The Duchess of Sussex’s return to Instagram could see her earning “US$1m and up” per product post, a similar fee commanded by the Kardashian family, an expert has suggested.
Meghan Markle first announced that she was coming back to the social media platform in an interview with The Cut last year, two years after her and the Duke of Sussex’s official account @sussexroyal was deactivated.
At the time, she told the magazine: “Do you want to know a secret? I’m getting back on Instagram.”
Earlier this month, an unverified Instagram account with the handle @meghan appeared on the platform, with a picture of pink flowers as the profile picture. According to multiple reports, the account belongs to the duchess.
The account has amassed 88.4k followers at the time of writing, although it has no posts and does not follow anyone. A source close to the Sussexes’ team was quoted by The Mail on Sundayas saying: “Yes, that’s her. Expect an announcement very soon. She’s coming back.”
Social media expert and advisor Eric Schiffer also told the newspaper that Meghan’s return to Instagram will not “surprise anyone”, adding that the duchess now has a new talent manager and social media is “the next logical step”.
In April, Meghan signed with major talent agency WME, which represents some of Hollywood’s biggest stars including Rihanna, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Matt Damon.
The royal will reportedly by represented by Ari Emanuel, whose client list includes Mark Wahlberg, Martin Scorsese and Charlize Theron.
Schiffer, who advises reality stars from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as well as case members from the US version of Dragon’s Den, predicted that Meghan’s Instagram account will “quickly become one of the most followed accounts on Instagram”.
He added: “You have celebrities like the Kardashians who can command US$1m (£790k) and up for a single post promoting a product. There is no reason Meghan couldn’t be earning those sorts of fees.”
However, the royal would have to be careful to “avoid being seen to be hawking every product under the sun”, the expert warned. He expected Meghan to “align with quality brands and companies” that match her own beliefs.
The Independent has contacted the Sussexes’ representative for comment.
Meghan ran a personal Instagram accounts and lifestyle blog called The Tig before she married Prince Harry and joined the royal family. She started The Tig in 2014 but closed it down in 2017, a year before she married the duke in May 2018.
When she first launched the lifestyle blog, she said the name was inspired by the wine Tignanello.
She explained: “Tignanello is a full-bodied red wine that I tried about seven years ago. In wine circles, it is nicknamed ‘Tig’. It was my first moment of getting it – I finally understood what people meant by the body, structure, finish, legs of wine. The TIG is my nickname for me getting it. Not just wine, but everything.”
According to Page Six, Meghan is “in talks” with a number of brands to work with as she relaunches her Instagram account.
A source told the publication that she was ready to set her Instagram live again, but “changed her mind shortly before she launched her Archetypes podcast”.
The royal mother-of-two launched Archetypes, a 12-part series of interviews with guests including Serena Williams, Mariah Carey and Paris Hilton, with Spotify in August 2022.
But just one series of the podcast was released before Spotify ended its three-year deal with Archewell Audio, Harry and Meghan’s production company. The deal was worth US$20m and was signed in 2020.
The couple were signed on to produce and host “programming that uplifts and entertains audiences around the world” in podcast form, but it was reported that their “lack of productivity” and “inexperience as producers” contributed to the collapse of the deal.
Meghan is set to join Harry in Dusseldorf, Germany, next month for the Invictus Games. The duke will be in the UK prior to the start of the games to attend a charity event, and may remain in the country for the first death anniversary of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, on 8 September before heading to Germany.
