Meghan gets a blue tick! Duchess of Sussex’s Instagram account is verified hours after her first post – as her follower count surges to 660,000

Meghan Markle’s Instagram account has now been verified – after she made a dramatic return to social media with a video of herself laughing on the beach at Montecito.

The Duchess of Sussex, 43, now has a new blue tick after posting her first clip on the app, where her handle is simply @meghan.

Prince Harry was behind the camera of the new video, which caused a stir online as tens of thousands of people followed the video within minutes, boosting the account from 115,000 fans to 648,000 today.

According to Metaa verified badge means that ‘an account has been verified based on their activity in our products and the information or documents they provide’.

“After verification, public figures, celebrities and brands who meet certain account and eligibility requirements will no longer be allowed to change their account username,” the report continued.

‘Authentication cannot be transferred to another account. Instagram accounts that impersonate public figures or other people violate our community standards and are not allowed on Instagram.”

It’s also possible to get a blue checkmark through Meta Verified – a paid subscription that comes with other features including “account support, impersonation protection and more.” However, to obtain this, you must still meet the eligibility requirements.

The profile has long been rumored to be Meghan’s after the account was created in June 2022 but remained empty. She then teased fans again in 2023 when she declared that she was “getting back on Instagram.”

Now the mum-of-two has confirmed the profile is hers, posting a video as she walks towards the shoreline of the beach in California, where she lives with Prince Harry and children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.

The move marks a huge turnaround for the Duchess and is believed to be part of a new chapter for the couple and their lives in America, with her and Harry previously leaving social media after quitting their royal duties.

In her new clip, Meghan can be seen drawing the new year’s numbers – ‘2025’ – in the sand, perhaps indicating an upcoming project.

A beaming Duchess is then filmed running off camera while giggling.

In addition to her initial post, the @meghan account also updated its profile photo to a black and white photo of Meghan smiling and wearing an elegant white dress.

The return to Instagram comes after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex vowed never to return to social media after claiming they suffered an “almost insurmountable” amount of abuse.

Meghan originally shut down all of her social media accounts in January 2018, just after she got engaged to Prince Harry.

“Ms Markle is grateful to everyone who has followed her social media accounts over the years, but as she has not used them for some time she has decided to close them,” a Kensington Palace source said at the time.

In 2020, Meghan and Harry stopped posting to their Sussex Royal Instagram and Twitter accounts.

The royal couple have often spoken out about the abuse they have suffered online, despite continuing to use online media to promote their “progressive” new roles in the US – most recently via a podcast on Spotify.

But in 2023 it was announced that Meghan had set up an Instagram account – although Wednesday was the first time she posted something on it.

The Duchess secured the account before launching her podcast all the way back in August 2022.

A source said at the time: “Meghan was going to go live on Insta but changed her mind shortly before launching her podcast ‘Archetypes’ so it’s just up there now.”

In 2023, Meghan revealed how she was keen to make a comeback on social media, which was telling The cut: ‘Do you want to know a secret? I’ll be back…on Instagram.’

She had been teasing her return for months with the news that the @meghan handle was hers, creating a frenzy of followers despite the account being empty without a single post.

Experts previously predicted Meghan could rake in $1million (£790,000) per post as ‘a bare minimum’. They also expect that the launch of her account could make her one of the ten highest-paid influencers in the world.

The account was first created in June 2022. It had no bio information and only had a profile photo of pink dahlias.

It’s unclear how Meghan was able to obtain her unique username, as Instagram guidelines state that the data is given on a first-come, first-served basis. A single-name handle, such as @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 whether 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 caused 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 said his account was given away because the account was inactive, Mr Keiley said no one had contacted him about it.

Akshay Makadiya, founder of digital marketing agency RankLane, said, “Celebrities often find it easier to have specific usernames on platforms like Instagram. Given her worldwide fame, there are several ways Meghan could have possibly obtained the handle.

‘The handle may have been in use by another person with 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 ‘squatting’ (holding on 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.”

Social media expert Eric Schiffer previously told Mail On Sunday: ‘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 is no reason why Meghan can’t earn this kind of compensation.”

MailOnline has contacted a representative of the Duchess for comment.