Meghan Markle started 2025 with a bang by making a huge return to Instagram.
The Duchess of Sussex launched her brand new account with the handle @meghan on January 1 with an ethereal video of her running on a beach and writing 2025 in the sand. The ‘unfiltered’ clip was said to be shot by Prince Harry and showed Meghan in a white dress.
It is believed Meghan set up the account in June 2022 and in the summer of 2023, speculation hit fever pitch about her Insta return after sleuths found an account with the @meghan handle with a profile picture showing pink peonies, Meghan’s favourite flower.
Meghan Markle’s new Instagram video hints at ‘marriage update’ with Prince Harry
Meghan Markle has returned to Instagram with a carefree video reel
However, in the past few months, both Meghan and Harry have railed against the use of social media, slamming tech companies for not doing enough to protect children online. In 2023, the Sussexes urged social media platforms to strengthen content-moderation policies, saying that some apps could damage the mental health of young people.
But despite their warnings, Meghan was obviously keen to return to the online space, leading to questions about what she will actually post on the account. And according to a source, she plans to “authentically share moments of joy and inspiration from her life”.
According to The Telegraph, Meghan is ‘excited’ about her Instagram return and hopes to use her account to “reconnect with communities” and share updates on her “impactful projects”. The publication reports that she is committed to promoting a “joyful and thoughtful approach to online content and is hoping to “lead by example” in demonstrating how social media can be a tool used for good.
Meghan writes the year in the sand in her first Insta post on her new account
The first post, which came yesterday, is considered a “reflection of the wonderful, supportive community”. A source explained: “This moment beautifully underscores the joy and positivity that defines this new chapter in their lives.”
Harry and Meghan stopped using their original Sussex Royal account in 2020 when they quit as senior royals. The couple’s account was launched on April 2, 2019, after they split from the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Kensington Palace household, which operates on social media as Kensington Royal.
Harry and Meghan used their account to announce the birth and name of their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, to promote their own work and that of charities, and release their so-called Megxit statement. Her disappearance in 2020 was not the first time the duchess had gone offline. She also closed her social media accounts ahead of her wedding to Harry in 2018.
Meghan’s new account has now been given a verified blue tick, but that didn’t stop die-hard fans of royal protocol spotting Meghan seemingly using a title only royal divorcees use. The name of the account changed quickly from Meghan to Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, leaving out the ‘The’.
Meghan’s new Instagram page
However, the blunder has not been changed. Fans also noticed that for the first post, Meghan decided to disable the ability to comment on the video. Meanwhile, it has been claimed that the Duchess could make a staggering £800,000 per post on the platform. Experts believe that the former actress could cash in that amount as an “absolute minimum” following her social media return.
Speaking previously to the Daily Mail, social media expert Eric Schiffer said: “I would expect her to quickly become one of the most followed accounts on Instagram. You have celebrities like the Kardashians who can command $1 million (£800,000) and up for a single post promoting a product. There is no reason Meghan couldn’t be earning those sorts of fees.”
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