18 months ago, Meghan Markle told us a 'secret'. Turns out, it wasn't entirely true.

For a few years now, fans have been waiting for what we all believed to be the inevitable. 

Meghan Markle's return to Instagram. 

Last year, in June 2022, we thought we got exactly that when the social media profile with the username @meghan mysteriously appeared out of nowehere. There were zero posts and the profile didn't follow anyone, but it wholeheartedly convinced us that Markle's big comeback was imminent.

"What does she plan to tell us?" we wondered.

The launch of her new business? The revitalisation of her defunct blog The Tig?

We! Needed! To! Know! 

But 16 months on from the account's creation, the profile remains... blank.

The profile has remained mysteriously blank since it was created. Image: Instagram @meghan.

Markle – who deleted her account on Instagram when she became engaged to Prince Harry – had herself teased a return to social media in a 2022 interview for The Cut about her short-lived, Spotify-exclusive podcast Archetypes.

"Do you want to know a secret? I’m getting back... on Instagram," she said in the article. Her statement was made in light of the podcast launch, but no Instagram post ever appeared. 

We don't know for sure why she never returned to the app, but that hasn't stopped us from speculating that the actor-turned-royal got cold feet following negative feedback after her cover interview (she spoke out about her husband's family, claimed the pair were "happy" to leave Britain and said they were "upsetting the dynamic of the hierarchy... just by exisiting").

The criticism was passed onto Markle in another interview with Variety (also to promote Archetypes) just two months later by writer Matt Donnelly, who noted to the star that some people had "found [the interview] to be snarky".

In any case, Archetypes didn't survive past its first season, despite the fact Meghan and Harry signed a lucrative $32 million deal with Spotify.

In a joint press release by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex through their company Archewell Audio and Spotify, they stated that they had "mutually agreed to part ways" and were "proud of the series" both parties had made together.

Despite the amicable statement, Spotify executive Bill Simmons slammed the couple on his own podcast.

"The f**king grifters! That's the podcast we should have launched with them," the American said.

"I've got to get drunk one night and tell the story of the Zoom I had with Harry to try and help him with a podcast idea. It's one of my best stories," he added.

It's worth nothing Archetypes was actually super successful and won Pop Podcast of 2022 at the People's Choice Awards and reportedly brought in an estimated 10 million listeners. But, it also reportedly did not bring in as much money for Spotify as they had hoped. However, it did beat Joe Rogan's controversial podcast in the Spotify charts at one point.

Nevertheless, it hasn't exactly been the best 12 months for the family, whose every move has been criticised.

From the "near catastrophic" paparazzi car chase to her shaky interviews, maybe Markle is better staying off social media for now at least, where is she undoubtedly feels a bit safer.

Feature Image: Getty/Instagram @meghan.

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