One Missing Word in Meghan Markle’s Instagram Bio Has Fans Convinced There's Trouble In Paradise

The divorce rumors about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been rife for months now as the couple takes on more solo appearances and business ventures. As Markle returned to Instagram, her account handle has only added fuel to the fire. In her bio, Markle refers to herself as ‘Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,’ instead of ‘The Duchess of Sussex.’ This subtle variation has prompted claims of trouble in paradise as Markle’s late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, also came to be known without the word from her title after her divorce from then-Prince Charles.

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A post shared by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (@meghan)

Markle, in her first post, was all smiles when she returned to Instagram after a four-year break. In the video, she looked happy as she ran on the beach. However, online sleuths argued that things may not be as well as they seem given the omission of the word. While ‘The’ in a royal title may feel not as significant, it holds weight in the monarchy. In the 1990s, Princess Diana became known simply as 'Princess of Wales' rather than 'The Princess of Wales', once she split from Charles. Even Sarah Ferguson’s official title is ‘Duchess of York’ after her divorce from Prince Andrew.

So Meghan is back on Instagram under her own name. To start with it was just "Meghan" but now "Duchess of Sussex" has been added....BUT did any of you notice...The is missing from her title...In other words she is sharing a title of a divorced "Duchess" That THE is very important pic.twitter.com/9NpAfdAhDx

— Shaz - Smile daily as Haters hate that!! (@fairygem1) January 1, 2025

This detail got rumor mills buzzing again. A fan took to X (formerly Twitter) and said, “So Meghan is back on Instagram under her own name. To start with it was just 'Meghan' but now 'Duchess of Sussex' has been added...BUT did any of you notice...'The' is missing from her title...In other words, she is sharing the title of a divorced 'Duchess'. That 'The' is very important.” Another chimed, "I posted the same last night! ...I don’t think she knows enough about royal protocol to be aware of that." A comment also read, "Well, she’s trying to make us all believe that Harry is with her at all times. When he hasn’t been seen in months with her."

Well, she’s trying to make us all believe that Harry is with her at all times.When he hasn’t been seen in months with her.?????

— NicoleH (@NicoleH867) January 2, 2025

The divorce rumors were also given precedence by one unlikely person—President Donald Trump—who alluded to trouble behind the scenes. Speaking about Harry’s alleged deportation from the US, he told the New York Post, “I don't want to do that...I'll leave him alone. He's got enough problems with his wife. She's terrible.” His comment kicked the hornet's nest on the already rampant gossip. There are also widespread speculations that Markle's team explored the idea of a ‘post-divorce’ book with a publisher. However, a source told Page Six, “Meghan and Harry know that they are tied together, their value is in being a couple—even if they wanted to split, they couldn’t. And honestly, they are obsessed with each other.”

Markle’s Instagram bio didn't quite grab as much media attention as her actual surname change. The former actress made headlines when she corrected Mindy Kaling on her Netflix show With Love, Meghan, that she now goes as 'Sussex' instead of 'Markle'. As per People magazine, she explained, “It’s our shared name as a family, and I guess I hadn’t recognized how meaningful that would be to me until we had children.”