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As many of us lurched blearily into 2025, desperately trying to remember how, exactly, we’d managed to cause offense to our nearest and dearest in the hinterland between the old year and the new, there was another unwelcome surprise waiting in the wings. In the late afternoon of January 1, just as the nausea and regret of the previous night was beginning to dispel, the Duchess of Sussex decided that the perfect moment had come to relaunch herself into public consciousness. Out of nowhere, a twenty-eight-second video appeared on her hitherto dormant Instagram account, which is now branded simply as “@meghan.”
What many hoped for — an announcement that she was going to leave public life altogether — wasn’t on offer
Of course, what many may have hoped for — an announcement that she was going to leave public life altogether — was not on offer. Instead, the short film (presumably filmed by Prince Harry, who can now add “cinematographer” to his varied skills that include “bestselling author” and “serial litigator”) depicts Meghan, clad in virginal white, skipping onto a windswept, overcast beach and writing “2025” in the sand before merrily sashaying away, leaving viewers in a state of mystification as to what this particular re-entry into public life connotes.
2024 was an extremely quiet year for the duchess. After a lengthy period in which she seemed to be ubiquitous, making her feelings about the royal family and other nemeses abundantly clear, the past twelve months saw her retreating from the spotlight to brood and scheme in Montecito. There has been much talk about her “lifestyle brand” American Riviera Orchard, but the company has failed to launch. Meghan has named herself CEO of the fledgling firm after fruitlessly searching for someone who would take over responsibility (or blame) for the strawberry jam and luxury homeware that she is said to be peddling. But since she and her husband visited Nigeria on a quasi-state visit in May 2024, she has kept the lowest profile that she has managed since she became a regular fixture in the world’s news and social media alike.
Well, this period of purdah has come to an end. The new year represents some kind of comeback for the duchess, although it remains uncertain as to whether this will simply be the long-awaited (and equally long-delayed) opportunity for the curious public to spend their money on American Riviera Orchard’s produce, or whether she has another, grander project in mind. The chances of it being another documentary or memoir are currently slight; the would-be revelatory Netflix show that she and her husband featured in was a byword for overstretched tittle-tattle, and the recent paperback release of Spare barely made a dent in the bookshops. So the question as to how she wishes to resume her assault on the world’s affections, attentions and interest remains opaque.
It has been suggested that her new social media account is intended to “authentically share moments of joy and inspiration from her life” and that the clip “beautifully underscores the joy and positivity that defines this new chapter in their lives.” There are many emotions that come to mind when Meghan and her self-serving actions present themselves to the world, but “joy” and “positivity” are very low on the list. Instead, this video looks like another attempt at a rebrand, its full intent still concealed from us. No doubt its purpose, and what the duchess has in mind to torment us all with this year, will become clear in due course.
As we overcome the hangover and inertia, we can once again rejoice in the knowledge that the most divisive public figure in Britain has returned, and that the attendant discourse, in all its over-excited forms, will be dragged back with her. Happy 2025, everyone.
