To the astonishment of many, Meghan Markle has returned to Instagram today with a solo account, but those who’ve been following her career path in recent times may not be all that surprised.

Previously, Meghan, 43, spoke of herself and Prince Harry as “salt and pepper”, given that they always “move together”. Indeed, the pair have collaborated on various ventures in the first years of their marriage, from high-profile interviews to documentaries.

In recent times, however, the Duchess of Sussex has increasingly been embarking on her own projects separate from those of her husband, in what has been referred to as a “professional split”. And there have been a number of telling signs that the actress turned Royal is ready to embark on a new, solo chapter in her life.

The couple were once like ‘salt and pepper’ ( 
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WireImage)

They’re now both following their own individual paths ( 
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Getty Images for The New York Ti)
The Sussexes have been photographed separately on various occasions, including on December 5, when Harry, 40, attended the 2024 New York Times DealBook Summit, while Meghan remained in California to attend the Paley Honors Fall Gala alongside Tyler Perry.

Fans have previously been left so confused by the once inseparable couple’s supposedly increased distance, and there were even rumours of a brewing divorce. However, Harry put these rumours to bed at last month’s summit, telling NYT columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin: “Apparently, we’ve bought or moved house 10, 12 times. We’ve apparently divorced maybe 10, 12 times as well. So it’s just like, what?” He added: “It’s hard to keep up with, but that’s why you just sort of ignore it”.

Sources have revealed that these separate appearances ensure that one of them always stays behind for their children, with one friend telling People: “What we are seeing is a functional and healthy relationship with two working partners, not the contrary.”

Another source told the magazine that this tactic is also part of the couple’s “twin-track approach”, whereby Harry focuses on charity endeavours and Meghan on her entrepreneurial projects and business.

‘Independent’ identity

It’s believed making separate appearances could be beneficial ( 
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Getty Images)
Experts agree that the Duke and Duchess’s diverging paths have more to do with their respective interests and separate identities, and it could well benefit them both in the long run.

Speaking with The Sun, royal author Hugo Vickers clarified that he didn’t think this was a case of marital strife, arguing: “Harry’s much better when he’s on his own talking about things without her there. And perhaps she’s better off doing what she does without him there because he always looks a little bit spare.

“You could suggest that she’s making a move to be an independent person in her own right, I mean, we know who she is now, thanks to her marrying Prince Harry. She’s got much more of an identity.”

Some expert say that the Sussexes have had to ‘change the narrative’ ( 
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She continued: “The recent ‘base of the Y’ appearance was a rather formal and regal video appearance where Meghan threw Harry constant affectionate-looking glances to register besotted encouragement while he spoke, and Harry, more formally, failed to respond in kind apart from one rather rigidly extended arm placed around his wife’s back on the cue of the word ‘together’.

“The message was clearly one of ongoing bonds and togetherness, but for fans of the Harry and Meghan passionately romantic body language rituals, it was rather thin gruel. It will be sad for their fans if, despite their marriage being enduringly strong and loving, they have made a decision to tone down the PDAs.”