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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Instagram Profile Picture Has a Secret Meaning

Unless you’ve been living in complete social media isolation, you’ve probably heard by now that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry just got their own official Instagram account

The @SussexRoyal account was revealed yesterday and was welcomed by other royal accounts (thanks, Uncle Andy!) to the picture-sharing platform. It even broke records: Harry and Meghan’s account became the fastest account to reach the 1 million followers milestone (and they’re currently still growing at lightning speed, with 2.6 million followers at the time of this article’s publishing just one day after the account’s debut). 

As royal fans will know, the duke and duchess’s profile picture is the royal couple’s “cypher,” aka a joint monogram of their individual cyphers—a cursive letter H intertwined with the cursive letter M underneath a crown. (Subtle, guys.)

The couple reportedly received the cypher on their wedding day, but it wasn’t revealed to the world until one of Australia’s Today show hosts flaunted a thank-you note from the royal newlyweds with their joint monogram at the bottom.

And depending on which letter you see first, it could signal who you’re a bigger fan of. (For instance, we always see the letter M, because that Markle Sparkle is blinding, y’all.)

But the real hidden meaning below the surface of this seemingly trivial choice? It’s telling that the soon-to-be parents didn’t use a photo of themselves as their profile picture on Instagram, similar to what Prince William and Kate have on their own Kensington Royal account.

Why? Because according to their first post, the Sussexes’ account is not about them as people, it’s about “sharing the work that drives us, the causes we support, important announcements, and the opportunity to shine a light on key issues.” One way to underline that message: letting their monogram do the talking.

But don’t worry: We’ve turned post notifications “on” for alllll the Harry/Meghan picture uploads.



RF1

Director, Branded Content + Cohost, Royally Obsessed Podcast

As Director of Branded Content at Gallery Media Group, Roberta helps oversee the ideation and execution of sponsored content and experiential campaigns across PureWow and ONE37pm, including PureWow’s 24 in ’24. She began her career in editorial nine years ago, and has written and edited countless articles on news, trends, fashion, beauty and the royal family. She’s also cohost of the Royally Obsessed podcast, named one of the best royals podcasts by The New York Times and Town & Country. She cowrote the book Royal Trivia: Your Guide to the Modern British Royal Family.