Confusion over Meghan Markle’s weird move: ‘Want to know a secret?’

“Want to know a secret?” With that cryptic line, Meghan Markle sparked an online frenzy. Her decision 18 months on makes absolutely no sense.

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“Do you want to know a secret? … I’m getting back … on Instagram.”

Within weeks of that Meghan Markle statement to The Cut in mid-2022, a mysterious account popped up on social media with the handle @meghan.

It was promptly followed by many known friends of the Duchess of Sussex – a list which quickly expanded beyond her inner circle, amassing thousands of followers within days.

Coupled with the high-profile launch of her now-defunct podcast, Archetypes, and widespread, frenzied claims of a major relaunch, it seemed the former lifestyle blogger was about to hit “play” on the next chapter in her post-royal career.

Eighteen months on, and with 127,000 (and counting) followers watching eagerly, that account is now gathering dust.

The mysterious @meghan account. Picture: Instagram

“Meghan was set to go live on Insta, but changed her mind shortly before she launched her Archetypes podcast, so it’s just sitting there now,” a source told Page Six in August, with another adding: “Meghan really did want to get back on Instagram.”

So … what the hell happened?

For someone with so many years’ experience within the Hollywood machine, it’s a baffling failure to capitalise on momentum – particularly for a figure so desperately in need of a rebrand.

Meghan may be polarising, but there’s no doubt she can still provide opportunities for massive commercial wins.

For many months now, it’s been widely reported that her team is carefully canvassing options for potential collaborations to create an elevated version of her former, pre-Prince Harry “influencer” life.

Meghan (with actress Priyanka Chopra) in a post from her now-deactivated former account. Picture: Instagram

The former actress was a regular poster. Picture: Instagram

But with only flops – and controversial incidents, like her and Harry’s “near-catastrophic” paparazzi car chase – alongside her name in recent years, where is the urgency in launching this new phase?

If, as the saying goes, you’re only as good as your last performance, then Meghan’s still heavily bruised from the months-ago unceremonious axing of Archetypes, and the deeply unflattering commentary that came with it.

(“F**king grifters” will be a tough tag to shake).

Meghan and Harry have had another challenging year, both commercially and PR-wise. Picture: Instagram

While it’s evident Meghan was not cut out for royal life, and while she may be “not a great talent” in the podcast space (as described by a top Hollywood agent), she’s got one massive trump card: her undeniable influence over her dedicated millions-strong fan base.

It’s the tool needed to create a wellness empire, à la Goop – which is precisely the kind of angle she was working with her website, The Tig, before she met Harry.

That site – along with her Instagram – were promptly shut down once her royal romance became public knowledge.

Speaking to The Cut last year, the duchess admitted it was difficult to cut herself off from that audience and to instead funnel all of her messages through the muted pathways of the royal family’s PR machine.

“It was a big adjustment — a huge adjustment to go from that kind of autonomy to a different life,” she told the publication.

It’s been nearly four years since she and Harry made the switch from Buckingham Palace to their new Hollywood lifestyle, and bar some one-off events (namely, their Netflix series and Harry’s memoir) it’s been peppered with false starts and fizzers.

Meghan’s long-awaited relaunch is clearly still in the loading phase, but after all this time, one has to wonder: what in the world is she waiting for?

Originally published as Confusion over Meghan Markle’s weird move: ‘Want to know a secret?’