As speculation grows that the Duchess of Sussex will be making her return to social media, a new smiling selfie of the royal proves that she may not be far off.
On Tuesday (15 August), Meghan Markle made a rare Instagram appearance in her friend’s Story post from their recent lunch date. In the snap, Meghan was pictured with pals Cleo Wade, an author and poet, and celebrity hair colourist Kadi Lee sitting outside at a restaurant in California.
“Belated bday celebrations with these lovely muses,” Lee wrote over the selfie posted to her Instagram Story. “Missing sweet @sergenormant,” she added, tagging fellow hair stylist Serge Normant, who did Meghan’s hair for her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.
In the photo, the mother of two could be seen sporting a casual black tank top, which she accessorised with a simple gold pendant around her neck.
The “belated” birthday celebration comes after Meghan marked her 42nd birthday on 4 August with dinner at a celebrity hotspot restaurant in Montecito, California. The duke and duchess were seen leaving the Italian restaurant Tre Lune, accompanied by their friend Matt Cohen, two days before Meghan’s birthday. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, a source said the couple was in “good spirits” and were seen laughing during their night out. “They had a good time,” they told the outlet.
For the occasion, she wore a strapless black and white striped dress from the brand Posse, which retails for $239 (£187). Meghan paired the look with a clutch bag and flat strappy black sandals, while Harry wore a light blue shirt and white linen trousers.
It appears the duchess also had some birthday fun at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Meghan reportedly attended the concert with her friend Lucy Fraser, according to Page Six.
Three years after Prince Harry and Meghan stepped down from their roles as senior working royals, the Suits actor is rumoured to be planning her long-awaited return to Instagram. According to Page Six, the duchess reportedly has an unverified Instagram account with the Instagram handle @meghan and a picture of pink flowers as the profile picture.
Before joining the royal family, Meghan was an active poster on Instagram, running both her personal account and lifestyle blog, The Tig. In an interview with The Cut published in August 2022, she teased her return to the platform. “Do you want to know a secret?” she revealed to journalist Allison P Davis. “I’m getting back… on Instagram.”
While her rumoured Instagram account has zero posts, it’s already gained more than 70,000 followers.