Yahoo News Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Made Another Unexpected Tweak to Their Defunct Instagram Page
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are still making some last-minute changes to their shuttered Instagram account.
The couple said goodbye to their joint @SussexRoyal Instagram account with a final post on March 30, one day before they officially stepped down from their roles as senior members of the royal family. However, they’ve made another small change to the account — turning off comments on their posts. All previous comments are no longer visible, and Instagram users are not able to write new comments.
Meghan, 38, and Prince Harry, 35, will no longer use Instagram under the @SussexRoyal handle or update their website, SussexRoyal.com. Although they will be inactive, “both the Instagram account and website will remain in existence online for the foreseeable future,” a spokesperson for the couple stated last week.
A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Mar 30, 2020 at 9:17am PDT
In a caption on their final Instagram post, the couple wrote: “As we can all feel, the world at this moment seems extraordinarily fragile. Yet we are confident that every human being has the potential and opportunity to make a difference—as seen now across the globe, in our families, our communities and those on the front line—together we can lift each other up to realise the fullness of that promise.”
Facundo Arrizabalaga/PA Images
“As we all find the part we are to play in this global shift and changing of habits, we are focusing this new chapter to understand how we can best contribute,” they added. “While you may not see us here, the work continues.”
They signed the post with just their first names: “Harry and Meghan.”
Toby Melville - Pool/Getty Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
This isn’t the only tweak Meghan and Harry made to their Instagram account after sharing their final post — they also made a final change to their follow list.
At the start of 2020, they started the practice of following just one Instagram page per month to highlight accounts that inspire. They are now following three accounts: their picks for January (@goodnews_movement), February (GlobalPositiveNews) and March (@tanksgoodnews). All three accounts share uplifting and positive news stories from around the world.
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Good News Movement founder Michelle Figueroa previously told PEOPLE that she “wasn’t notified in advance” that her Instagram account would be featured — it “came as a pleasant surprise” — and she hasn’t heard from Meghan, Harry or their staff.
“I am immensely grateful they featured and followed me and sent them a thank you note,” she adds. “I respect their privacy as a family as they are plenty busy. Should our paths cross in the future, that would be terrific.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
The pair launched @SussexRoyal almost one year before they shuttered it. The page was launched on April 2, 2019, marking one of the first steps in establishing a separate office from Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Meghan and Harry “will spend the next few months focusing on their family and continuing to do what they can, safely and privately, to support and work with their pre-existing charitable commitments while developing their future non-profit organisation,” the spokesperson said.
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Sussex Royals Archie and Prince Harry
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved from the home they were staying in on Vancouver Island and are now settled in the U.S., a source tells PEOPLE. They are in Los Angeles — Meghan’s hometown — with son Archie, who will celebrate his first birthday on May 6. They have been living in a secluded compound and haven’t ventured out amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite all the uncertainty surrounding global events, “they are positive about the future,” a royal source says. “It is exciting for them to mark the end of the transition and the official start of their new chapter.”
