Meghan Markle Stuns Royal Fans As She Makes Her Return To Instagram With A Carefree Beach Video

The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has finally made her highly anticipated return to Instagram.

The U.S.-based royal stunned fans by posting a carefree video of her at the beach to ring in the New Year.

Prince Harry didn't appear in the Meghan Markle clip as he was the person behind the camera filming the fun video.

The Duchess is finally back on Instagram, and judging by the style of her first post in years, Meghan will likely give fans more candid and carefree glimpses into her life moving forward.

In the video, which was shared on January 1 to a growing following of almost 400k fans at the time of writing, Meghan looked to be in high spirits as she ran towards the beach with her long hair flowing freely behind her.

The mother of two wore casual clothing: a white long-sleeve shirt dress and matching white pants pulled high above her feet.

When she approached the water, Meghan crouched down and wrote "2025" on the wet sand with her finger, seemingly ringing in the New Year.

Although the former actress didn't make any remarks, she could be heard giggling while running off camera.

Her husband, Prince Harry, was reportedly the person behind the camera, helping capture the stunning moment for Meghan.

Prior to confirming ownership of the fast-growing Instagram page, there had been speculation that Meghan had plans to return to social media when the "@meghan" handle surfaced in August 2023 out of the blue.

At the time, the account's profile photo was an image of pink peonies, which are allegedly Meghan's favorite flowers. However, the profile photo has now been updated to feature a black-and-white picture of Meghan laughing.

Sources have long confirmed to the Daily Mail that the account belongs to the 43-year-old, as she has "never made any secret of the fact she wants to return to Instagram."

In 2022, she hinted at a comeback during an interview with The Cut, telling writer Allison P. Davis that she plans on "getting back on Instagram."

The new Instagram account comes years after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex deactivated their joint "@sussexroyal" page in 2020 after stepping down as working royals.

Although the Duchess turned off the comments on her new post, it hasn't stopped royal fans from talking about her return to social media.

Over on X, several individuals have shared varying opinions about Meghan's grand return to Instagram.

One person commented, "Meghan is back on Instagram, y'all [crying enmoji] 2025 is really our year [blushing emoji]."

"Y'all, Look at our good sis. Meghan is really, really back," another person wrote, along with three crying emojis.

A third fan said, "Wait, I'm panicking. Is that really Meghan's Instagram???? Oh my God, she got the handle 'Meghan' too."

Another royal fan wrote, "Meghan haters making their way to Instagram so they can watch her every move...," along with a gif of a person running at top speed.

In 2023, when the "@meghan" account initially popped up, several experts predicted that she would make a massive splash in the social media scene.

"I would expect her to quickly become one of the most followed accounts on Instagram," said social media expert Eric Schiffer, who has worked with cast members from the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

He told the Daily Mail, "You have celebrities like the Kardashians who can command $1 million (£790,000) and up for a single post promoting a product. There is no reason Meghan couldn't be earning those sorts of fees."

Schiffer's sentiments were echoed by marketing expert Kent Moore, who once worked with famous actor Sir Patrick Stewart.

He said, "I think she would instantly shoot into the top ten highest-paid influencers in the world. Her status is unique because she is a celebrity, actress, and royalty."

Moore added, "Meghan could charge a million dollars per post as an absolute minimum. That sum would rise quickly if her partnerships achieve global coverage and traction."

2025 is certainly looking to be Meghan's year, as Page Six previously reported that the Duchess's TV show and lifestyle brand will finally make their big debut after being teased in early 2024.

Meghan's show, which focuses on "cooking, gardening, and entertaining," will be released in early 2025.

It would reportedly be followed by the launch of American Riviera Orchard, which the mother of two already teased with its own official Instagram page.

A source told the news outlet that the Duchess and her husband have collaborated with individuals outside the Sussexes' Archewell Foundation to help launch the project.

"As far as Meghan being quiet, she's been in the background working on her entrepreneurial efforts," an industry insider said. "Both the Netflix project and her brand will come out within the same timeline in the New Year."

"It's going to be a good year for Meghan specifically; she's spent the majority of the year doing work behind the scenes to launch a project in the first few months of 2025," the source added.