Meghan Markle kicked off the new year with a new Instagram account, marking her return to the social media platform after five years – and racking up nearly a million followers on her first day back.
The account, which goes by the simple handle @meghan, had two posts as of Thursday. Her first post, a black-and-white video shared on New Year’s Day, shows the Duchess of Sussex, 43, running down the beach towards the sea, before pausing. He told me to write ‘2025’ in the sand with my finger.
People reported that her husband, Prince Harry, filmed the video.
However, eagle-eyed followers have discovered evidence that the video was likely filmed multiple times, something that will resonate with anyone who has tried to capture the platform’s content before.
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As Markle jogged towards the water wearing a white button-up shirt and white jeans, fans noticed the year ‘2025’ already written in the sand. This suggests that it took at least two takes to capture the video.
“2025” can already be seen written before in the sand as Meghan Markle jogs towards the ocean.
@Megan / Instagram
Markle and Harry, Duke of Sussex, married in 2018 and were initially part of the @KensingtonRoyal, which also includes Harry’s younger brother, Prince William, and his wife, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales. But a year later, Meghan and Harry launched their own account, @SussexRoyal. This was a sign of growing distance from the royal family.
@SussexRoyal went on hiatus in 2020 around the time Meghan and Harry announced they were stepping down from their official roles.
In the past, the pair have been hesitant to return to social media with their personal profiles, citing past harassment they have faced. Last year, they urged social media platforms to strengthen their content moderation policies, saying some apps could be harming young people’s mental health.
FILE – Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex arrive at the annual Endeavor Fund Awards in London, March 5, 2020.
Kristy Wigglesworth / Associated Press
But before launching her new account, Markle met with executives from Meta, Instagram’s parent company, to discuss safety and how to create a healthier online experience, according to Vanity Fair.
Markle had about millions of Instagram followers on her account before joining the royal family, which she shut down four months before she married Harry in 2018. She also shut down her popular blog, The Tig, in 2017.
In a second video posted Thursday, Markle teased her upcoming lifestyle series. With love, MeganIt is scheduled to air for the first time at the end of this month.
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