Like it or not, people are on social media networks. With billions of people as potential viewers, there is a lot of money to be made.
Competing for engagement and visibility, the top of the ecosystem is occupied by celebrities and influencers, as well as famous business people, politicians and big brands. The world patiently awaits for posts from these accounts, as they command change, and great influence.
But no matter how powerful these entities are on social media platforms, there are some beings that are even more powerful.
Those rare people, are monarchs, and members of royal families.
Meghan Markle, wife of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is trying to change that.
Members of the British royal family, which include the King and Queen, as well as the Princes and Princesses, are not allowed to own, let alone maintain their own social media accounts. While there is no way of saying whether or not they have alter accounts, having official social media presence is a big no for them.
Just like others in the royal family, Meghan Markle possesses an otherness that sets her apart from the whole bunch of A-lister.
Back in 2019, she and Harry caused controversy when they started their @sussexroyal Instagram account. Due to the 'rules', in 2020, she stepped away from the popular social media platform, and remain discreet about her personal life, because without an official social media presence, she cannot deliver information to the public, without someone or something to publicize it.
This time, she is making a return with the @Meghan Instagram handle
As an extremely powerful person to start with, Meghan as one of the two Sussexes, exists outside of, if not above, the overall celebrity ecosystem.
Meghan cannot be parred with commoners or 'peasants', no matter how famous, rich, or powerful they are.
There is a world of difference between a monarch, no matter how quiet he or she is, and someone like Kim Kardashian, for example, whose fame and fortune far surpassed pretty much everyone on Earth.
Meghan is on another level because she gained her fame and fortune through marrying an ancient institution entirely founded on the concept of hereditary privilege.
As part of the monarchy of the UK, she inherits that status, no matter how she said she doesn't want to be involved with the monarch.
And thanks to the controversies that happened over the years following her marriage with Harry, and how she and her husband managed to stir away from the royals, her name should be well beyond most others.
Before this, Meghan has been teasing her return, and this created high anticipation, which culminated when the account was realized.
The account in question quickly gained a lot of followers before even posting anything.
Experts predict that the Duchess could easily make £800,000 per post as "an absolute minimum," if she wants, and if she's making good use of the account.
Experts also anticipate that the account's launch could see her become one of the top ten highest-paid influencers in the world.
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The @Meghan account was created back in June 2022, around the time Meghan and her husband Harry travelled back to the UK for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The account has no bio information, other than featuring a pink dahlias as a profile picture.
The flower is said to be Meghan's favorite, and was often gifted by Prince Harry when the couple were still dating.
Things were quiet at first, because the account didn't really receive huge attention.
That until a source close to Meghan's team confirmed that the account is indeed Meghan's, and that she was expected to make "an announcement very soon."
In the span of one year, it's said that the Duchess was concentrating on her Archetypes podcast series with Spotify, and that she didn't have time to focus on her Instagram account, which explains why she left it running without any confirmation or anything.
Among others, this time, Meghan just signed a deal with Hollywood agency WME, in which she is said to be in talks to promote big brands when the Instagram account relaunches.
"Do you want to know a secret?" the Duchess said. "I'm getting back… on Instagram."
Read: Meghan Markle's 'Pearl' Was Planned To Be Netflix's First Animated Series, Until It Was Cancelled
What's so mysterious about this account is that, it's unclear how Meghan was able to get hold of her unique handle as Instagram's guidelines state that handles are given on a "first-come, first-served basis."
This means that anyone who first registered the handle, owns the handle.
The thing about the @Meghan handle is that, it's a single-name handle, which makes it extremely rare. What's more, the name "Meghan" is not that rare, meaning that anyone could've registered it first.
Initially, it's unknown whether the handle was held by a previous user, but history said that celebrities are able to buy an Instagram name, and that brands are also capable of retrieving brand names due to owning the copyright and the legality.
Speculations said that Instagram might have forcefully took the handle from someone else, as X had publicly demonstrated. Other speculations suggest that Meghan's team might have reached the owner of the handle and negotiated a transfer.
Or, there is a chance that the account was inactive.
According to report, it's said that the account holder has changed the username at some point since its creation.
Given her global fame, there are indeed several methods Meghan could have obtained the handle through.
It's worth noting that Meghan had an Instagram account under the handle @MeghanMarkle before she married Harry.
Through it, she posted posted selfies, snippets from her time on U.S. TV show Suits and holiday snaps, and had an official blue tick with a three-million-strong following.
That account no longer exists after her marriage to Harry.
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While Meghan's return to social media networks is predictable and inevitable, the Duchess is literally playing with fire.
There is a reason why the British royals are not allowed to have their own social media accounts.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was known to avoid having personal social media accounts to maintain a sense of impartiality and neutrality in political matters. Since social media can be a platform for expressing personal opinions, it's essential for the royals to remain above political discourse.
The royals are also bound to the fact that dealing with negative comments and controversies can make them look bad. It can be time-consuming, and also challenging.
Instead, the royals typically communicates through official channels, and have representatives who look after those accounts, to ensure that their messages are consistent and well-crafted.
And lastly, having no social media account maintains a certain level of mystique and tradition that have always been part of the monarchy's appeal. The British royalshave long been known to communicate through more formal and established means, such as press releases and public appearances.
In short, it's about preserving the royals' image, staying politically neutral, and maintaining a sense of tradition and formality.
Read: The Accuracy Of Prince Harry's Memoir 'Spare' Disputed By People On The Web Because Of Some Mistakes
What this means, the moment Meghan goes live on @Meghan, she could me creating a Disney princess scenario, but in reverse. Meghan could be trading her exclusivity by returning to her former self, a 'traditional' celebrity.
People may see her as someone who is financially-motivated, not a majesty she is used to be.
To some people, Meghan is opening the Pandora Box. Once it's open, there is no easy way to close it like it once was.
However, a separate insider said that the claims of Meghan returning to the social media platform are false.
"How can she make money if she doesn’t even have Instagram and has no plans to have one?” the source rhetorically asks. Reps for the royal did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.
However, if Markle does decide to create a profile one day, Schiffer said that she 'has to be careful' so as to not be seen 'hawking every product under the sun.'"
"She will align with quality brands and companies that are on point with her political and social beliefs," the person added.
Read: Prince Harry And Meghan's Deals With Netflix And Spotify, Following The Royal Family Chaos
