After a social media hiatus of nearly a decade, the Duchess of Sussex made her much-anticipated return to Instagram last month.
Until now, however, Meghan’s posts had been few and far between – carefully measured glimpses into her world.
But that all changed dramatically during her five days at the Invictus Games in Vancouver this week, where her newly minted @meghan account sprang to life with a flurry of Instagram Stories.
Gone was the sporadic trickle of posts, which included a tribute to her late beagle Guy and a much-mocked video in which she gushed about securing Billie Eilish merchandise for a fan who lost her home in the LA wildfires.
In its place, a slickly curated, high-volume digital diary, offering followers exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the Games, which Prince Harry founded in 2014 as a sporting contest to celebrate wounded, sick and injured military personnel.
From hand-in-hand strolls in the snow with her husband, to heart-melting images of children gazing up at Meghan with wide-eyed admiration, the content was intimate, carefully framed – and undeniably strategic.
In fact, Meghan’s Instagram feed quickly became one of the primary sources of coverage from the Games – with stories posted from events that were otherwise ‘closed to media’.
The duke and duchess decide which engagements are open to the press and sign off any photographs released by Invictus. It meant Meghan’s content could be out hours before official images from the Games were released.
Meghan Markle poses for a snap with attendees at the Invictus Games wheelchair curling event in Vancouver this week
Meanwhile, her 1.7 million followers were treated to a stream of moments on her Instagram stories – as many as six posts from some events – some comical, others poignant. They were also given an insight into the Sussexes’ A-list friendships and Meghan’s designer wardrobe.
Posts included Harry dancing with Team Canada, Meghan tearfully embracing the families of wounded veterans, and a heart-warming, sun-drenched morning of snow tubing with children.
At times, posts veered into more typical influencer-style territory – with the couple pictured walking hand-in-hand from behind, coupled with artful over-the-shoulder shots.
For accredited press, accustomed to reporting Invictus events first-hand, the coverage on Meghan’s personal Instagram was a jarring shift.
One veteran reporter who has covered the past three Games, observed that more events were closed to media this year than ever before, adding: ‘There was a whole morning of ‘closed’ events in [the ski resort of] Whistler.’
Another added: ‘I don’t know why I’ve bothered to come all the way over here, I could have looked at her Instagram from home.’ Previously, at least one pool reporter and photographer would be granted access to key moments, such as welcome receptions and meetings with dignitaries, ensuring wider coverage for the athletes and their families.
But many say this year’s strategy has felt different.
Invictus Foundation staff, used to collaborating with the Sussexes’ media team, also appeared to have found themselves sidelined.
A photo from Meghan’s Instagram Stories account, posted during her five days at the Invictus Games
Prince Harry and Meghan in another snap from the Duchess’s Instagram stories
‘In previous years Invictus staff have worked closely alongside their [the Sussexes] people but this year they’ve got a new team and they seem to be doing their own thing,’ one insider said. ‘They appear to be working off their own agenda and my impression is a few people here would have been left feeling uncomfortable.’
Another said: ‘Previously, images would be put out all around by the official photographers – but these days things are more instant so we’re seeing it on Meghan’s Instagram first now.
‘Pictures taken of the Sussexes need to be signed off by them before they can be released, so sometimes we see the pictures quite quickly, other times it can take up to a day.’
So is the ‘agenda’ Meghan’s personal PR? With her make-or-break Netflix lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, due to launch on March 4, it would be natural if the duchess was looking to boost her profile.
Her PR team is also at pains to shift the narrative following unflattering coverage in a damning Vanity Fair cover story last month that revisited allegations of (consistently denied) bullying of royal staff and other employees.
At Invictus, where Harry has remained a steadfast patron since 2014, Meghan has been a consistent, supportive presence since making her debut at the 2017 Toronto games, marking their first public appearance as a couple.
But according to those who’ve followed the Invictus Games over the years, this latest iteration of her involvement suggests a shift.
This year Meghan’s lens on Invictus has felt distinctively her own – less about amplifying the event and more about offering a curated window into her world.
The logistics alone speak to a different focus. The duchess’s PR team – which she shares with Harry – are headquartered at the five-star Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel, across the road from the Games’ main base at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
At Invictus, where Harry has remained a steadfast patron since 2014, Meghan has been a consistent, supportive presence since making her debut at the 2017 Toronto games, marking their first public appearance as a couple
Here, they appear to be running a parallel operation to the Invictus PR team – one with a tighter, more selective grip on information.
Of course, controlling the narrative is nothing new in the world of celebrity philanthropy – the blending of personal branding with a charitable cause is a well-worn path.
And, given Harry and Meghan’s well-documented discontent with the mainstream media, it’s hardly surprising that they would leverage her Instagram platform to sidestep traditional outlets.
But at Invictus, an event built on the raw, unfiltered resilience of men and women who have given so much to their nations and comrades, the ultra-curated PR approach has raised eyebrows.
At most events, the Sussexes were trailed by a professional videographer, photographer and a tight-knit gaggle of PRs, all primed to capture moments for posterity.
