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From a mansion in Montecito, reports have emerged that Meghan Markle has downloaded a new app to her phone: Instagram.
The Duchess of Sussex, who once ran a successful blog, is alleged to be staging her comeback to social media with a soon-to-be-launched Instagram account. According to sources, the Instagram handle ‘@Meghan’, is believed to be the 42-year-old former actress.
The account, which currently boasts 114,000 followers (including Julia Fox), simply features a profile picture of a field of peonies and the name ‘Meghan’, in the account’s bio.
Still, despite the little evidence cementing that the account is the Sussex royal, experts have predicted that Markle’s return to social media could generate branded content deals worth more than a million dollars.
It’s important to stress the role social media has played in the lives of Markle and her husband, Prince Harry. How can one forget that the first time Prince Harry ever saw Markle was with the Snapchat-era dog ear filter? Yet, even prior to meeting Prince Harry, Markle had garnered a reputation for herself thanks to her blogging prowess.
For those born after the debut of A Simple Life and into a world ruled by Snapchat stars and TikTok teens, it’s difficult to grasp just how impactful blogging was as a medium. The likes of Tavi Gevinson and Margaret Zhang were among the digital natives whose personal anecdotes and first-person quips propelled them to the upper echelon of the industry.
These bloggers bridged the gap between the golden gates once guarded by staunch magazine editors and serviced the nascent netizen’s appetite for immediate content. Yet, the queen who presided over the blog-verse was, of course, Markle.
The Suits alumni ran a lifestyle blog for three years from 2014-2017. Entitled ‘The Tig’, after her favourite wine, an Italian Sangiovese blend called Tignanello, the blog featured heartfelt musings from Markle on topics ranging from her Suits audition to her activism work with the UN.
The now-defunct blog was closed upon Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry and her ascent to ‘senior member’ status in the British monarchy. Yet, where that channel leant itself to curated edits and informal recommendations, it’s difficult to gauge what the format of Markle’s Instagram account will look like in today’s social climate.
Where Instagram stars are being chastised for presenting highly-curated versions of themselves, can Markle bridge the gap between off-hand candids and a polished facade fitting for her title?
We here at GRAZIA would revel in any behind-the-scenes glimpses of Markle’s day-to-day life raising the next generation of English royalty. However, if Markle’s social media plan is to purely roll out #sponcon, we’ll perhaps save increasing our ‘following’ account in favour of a regular peruse.
