Meghan Markle is welcoming in the new year with a surprising move, returning to Instagram after a seven-year hiatus with a heartwarming video to boot.
The Duchess of Sussex made her re-arrival on the platform on Jan. 1, marking the occasion with a video of herself frollicking on a shoreline towards the ocean. In the clip — which was shared under her new Instagram handle, @meghan (no, not that one) — Markle is seen wearing a white tunic and denim jeans as she writes “2025” in the sand. As far as those worthy of just a simple mononym name, Markle is up there with the Adele’s and Madonna’s of the world (though we’ve regrettably not yet seen her belt out a harmony).
After offering a masterclass in calligraphy (seriously, those digits should be studied), Markle flashes a smile to the camera before ambling out of view. According to some outlets, it was Markle’s husband, Prince Harry, who reportedly filmed the shoreside video at a public beach near their Montecito, California. A little internet sleuthing reveals not only that Markle will likely endure increased screen time as a result of a bazillion cooking videos on Reels (no? Just me?), but also that the reactivated is accompanied by a new profile picture.
In it, the Duchess is pictured in black and white while sporting a white gown, while the Instagram bio reads: “Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.” At the time of writing, Markle has already garnered one million followers, but like a true icon, she follows exactly zero other s. Markle’s return to Instagram brings an end to her years-long social media absence, having departed from all platforms amid her highly-publicized engagement to Prince Harry back in 2018.
The Duchess’ social media revival has been in the works for some time, since she revealed in a 2022 interview with The Cut that she was “getting back on Instagram.” It’s a welcome return to form for the actress-turned-royal, because she was something of a social media maven prior to tying the knot with Prince Harry. The pre-royal Suits actress had three million followers on her personal Instagram , and ran a successful lifestyle blog called The Tig. Then, she met someone who was in line to the British throne, which naturally threw a spanner in the works in of her usual social media activity.
Since it’s Meghan Markle, there’s that video), Markle’s clip is probably being forensically scrutinized at a level usually reserved for microbiologists, but the Instagram return appears to be in promotion of her new Netflix series, With Love, Meghan.
Adding ‘home cook’ to her repertoire alongside calligrapher, the trailer for the series sees the Duchess prepare a variety of meals in her Nancy Meyers-like kitchen, with celebrity cameos from Mindy Kaling and her former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer. Harry also makes an appearance in the series, which will span eight episodes and will see Markle share tips for cooking as well as gardening and crafting (look out, Martha Stewart!).
With Love, Meghan, will premiere on January 15, and forms part of the $100 million Netflix content deal the Sussex’s signed back in 2020. If the episodes are as anything as enthralling as Markle traipsing along a beach, it’s going straight to the top of my watchlist.
Published: Jan 2, 2025 07:02 pm