More than six years after stepping away from the digital spotlight, Meghan Markle made a surprising return to Instagram, leaving royal enthusiasts buzzing with excitement as she re-entered the social media scene at the dawn of 2025.

On New Year’s Day, the Duchess of Sussex reintroduced herself to the world with the Instagram handle @meghan. Her first post was a captivating short video capturing her running towards the ocean on a picturesque Californian beach, where she playfully etched ‘2025’ into the sand.

However, keen observers quickly spotted what seemed to be a subtle oversight in Meghan’s eagerly anticipated Instagram comeback. In the video’s corner, another ‘2025’ inscription was visible in the sand, hinting that the now 44-year-old duchess might have rehearsed the shot multiple times to get it just right.

This social media revival marked Meghan’s effort to shape her public persona anew. It had been since January 2018 that she last engaged with social media, a decision made shortly after her engagement to Prince Harry, now 41, which led to the closure of her previous accounts and lifestyle blog.

As the video quickly garnered attention, fans noticed a subtle update: the account name evolved from simply ‘Meghan’ to ‘Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,’ reflecting her continued connection to her royal roots.

Shortly after the video was uploaded, fans also noted another quick change: the account name had been quietly changed from just ‘Meghan’ to ‘Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’.

Her revamped profile also included a smiling photo of the duchess in a near-£1,000 white cotton dress from New York Luxury brand Khaite and a £12,500 diamond necklace from Santa Monica jewellery designer Logan Hollowell.

The image was taken by esteemed fashion photographer Jake Rosenberg, a close friend of the Sussexes, who shared it online to ‘welcome back’ Meghan to Instagram after a six-year hiatus. 

More than six years after she was forced to delete her social media accounts and lifestyle blog, Meghan Markle left royal onlookers stunned when she made a surprise return to Instagram on New Year’s Day, 2025

Relaunching her public page with the handle @meghan on New Year’s Day, the duchess posted a short video of her running towards the sea on a Californian beach before drawing the digits ‘2025’ into the sand

Before she married into the Firm, the duchess frequently documented her trips and life experiences to her millions of followers on her personal Instagram page, alongside on her lifestyle blog, The Tig.

However, in line with royal protocol, the soon-to-be princess was forced to delete her accounts ahead of her royal wedding and instead pivot towards a social media presence that aligned with her new position.

At the time, a Kensington Palace source said: ‘Ms Markle is grateful to everyone who has followed her social media accounts over the years, however as she has not used them for some time she has taken the decision to close them’. 

Instead, Meghan and Harry were given joint use of the @KensingtonRoyal Instagram account with Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton.

In April the following year, the couple started their own @SussexRoyal Instagram account, designed to give royal fans a more intimate insight into their lives in the Firm.

However, just 11 months later, the account was closed down, shortly after they carried out their final engagement as working members of the Royal Family in March 2020. 

Their final post, on March 30, read: ‘Thank you to this community – for the support, the inspiration and the shared commitment to the good in the world.

‘We look forward to reconnecting with you soon. You’ve been great! Until then, please take good care of yourselves, and of one another. Harry and Meghan.’

But fans noted a possible blunder – in the left hand corner (pictured) of the video, another outline of ‘2025’ could be seen marked in the sand, suggesting that the duchess, now 44, may have practiced the scene several times in a bid to achieve the perfect final take

Before she married into the Firm, the duchess frequently documented her trips and life experiences to her millions of followers on her personal Instagram page, alongside on her lifestyle blog, The Tig

Following the couple’s unprecedented departure from the Firm, speculation mounted about whether the former Suits star would eventually return to the social media app.

In June 2022, Meghan teased fans by creating an Instagram account handle with no biographical information and an ambiguous profile picture of pink dahlias. 

Then, a year later, a source close to Meghan’s team confirmed to The Mail on Sunday that an account with the username @meghan was hers and at the time was told to ‘expect an announcement very soon’. 

Meghan’s seaside video at the start of the year officially confirmed that the profile was indeed hers. However, the U-turn decision by the duchess to re-appear on Instagram raised questions.

