Meghan Markle Ditched The Royal Family's Social Media Rulebook For Good In 2025

Marrying into a royal family is much more complicated than our favorite Hallmark movies would have us believe. Whereas Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, was raised on official protocol from birth, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, had to undergo some eyebrow-raising training before she exchanged vows. According to one biography, the former "Suits" actress spent six intense months with 14 professionals who instructed her on the do's and don'ts of membership in The Firm. Among the many rules Meghan was expected to follow were the official policies on social media use — and now that they no longer apply to her, she's taking full advantage of the freedom.

Following her engagement to the prince in 2017, Meghan had to discontinue her personal media accounts, including her @meghanmarkle Instagram feed and her lifestyle blog, The Tig. Working royals can only own their official social media pages, and they're limited to sharing only posts related to their duties, such as their charity work, special appearances, and palace events like Trooping the Colour (where we're treated to a glimpse of the worst-dressed royals). Accordingly, Meghan and Harry were given the account @sussexroyal, which they carefully curated to reflect their standing within the family. But it was also there that in January 2020, royal followers learned of the couple's decision to relinquish their royal duties and begin a new life overseas. Two months later, the Sussexes disconnected from their Instagram account as well.

The next few years saw Harry and Meghan scrambling to establish themselves in California and deal with the fallout of their controversial interviews and the prince's explosive memoir. But on New Year's Day 2025, the duchess re-emerged online with a new personal Instagram account, @meghan, and it was clear she planned to play by her own rules.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle abruptly moved back to the U.K. in August and enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in private school. But lest anyone think the controversial couple wanted to return to royal life, King Charles III cleared up all confusion about Harry and Meghan's status with a statement saying they would remain private citizens. That was good news for Meghan's social media account, which would never pass muster with the palace.

The duchess' relaunched feed is essentially a self-promotion for her various projects, such as her As ever brand of luxury treats. (As ever also has its own official account.) Meghan has also used it to advertise her Netflix show, "With Love, Meghan," and her podcast, "Confessions of a Female Founder." With no plans to return to working royaldom, she's free to continue the promotions in the U.K., unlike Catherine, Princess of Wales, who can't even tag her favorite lipstick brand. As digital privacy expert Trevor Cooke told Hello!, "members of the Royal Family are not allowed to promote or endorse any product, service, or company." 

Followers of the @meghan account are also treated to occasional candid photos of the duchess' husband and children, some of which take place inside their Montecito home. This smashes several of the palace's rules at one time: Working royals can only feature official portraits of family members, with no interior home shots that might compromise safety. On the flip side, the heir to the throne doesn't have the option of keeping their children's faces hidden, so online pics of Princess Charlotte and Princess Lilibet look very different. Would Meghan be willing to give up her social media freedom for a chance to enjoy the palace perks again if given the choice? Don't count on it.