As we previously reported, Meghan Markle unexpectedly returned to Instagram on New Year’s Day.
The Duchess of Sussex posted a video in which she can be seen running excitedly on the beach and writing “2025” on the sand with her finger.
Meghan flashed a quick smile at the camera before presumably heading off in the direction of her next carefree adventure.
This was Meghan’s first social media post since 2020, and it was clearly intended to show that she’s living her best life, not worrying about what the haters have to say.
But as some vulture-eyed haters have noted, the moment may not have been as funny and spontaneous as it initially appeared.
Meghan Markle’s second take
Meghan didn’t allow comments on the post (which was probably the right decision), but elsewhere on social media, countless users pointed out what appears to have been done multiple times.
As Page Six points out, it appears that “2025” was already written in the sand before Meghan even gleefully reached the water’s edge. Numbers can be seen written in the sand in the bottom left corner.
Of course, it’s possible this was a group outing, and one of Meghan’s children also decided to celebrate the New Year by leaving a temporary mark near the shoreline.
But that possibility hasn’t stopped critics from calling Meghan’s video “sucks” and “embarrassing.”
There was a time when the Duchess of Sussex would probably have ignored such criticism.
But these days, Meghan is struggling with a PR crisis, and she would probably prefer to avoid any further blowups.
Meghan’s rebranding efforts
In 2024, Meghan and Harry began “professional isolation” by attending far more public events alone than in previous years.
The decision to change course may have been due to a series of failed projects and surveys showing that the couple’s popularity was falling rapidly.
It is too early to say whether this move was successful or not. Now, as we enter 2025, Meghan faces many more PR hurdles, including the long-awaited launch of her American Riviera Orchard lifestyle brand.
And according to royal expert Richard FitzWilliams, the Duchess’s Instagram return is part of a deliberate effort to promote her brand.
“Meghan’s intention in the video is to appear relaxed, confident and, above all, to symbolize the freedom she claims she has found. At the moment, interest in the Sussex brand remains strong,” he said recently. The Daily Mail.
“If his multimillion-dollar Netflix deal is not extended this year, it will be a disaster for him,” he said.
PR expert Nick Ade took a less cynical view of Meghan’s latest venture.
“Meghan is back on social media and it’s a great way to write her truth,” Ade said. Match,
“She will be looking at 2025 as the year she rediscovers herself and owns who she is. Using social media as a platform to express their personality and tell their story is a positive step for them.
Before Harry and her stepped away from Instagram in 2020, Meghan was a social media star. And if the early success of her new account is any indication (she’s already racked up nearly 900,000 followers), she’ll have no trouble recapturing her former glory.
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