Meghan Markle made a dramatic return to Instagram on New Year’s Day, marking her first social media presence in six years.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, unveiled a stunning black and white profile photo taken by fashion photographer Jake Rosenberg, alongside a playful beach video filmed by Prince Harry.
The former actress chose the handle @meghan for her comeback, which features her wearing a £1,000 white cotton dress from New York luxury brand Khaite and a £12,500 diamond necklace from Santa Monica jeweller Logan Hollowell.
The carefully orchestrated return has already garnered significant attention, with her follower count soaring within hours.
Meghan Markle ‘establishing control through subtle power play’ amid social media return
Jake Rosenberg / Getty
The striking profile photo was captured by New York-based Jake Rosenberg, a long-time friend of the Sussexes who attended their Windsor wedding alongside Oprah Winfrey.
Rosenberg flew to California specifically for the photoshoot, which may have coincided with the launch of Meghan’s lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.
The photographer shared the image on his own social media, writing: “Always love capturing these moments together – What a way to start the year!”
During his visit to the Sussexes’ Montecito mansion, Rosenberg also took a series of photographs of Meghan alone and with her children.
PR expert Mark Borkowski told the Mail that Meghan’s choice of attire carries significant symbolism.
“The all-white attire screams ‘purity of reinvention’ while the ‘2025’ etched in the sand conveniently doubles as both a literal timestamp and a metaphorical clean slate,” he said.
Borkowski described the post as “a PR textbook example of someone signalling a new era.”
“It’s a subtle power play, simultaneously fostering curiosity and establishing control,” he added.
Meghan Markle made a surprise return to Instagram on New Year’s DayInstagram / @meghanThe California-style fashion shot would not look out of place in prestigious magazines like Vogue or Vanity Fair, experts noted.
The 30-second beach video showed Meghan in white pedal pushers and a shirt, jogging barefoot along the shore near her Montecito home.
In the clip, filmed by Prince Harry, she wrote “2025” in the sand before running off giggling, accompanied by the sound of the shore.
The account, originally set up in 2022 but remained dormant, has seen explosive growth since its activation.
Within just 24 hours, Meghan’s follower count surged from 100,000 to 995,000.
Meghan wrote ‘2025’ into the sand – teasing a big projectInstagram / @meghan
The launch marked a significant shift from her previous stance, having shut down her social media accounts in January 2018 after her engagement to Prince Harry.
A source close to Meghan said: “The duchess is excited to return to social media as a way to reconnect with communities around the world and share updates on the impactful projects she has been working on.”
The account could prove highly lucrative for the duchess, with experts predicting potential earnings of up to £790,000 per sponsored post.
Social media expert Eric Schiffer told the Mail there was “no reason Meghan couldn’t be earning those sorts of fees” as an absolute minimum.
The source added that Meghan is “committed to promoting a joyful and thoughtful approach to online engagement—one that fosters meaningful connections and inspires positivity in today’s digital space.”