Meghan Markle has returned to Instagram after a five-year hiatus, but none of the British royal family members are following her new account, @meghan. The Duchess of Sussex, 43, unveiled her verified account on January 1st and quickly gained 1.4 million followers. A source close to Meghan says she is “excited” to reconnect with the platform and plans to use it to share updates on her projects and spread “joy.”
While several members of the royal family, including King Charles and Queen Camilla (@theroyalfamily) and Prince William and Kate Middleton (@princeandprincessofwales), have active Instagram accounts, none have followed Meghan’s new profile. This apparent snub underscores the ongoing strained relationship between the Sussexes and the royal family. Reports indicate that Prince Harry’s attempts to communicate with his father and brother have gone unanswered.
Interestingly, both @theroyalfamily and @princeandprincessofwales still follow the now-dormant @sussexroyal account, which Meghan and Harry used before stepping back from their royal duties in 2020. Princess Eugenie and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi also follow @sussexroyal but not Meghan’s personal account. Eugenie has reportedly remained close to the Sussexes despite their departure from royal life. Other family members, such as Sarah Ferguson and Mike Tindall, do not follow either account. Princess Beatrice does not have a public Instagram presence.
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The differing approaches to social media within the royal family highlight the distinction between working royals and those who pursue private careers. King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Kate use their verified accounts to showcase their official duties and charitable work, likely managed by communications teams. In contrast, Eugenie, Edoardo, Sarah, and Mike utilize Instagram to share personal and professional updates, managing their accounts independently.
In 2019, Harry and Meghan broke with tradition by launching their own Instagram account, @sussexroyal, which rapidly gained a massive following. The account offered a more personal glimpse into their lives and royal work, often featuring messages directly from the couple. However, the account ceased activity in March 2020 following their royal exit. The final post included a farewell letter thanking their followers for their support.
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The farewell message acknowledged the “extraordinarily fragile” state of the world and emphasized the importance of global health and well-being. It also expressed their commitment to continuing their work outside of the royal spotlight. Since then, the couple has relocated to California and welcomed two children, Archie and Lilibet.
Meghan’s return to Instagram began with a video, reportedly filmed by Prince Harry, showing her writing “2025” in the sand on a beach near their Montecito home. She followed up with a trailer for her upcoming Netflix lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, premiering on January 15th.
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In a message accompanying the trailer, Meghan expressed her excitement about the series and thanked the production crew and Netflix. Notably, comments are disabled on her new Instagram account, and she is not following any other users. Prior to her relationship with Prince Harry, Meghan maintained personal Instagram and Twitter accounts, which she closed in 2018 before their wedding.
