Meghan Markle pulls the pin on social media – and her past

Kate Halfpenny
Jan 11, 2018, updated Oct 16, 2020

Meghan Markle's new lifestyle won't include social media – or trips to the local supermarket. Photo: Getty

The royal family may be gaining a new member, but the social media world has lost an established star.

The era of an electronic peek into Meghan Markle’s fabulous old life – yoga in a bikini, boozy holidays, naps with dogs – ended this week when Prince Harry’s bride-to-be pulled the plug on all her social accounts.

With that went the world’s last chance to see Meghan posing with a pumpkin on her head or riding a bike with her yoga-toned legs on show.

She had a lot of followers to leave feeling hollow.

In December 2017, the then Suits star had 1.9 million Instagram followers (she followed fewer than 200 back) and upwards of 350,000 Twitter fans.

According to BBC Online, Markle’s Facebook page had almost 800,000 likes.

“Ms Markle is grateful to everyone who has followed her social media accounts over the years,” a palace source told People magazine.

“However as she has not used them for some time she has taken the decision to close them.”

Meghan’s social accounts were a treasure trove of tips on being your best you, with inspirational quotes and tips.

Through them, she advocated lessons including never skipping breakfast (Meghan is an avocado fan) and keeping up your spirits by buying flowers.

“Just because the holiday may be over doesn’t mean you should stop treating yourself to some flower love,” she said on one blog post on her now-defunct lifestyle website The Tig.

Meghan, then a UN Women advocate who travelled the world for philanthropy work, also used her considerable social clout to encourage women to embrace feminism as well as aesthetics and fresh food.

The Markle social media accounts disappeared simultaneously just after she left her second royal engagement with fiancé Prince Harry in London on January 9.

Those trying to click through Meghan’s past posts looking for shoutouts to former castmates or best breakfast recommendations were met with a dispiriting message that they were no longer available.

While her accounts still remained active until they vanished, Meghan had reined in her usage sharply after taking up with Harry in 2016.

Her last Instagram post was a farewell to The Tig, which she shut down in April last year.

While Meghan herself hasn’t made a statement about her decision, her impending May 19 wedding probably has something to do with it.

Barring the Duke of York, who sometimes writes his own tweets and signs them AY, the royal family isn’t on social media in a personal sense.

Senior members of the monarchy have official Twitter and Instagram accounts handled by the communications teams at their households.

Personal details are not usually featured but accounts from Kensington Palace, Clarence House and The Royal Family post details of official engagements and photos from milestone events.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s first photos were posted on social media and this week photos of the little princess were shared ahead of her first day at nursery school, as were shots of Harry and Meghan’s outing to a Brixton radio station.

“It’s also possible of course that the decision was entirely Markle’s to shut down her account,” said W magazine of the activist, suggesting she may have just outgrown posting inspirational quotes and travel guides.