How DID Meghan Markle bag the Instagran handle @meghan? Over 100k followers await first post as Duchess makes comeback

As many as 103,000 fans follow the anticipated return of the Duchess of Sussex on Instagram and await her first post with bated breath.

Meghan, 42, is poised to make a comeback to the photo-sharing app, having stepped down in 2020.

She’s been teasing her return for months, but the news that the @meghan handle was hers sparked a boom in followers despite the account being empty without a single message.

Experts predict that Meghan could earn $1 million per post as “a bare minimum.” They also expect that the launch of her account will allow her to become one of the top ten highest paid influencers in the world.

It comes after a source close to Meghan’s team confirmed to The Mail on Sunday that an account with the username @meghan belonged to her and that they are “expecting an announcement very soon.”

The account, which has no bio information, was created last June and has a profile picture of pink dahlias.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends a round table discussion on gender equality with The Queens Commonwealth Trust (QCT) and One Young World at Windsor Castle on October 25, 2019 in Windsor

Meghan, 42, is poised to make a comeback to the photo-sharing app, having stepped down in 2020. In 2019, she and Harry sparked controversy when they started their @sussexroyal Instagram account.

US gossip website Page Six reported that it was founded last year, but the Duchess decided instead to focus on her Archetypes podcast series with Spotify.

Having just signed with Hollywood agency WME, she is said to be in talks to promote major brands when the account is relaunched.

‘Do you want to know a Secret?’ the Duchess told The Cut magazine last year. “I’ll be back… on Instagram.”

It’s unclear how Meghan managed to get her unique username, as Instagram’s guidelines state that the data is given on a “first come, first served” basis. A one-name handle like @meghan is rare, with most users having to add last names and numbers to find handles that haven’t been used yet.

It is also unknown if the handle was held by a previous user, but celebrities can purchase an Instagram name.

The account shows that the username has been changed once since it was created.

In 2019, the royal couple sparked controversy when they started their @sussexroyal Instagram account.

Football fan Kevin Keiley, from West Sussex, had been using the handle for about three years and created it because he was a fan of Reading FC – nicknamed The Royals – and was from Sussex.

But he said it was ‘stolen’ from him and given Instagram saying his account had been given away as the account was inactive, but Mr Keiley said no one had contacted him about this.

Akshay Makadiya, founder of digital marketing agency RankLane, said: ‘Celebrities tend to have specific usernames more easily on platforms like Instagram. Given her worldwide fame, there are several ways Meghan could have possibly obtained the handle.

The handle may have been used by another person of the same name or for other purposes. Meghan’s team could have contacted the original user and negotiated a transfer.

“It could involve a financial transaction. Or if the account was inactive or perceived as “cracking” (sticking to a username with no real use, especially with the intention of profiting from it later), Instagram’s policies could have facilitated its release to Meghan.”

Harry and Meghan stopped posting to @sussexroyal in March 2020 after leaving the royal family. The account remains available as a reminder of their past lives.

An old Instagram post from Meghan Markle’s former account with girlfriend and actress Janina Gavankar. Experts believe Meghan could get a $1 million commission per mail

Social media marketing experts think the new account could quickly make Meghan one of the highest-paid influencers in the world

The Duchess also had an account under the name @meghanmarkle before she married Harry, but it no longer exists.

She posted selfies, snippets from her time on the American TV show Suits and holiday snaps, and had an official blue check mark with a following of three million people.

A source told The Mail on Sunday: “Everyone in Hollywood is talking about the relaunch being imminent. Meghan has never made it a secret that she wants to return to Instagram.”

Social media expert Eric Schiffer said: “I don’t think Meghan’s return to Instagram will surprise anyone. She has a new talent manager and this is the next logical step. You have celebrities like the Kardashians who can rake in $1 million and more for a single post promoting a product. There’s no reason why Meghan couldn’t earn this kind of compensation.”

A representative for the Duchess was approached for comment