A royal expert explains the strategy behind Meghan Markle’s latest social media post as she enters the new year under pressure
Meghan Markle has started the year on an awkward note, with two developments working against her.
First, her popularity in Britain has hit a new low. A recent YouGov poll shows that only 19 percent of respondents now hold a positive view of the mother of two, marking her weakest result yet in the UK.
The second setback follows news about her Netflix series With Love, Meghan. According to a report by People, there are currently no plans for a third season of the lifestyle show, raising questions about its future.
Despite this, the Duchess of Sussex is known for staying in the spotlight. A royal commentator now suggests she has made a deliberate move to shift the narrative. That move came in the form of a throwback photo shared on Instagram. The image showed Meghan Markle with the Duke of Sussex during a past trip to Botswana.
Royal expert Alicia Liberty believes the choice of photo was far from random. She says it was designed to tap into what she calls the “2016 nostalgia trend”, a period when Meghan Markle enjoyed her strongest public support and largely positive media coverage.
“It deliberately tied her current image to a time when she had peak popularity, glowing press and full control of the story,” Liberty wrote in the Express. “This wasn’t about warm memories. It was a calculated throwback meant to drive engagement and pull attention back to her.”
Meanwhile, the long-running issue around Harry’s UK security has now been settled, and there is renewed speculation that Meghan Markle could return with him to Britain for the first time since they stepped back from royal duties five years ago.
