The Hidden Meaning We All Missed In Meghan Markle's Instagram Return

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To celebrate the beginning of a brand-new year, Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry took to the beach for a highly curated yet carefree time. Not only did the Duchess of Sussex use the opportunity to write "2025" in the sand, as many of us are wont to do, but Meghan also found the perfect moment to relaunch her social media presence. For the back half of 2024, the former "Suits" star mostly worked behind the scenes to get her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard up and running (which, side note, might be a rip-off of Chip and Joanna Gaines' lucrative Magnolia brand). However, the gorgeous video that Meghan posted to Instagram could have a bit more of a hidden meaning beyond just a simple brand launch.

Dressed all in white with her hair flowing, the duchess scampers around the beach barefoot. She smiles, she frolics, she is doing her best to appear laidback — perhaps pointedly reminding us that she is thriving, no longer having to be "perfect." When Meghan first divulged to The Cut that she was getting back on Instagram in 2022, she was slow to follow through. Granted, this was around the time her "Archetypes" podcast became a one-and-done wonder. However, taking her time to return to social media proper was a wise decision, as the Sussexes were still suffering the backlash of publicly separating from the royal family and moving to California at the time. Now that they're settled and ready for what's next, it makes sense that Meghan would take the opportunity to let her hair down and show off her more carefree personality. Not just that, but also to utilize this moment to tease what she has planned next.

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Maintaining a lower profile for much of 2024, Meghan Markle has been working hard to launch some exciting future projects. And, now, that's it's finally 2025, she's ready to unleash them upon the world. On January 2, the Duchess of Sussex posted a video to her Instagram account promoting her new Netflix show "With Love, Meghan," which appears to style itself quite closely after "Martha Stewart Living." For her part, Meghan notes in the trailer, "We're not in the pursuit of perfection, we're in the pursuit of joy [...] Love is in the details." This certainly feels like she's reaffirming the carefree vibes that the former "Suits" star presented in the January 1 post.

As for what the lifestyle maven with the killer legs, Martha Stewart, might have to say about Meghan hedging in on her home turf, a friend divulged to Page Six, "We've joked that she doesn't even think twice about Meghan Markle," adding, "She doesn't even consider her to be on her radar!" In fact, former SnapChat executive Rachel Richardson offered Markle some strong branding advice, acknowledging that although TV will help get the word out, on social media she should "eschew her buttoned up vibe." Considering that behind closed doors Meghan Markle is more down-to-earth, she would do well to present a more honest version of herself.