Meghan Markle rejoins Instagram on New Year’s Day with video filmed by Prince Harry
Meghan Markle officially returned to Instagram on New Year’s Day, signalling a new chapter for the duchess after spending 2024 largely out of the spotlight.
After years away from the social media platform, the Duchess of Sussex relaunched her personal account on January 1 with a video captured by her husband Prince Harry on a beach near their home in Montecito, California.
The return could signal a fresh start for the duchess, the clip shows her running barefoot toward the waves with her back to the camera. She stops to trace “2025” in the sand before giggling and jogging away dressed in an all-white outfit.
Comments have been turned off on the post but a host of celebrities including Serena Williams, Chrissy Teigen, and Tan France showed their support by liking the video.
The handle @meghan had been secured since 2022, with 113,000 people already following the account before the first video was posted, though the duchess is yet to follow any accounts back herself.
Her return to the platform comes at a crucial time for the duchess, as she may be looking to relaunch her personal brand following a much quieter year.
Her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, launched on Instagram back in March 2024, though the company is yet to start trading goods as it continues to face setbacks regarding its trademark.
The account featured a bio reading, “By Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex. Established 2024,” and a photo grid displaying the brand’s logo.
Though her application to trademark her jams and other goods was initially filed in February, it was rejected in August with her team requesting more time to complete the bid.
The upcoming year also marks an important time for both Meghan and Harry to reignite interest, amid reports that their stock in Hollywood is steadily declining.
Their multimillion-dollar contract with the streaming service is set to come to an end in 2025, though their latest project with the streaming service ‘Polo’ failed the make a splash.
The docuseries was supposed to follow the “grit behind the glamour” of the sport, but received negative reviews despite the couple making an appearance themselves in one episode.
Before her marriage to Harry, Meghan was an avid social media user having run her own lifestyle blog ‘The Tig’ before she deactivated her personal accounts in January 2018 following her engagement.
Since the couple’s departure from the royal family in 2020, the pair have spoken out about the perils of social media, with the duchess telling a conference in March that she had experienced bullying and abuse on social media when she was pregnant with Archie and Lili.
