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You Probably Missed This Major Detail in Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s Instagram Farewell

This week, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said farewell to their Instagram followers as they begin their new lives in Los Angeles. While we were initially distracted by the realness of the situation, we can’t help but feel like their sign-off was an even further distancing from the rest of the royal family.

It all started when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a heartfelt post on social media and revealed that they’re retiring their joint Instagram account (@SussexRoyal) now that they’ve officially stepped down as senior members of the royal family. But in a bold move we almost missed, the couple used the informal sign-off, “Harry and Meghan.”

In the photo, Prince Harry and Markle thanked fans for their unconditional support, writing, “Thank you to this community—for the support, the inspiration and the shared commitment to the good in the world. Harry & Meghan.”

The royal couple also used their new signature in the caption, which read: “While you may not see us here, the work continues. Until then, please take good care of yourselves, and of one another. Harry and Meghan.”

This is a pretty big deal, since members are the royal family (both senior and minor) are supposed to go by their official titles in public settings (i.e., the Duke and Duchess of Sussex). However, now that Prince Harry and Markle are living in the states, they’re free to do—and be called—whatever they want, based on their agreement with Queen Elizabeth.

Still, we can’t help but wonder why they chose to use an informal sign-off. Was it an intentional way to distance themselves even further from the royal family? Or was it a personal way of connecting with their followers, since Prince Harry and Markle plan to return to Instagram at some point? We really hope it’s the latter.



greta

Senior Editor

Greta Heggeness is a California-based editor at PureWow and has been writing about entertainment since 2015. She covers everything from awards shows to exclusive celebrity...