Meghan Markle Rejoined Instagram 2 Years After Teasing Her Return

Once upon a time, Meghan Markle had an active social media presence and documented her life both on Instagram and on her lifestyle blog, The Tig. That changed in January 2018. As she prepared to marry into the British royal family and become the Duchess of Sussex, she shut down her personal Instagram account.

Seven years later, Meghan is finally back. Having snagged the handle @meghan, the duchess made her much-anticipated return to Instagram by posting a video on Jan. 1. Fittingly, it celebrates a new beginning as Meghan runs down to the beach, writes “2025” in the sand, and then smiles at the camera.

Though not credited, her husband, Prince Harry, seems to be her videographer. The two shared the Instagram account @sussexroyal starting in April 2019, but they stopped using it when they stepped down from their roles as senior royals in March 2020. They’ve largely been absent from social media since, though Meghan did tease her return to Instagram back in an August 2022 interview for The Cut.

“Do you want to know a secret?” she asked her interviewer, Allison P. Davis, at the time. “I’m getting back … on Instagram.”

It took more than two years, but now she’s done it — and a multitude of new followers welcomed Meghan by liking her video.

Technically, the duchess made another foray back into social media prior to posting on her @meghan account. She started an Instagram for her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, in March 2024, but, at the time of publishing, the grid only shows the brand’s logo and she hasn’t used it to share photos from her personal life. Her new account now looks like the place for that.

Approaching Social Media With Caution

Meghan and Harry have both been wary of social media in the past, based on the negative experiences they’ve had with online bullying. As guests on the podcast Teenager Therapy in October 2020, the Sussexes discussed why they weren’t on social media anymore.

“I’m told that in 2019 I was the most trolled person in the entire world, male or female,” Meghan said (via People), adding that it was “almost unsurvivable.”

The couple has advocated for changes in the digital space. During a South by Southwest panel in March 2024, Meghan expressed her hope that social media companies would address toxicity on a systemic level and that users would learn to be kinder to each other. “We have forgotten about our humanity, and that has got to change,” she said.