felt right to post a scripture with the Queen, because she also has a strong faith.

“In fact, she goes to church every Sunday and in every public address she’s ever made she always talks about Christ, which I think is beautiful.”

“There was a beautiful humility to her,” Sharron says of seeing Kate in person and snapping this candid photo.

While Sharron admires the Queen’s unparalleled dedication throughout her astonishing 68-year reign, she doesn’t hesitate when asked to name her favourite royal.

“It has to be Kate,” she smiles. “She’s wonderful. She embodies tradition and she’s sacrificed so much for the monarchy.”

Sharron never guessed @RoyalTeaWithJam would attract such a following, but she says it’s a lovely feeling knowing people all around the world are enjoying her royal insights.

“It’s incredibly rewarding. I get messages all the time from people saying they just love being able to come on Instagram and have such a group of like-minded people to share their love of the royals. So many people say their families don’t get it – so in some ways, I’ve created a little Instagram family of our own.”