Previously, Meghan had spoken openly about the unlikely chance she would ever return to social media given the ‘almost unsurvivable’ amount of online abuse she received. 

Speaking on the Teenage Therapy podcast in 2020, Meghan described herself as, at one stage, ‘the most trolled person in the entire world’.

Now boasting 4.3 million followers, Meghan’s Instagram page has been used to promote her professional projects, while also giving royal fans a closer look into her family life with Harry and their two children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.

However, despite the lengthy preparation ahead of her return, the duchess’s social media revamp has not been entirely smooth – with a number of alleged blunders captured along the way. 

In April 2019, the couple started their own @SussexRoyal Instagram account. However, just 11 months later, it was closed down, shortly after they carried out their final engagement as working members of the Royal Family in March 2020

The duchess’s social media revamp has not been entirely smooth – with a number of alleged blunders. In May, an image she posted of the Sussexes’ beagle Mia sparked criticism, with claims there was something suspicious about the lack of mud on the fruit and veg

In May, the mother-of-two shared an image of the Sussexes beagle Mia sniffing a basket of fresh produce apparently grown in the garden of her Montecito home in California.

Referring to her beloved pet, who Meghan and Harry rescued in 2022, the duchess captioned her post: ‘The unofficial quality inspector of this morning’s garden haul.’

However, the post attracted social media criticism, with claims that there was something suspicious about the lack of mud on the fruit and veg, alongside the time of year they had been picked.

Then, over Easter, the duchess posted a sweet video that showed her watching a flock of ducks crossing a road in Montecito. 

However, she later faced accusations of ‘staging’ the heartwarming clip, with viewers unconvinced that she seemingly came across the ducks by chance. 

Since leaving her life in the Firm behind, Meghan has often spoken publicly about her desire to have a more authentic social media presence in statements that have often been perceived as veiled swipes at the Royal Family. 

While speaking to Bloomberg’s Emily Chang in April, Meghan was asked whether there is an ‘inherent tension’ between ‘trying to be relatable’ while also being a duchess.

The former actress responded that she is ‘just being herself’ before appearing to take a dig at life in the royal fold. ‘It was different several years ago where I couldn’t be as vocal and I had to wear nude pantyhose all the time!’ she said, adding it ‘felt a little bit inauthentic’.

The U-turn decision by the duchess (pictured with Prince Harry) to return to Instagram raised questions given Meghan previously declared it would be unlikely she would ever return to social media given the ‘almost unsurvivable’ amount of online abuse she received

Since leaving her life in the Firm behind, Meghan has often spoken publicly about her desire to have a more authentic social media presence. In October, she outlined her plans to ‘leverage her significant influence to build a successful, long-lasting business empire’ 

Meanwhile, when Meghan relaunched her lifestyle brand As Ever in February 2025, the duchess shared how since leaving The Royal Family, she had gained greater creative control of how much she could ‘share’.

‘As Ever essentially means as it’s always been, and if you’ve followed me since 2014 with The Tig, you know I’ve always loved cooking and crafting and gardening – this is what I do,’ she said.

‘And I haven’t been able to share it with you in the same way for the past few years, but now I can so, as things are starting to trickle out there, I wanted you to hear it from me first.’

When the Sussexes stepped back from senior royal duties in early 2020, they often cited the lack of privacy they experienced as a reason for their decision, later dubbed ‘Megxit’.

However, Meghan’s decision to curate a public profile on social media has been suggested by some critics to directly contradict any self-proclaimed desire for privacy.

Royal author Tom Quinn argued that ‘if Meghan really wanted to be a private person, all she needed to do was go back to America and keep quiet – but what Meghan wants is privacy combined with world fame’. 

In an interview with People Magazine in March, the duchess insistently declared that she was ‘not an influencer’ but instead a ‘female founder’ and ‘entrepreneur’.

However, at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women summit in October, she spoke about the changing nature of her As Ever brand and suggested a move away from her Netflix show With Love, Meghan towards quicker and more short-form content.