The emergence of an Instagram account with the handle @meghan set tongues wagging last week. Now royal expert and historian Tessa Dunlop has told OK! the Duchess of Sussex is likely to cement her Hollywood status with a new career move.
And the biggest twist? She won’t be relying on her marriage with Prince Harry to fuel her success.
"Meghan already had star power in her own right before she met Harry," said Tessa. "She made her way in Hollywood and landed a job on Suits – that in itself is so impressive. So she’s already proven that she doesn’t need Harry to be successful.
"Together, yes, they’re greater than the sum of their parts, and yes, the royal connection has taken her platform to a level that she’s never experienced before. But we can’t say it’s all just because she married a prince."
Since Meghan, 42, and Harry, 38, stepped down from royal duties in 2020 – ditching their joint account @sussexroyal – the mum-of-two has made several attempts to regain public favour.
But the couple’s 2020 interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey led to a backlash when they made accusations about the monarchy and described discussions with unnamed family members – while Meghan was expecting son Archie – about their baby’s skin tone.
The royals were reportedly angered by revelations in the couple’s Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. In June, the duchess’ Archetypes podcast was axed, less than three years after signing a $25 million Spotify deal.
However, Tessa claimed that the global fascination with Meghan’s life, as well as her relatability, will work in her favour as she goes it alone a second time around.
"She’s been taking her time with her relaunch, and I think that’s vital," she said. "If this Instagram account channels everything she truly is, it’ll be a huge success.
"She doesn’t feel too out of touch or far removed from a normal woman. What would we rather – that she stayed a malingerer in the royal institution while taking the Sovereign Grant and complaining about her mental health, or that she was out there paying her taxes and making her own way again?"
The wheels of Meghan’s move towards a Hollywood influencer lifestyle would appear to be in motion after her mum, Doria, was papped with Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner at a glitzy LA charity event .
Branding gurus are placing bets on how much Meghan could earn, too. Upwards of $1 million per post, apparently.
"I love the fact she’s gone for a one-name Instagram handle, like Madonna and Beyoncé," said Tessa. "Meghan has done that to send out a message – this is how big I am. She is well and truly making her mark once more."
But she won’t necessarily find it plain sailing. Tessa claimed that with Harry reportedly planning peace talks with King Charles and a reconciliation with his family, Meghan’s comeback has to be handled with the utmost care.
"There’s a pressure on Meghan to get this right," said Tessa. "She needs to convince us that this is a sincere career move. Because money is being exchanged, we’ll be more demanding of credibility. We’ll want personal insights into Meghan’s life so we don’t just feel as though we’re being marketed to.
"That’s why the balance is so important – she’ll need to prove that she hasn’t lost her carefree, pre-royal spirit while also being careful because of the unique platform she stands on."
Harry and Meghan have been keeping a low profile this summer, but did appear in the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund award announcement video.
Describing the timing of her move as "genius", Tessa claimed that the rumours of a rocky relationship between Meghan and Harry should work in the duchess’ favour.
"There’s been divorce speculation circling, partly because we’ve become impatient about not having seen enough of her for a while," she said. "We want more Meghan. They’ve avoided being seen out and about in order to add to the value of the official announcements and events they’re doing. There wouldn’t be a high level of interest if we saw and heard from her all the time.”
However, Tessa said rumours of marital tension are untrue and that Meghan’s relative silence has been partly out of support for Harry’s involvement in the Invictus Games, which kick off on Saturday in Germany.
"There’s no evidence of trouble in paradise. It’s telling that Meghan has been holding off her announcement. She knows, and rightly so, that the focus right now should be on her husband’s Invictus project."
Tessa claimed that when Meghan makes her move, she could supersede the Princess of Wales in the eyes of the public – if she plays her cards right, that is.
"With Kate’s social media presence, we’re given very choreographed glimpses into her perfect, almost too good to be true, family. With Meghan, on the other hand, we know that she’s been through hell and back. She doesn’t have the insulation of the institution and a large family," Tessa told us.
"The late novelist Hilary Mantel once described Kate as a ‘jointed doll on which certain rags are hung’, so it’s really important that Meghan becomes more than that."
We’ve no doubt the Duchess of Sussex is smart enough to outwit any competition – and this time she’ll be doing it on her own terms.
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