Meghan Markle has returned to Instagram after a five-year hiatus, posting a New Year's video on a new account, @meghan. The Duchess of Sussex, who stepped down from royal duties with Prince Harry in January 2020, shared a caption-less clip of herself in white walking on a beach and writing "2025" in the sand.
The Associated Press confirmed the account belongs to Markle, and ABC News reported that the video was filmed by Prince Harry on a public beach near their home in Montecito, California. The account has already amassed nearly 700,000 followers since Wednesday's post.
Markle's previous Instagram presence included the @SussexRoyal account shared with Harry, which closed in 2020 after breaking a world record for reaching one million followers fastest. She also had a personal account with three million followers, closed before her wedding in May 2018.
Markle faced relentless online harassment during and after her royal tenure, leading the couple to speak out against bullying and misinformation. However, Prince Harry indicated in a 2021 interview that they might return to social media when it becomes a safer space, saying: "We will revisit social media when it feels right for us."