Meghan’s stories – some candid, others unmistakenly polished – were an instant hit, being liked, shared and praised across social media and amplified by headlines worldwide. Her team were clear that while the @meghan Instagram account is a group effort, the duchess herself is keen to be as hands on as possible.
She was an active participant, frequently seen snapping content on her mobile phone before uploading video to her page.
On her first full day at the Games, Meghan uploaded a short clip, set to the Generation X song Dancing with Myself, of Harry, 40, bopping around while preparing for a group photo with Team Canada. In subsequent stories, she was seen kneeling beside a veteran in a wheelchair.
Then there was a surprise appearance at a Team US breakfast, chatting with competitors in a chic Rag & Bone sweater vest and Altuzarra trousers (retailing at £775) and Ralph Lauren brown suede heels, costing £445. Though the designers are not tagged on her feed, the duchess’ wardrobe is inevitably much scrutinised.
The clips were all from outings otherwise closed to the media ahead of the opening ceremony at Vancouver’s BC Place stadium featuring Chris Martin, Katy Perry and Nelly Furtado.
That evening, the handle carried more perfectly framed footage – almost certainly filmed by a professional videographer – of Harry and Meghan being ferried across the stadium in a golf cart to their seats, while a guard of volunteers and competitors chanted ‘Harry, Harry’.
The next morning, Meghan’s account showed her inside a ‘closed’ storytelling session for children of competitors, dressed in a Dôen olive green sweater (£230)and La Ligne knit skirt, (£320) surrounded by children, with Harry on the floor among them.
Another post, set to Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5, featured a framed clip showing the backs of the stylishly dressed couple as they headed to the event, captioned ‘Walking into a very important meeting’.
The duchess also shared a comical moment that quickly went viral: Australian Invictus athletes gifting Harry a pair of skimpy Speedo trunks – a cheeky nod to a similar exchange from 2018. ‘And Team Australia, you’ve done it again!’ she captioned the clip – which was released before any official Invictus content and dominated coverage.
Later, Meghan told her followers that she was ‘learning about curling’ and described the sport as ‘a game of chess on ice’.
Meghan, who looked cosy in her £3,000 Hermes puffer jacket, was seated in the stands with Prince Harry and could be seen filming the footage herself on her phone.
Even the Sussexes’ audience with representatives of First Nation peoples from the Squamish Nation on Monday morning – ahead of the Whistler leg of the Games – was first documented on Meghan’s account.
Her Instagram stories showed her and Harry clapping, with the caption: ‘Thank you for welcoming us onto your sacred land.’
In other videos, her followers were offered exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the Whistler opening party, featuring an impromptu visit from her friend, the Canadian singer Michael Bublé.
A photograph showed Meghan backstage as she watched her husband with Bublé and his wife Luisana Lopilato – whose Instagram handles were both tagged in the post.
One of the most telling moments came during Meghan’s final engagement at the Games, a private snow tubing event for ‘friends and family’. Billed as ‘closed to media’, the first clips were shared, unsurprisingly, by Meghan herself.
In one video, wearing Miu Miu shades, she hesitated at the top of the hill before Harry gently coaxed her forward. Seconds later, she slid down in her tube, shrieking in delight as he cheered her on.
While one journalist, from a US lifestyle magazine, was quietly ushered into the exclusive gathering, others were left to rely on Meghan’s Instagram for their coverage.
The American journalist posted similarly flattering footage, with some more images of Harry racing a child, 24 hours later, gushing: ‘I was the only member of press inside the friends and family tubing session in Whistler.’
For journalists who had adhered to the strict media guidance that the event was private, the revelation prompted questions because it appeared it had been open… to the ‘right’ media.
Of course, Meghan is something of an expert on social media. Before her marriage to Harry, the former Suits star ran a relatively successful lifestyle blog, The Tig, as well as a personal Instagram, both of which were abandoned after their engagement in 2017. Meghan created her current Instagram account in 2022 but it had lain dormant until last month.
The Sussexes also briefly operated the official @SussexRoyal account, but that, too, was shuttered when they stepped back from their royal roles in 2020.
With the launch of her Netflix show and her long-awaited lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, Meghan’s return to social media this year – beginning with a New Year’s Day video of her running barefoot along a beach – was unlikely to have been a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Marking her return home after five packed days at Invictus, Meghan posted a picture offering a rare glimpse into her Montecito home. The post showed a trove of goodies and souvenirs including an array of sweets, Tim Hortons coffee, a stuffed animal and a pair of green jerseys with ‘Archie’ and ‘Lilibet’ gifted by Team Nigeria.
‘A taste of Canada and The Invictus Games for our little ones,’ Meghan wrote over the snap, adding; ‘Cheering you on from home!’
It was instantly picked up and beamed across media outlets across the world.
It was also welcomed by Invictus on their official Instagram page, reporting the image with the caption ‘The Legacy of gratitude within the Invictus Games Community Thank You’.
However, whether Invictus benefited from Meghan’s presence as much as she benefited from being there? That, perhaps, depends on who you ask.
