A Reddit user recently unearthed some of Meghan Markle’s old Instagram posts, sparking nostalgia and delight among her fans. The photos date back to the time before the former Suits actress went public with her relationship with Prince Harry in November 2016.
“Meghan Markle’s old Instagram was a vibe,” the Redditor captioned the collection of snaps. One photo shows Meghan applying Christian Dior lipstick in a small mirror, surrounded by a coffee cup and several pairs of shoes. She captioned it, “Happy Valentine’s Day! Getting ready for another day of #NYFW and sending all my love!”
In another snap, Meghan is seen floating in the ocean in Negril, Jamaica, with the caption, “‘A day without laughter is a day wasted.’—Charlie Chaplin.” She then encouraged her followers to visit her lifestyle website, The Tig, for more photos of her trip.
A different post features a bouquet of peonies with the caption, “Swooning over these. #London #peonies #spoiledrotten.” Although the photo is undated, fans speculated whether the flowers could have been from Harry.
Meghan also shared several food-related posts, including one featuring Mexican cuisine with the caption, “My happy place and my happy meal.”
Reddit users reminisced about the simpler days of Instagram, before “influencers and bots” dominated the platform. One user wrote, “Let’s bring back these types of IG posts.” Another commented on a photo of Meghan at a dining table with a bottle of wine, captioned, “My birthday wish… that you love tonight’s episode of @suits_usa as much as I do,” saying, “The filtering on the last photo is astounding.”
Fans expressed their unwavering support for Meghan, with one joking, “She could set Buckingham Palace on fire and I still wouldn’t hate her IDGAF,” while another added, “Would probably make me like her even more NGL.”
“Buckingham Palace lets Meghan live rent-free in their heads and girl is just living her unbothered life with her glowing skin in Cali,” someone else noted. “I sincerely love how her friends post jam and dog biscuits randomly and the Brits go into meltdown mode that Meghan and Co took the Royals’ ‘special day’ away from them. If jam and dog biscuits on an IG post bothers the Royals that much, it must mean they are really coming to an end.”
Other fans reflected on Meghan’s pre-royal life. “She lived a charmed life before she got with Harry,” one user said. “Their [Netflix] special covered her life pre-him and tbh it was the dream. She had the benefit of being only mildly well-known, while having access to celebrity perks and a steady, extremely well-paying gig. She lived in a townhouse just like out in the open with normal people, but went on a bunch of lavish vacations with her girls.”
Another fan agreed, “It is so wild when the British press makes it seem like she had nothing before the Royals. She really was just enjoying the perks of her fame without bothering anyone. Literally, everyone from her life before the Royals talks about how there isn’t a mean bone in her body and how sweet she is.”
“I was looking at this and thinking that Harry must be REALLY great for her to leave this life,” one person added.
Many users missed the authentic and relatable content Meghan used to share. “I really miss when Instagram was for sharing and self-expression, not shilling s**t,” one said. Another added, “Very live, laugh, love but I can’t hate. I would be making similar posts if I had her lifestyle.”
“Meghan always had such a relatable and down-to-earth presence,” another fan commented. “Awww this is so nostalgic,” someone else said. “I never read her blog, but my friend was telling me The Tig was great back in the day too.”
“I love Meghan there I said it,” one fan declared. “She’s just the right amount of cringey, try-hard, and famous. And she’s beautiful.”
Many noted that Meghan was essentially an influencer before it became mainstream, appreciating the “actual good content” she used to post.