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Maybe Meghan Markle just really, really likes Beyoncé.
Or maybe, by attending her concert twice in three days, on Friday and Monday, she’s trying to tell us something.
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Park, for a moment, what that message may be, and consider instead what Meghan and Harry’s 2023 Labor Day weekend might have looked like had they never left the royal family, made their argument with it public and moved to America.
It is, after all, the one-year anniversary of the death of the queen on Friday, and it feels unlikely we will see any members of the family resident in the U.K. either dressed in silver or out partying with Khloe Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Adele, Jeff Bezos or Justin and Hailey Bieber, let alone posing for pictures with actress Kerry Washington and singer Kelly Rowland, as Meghan did Monday night.
Harry, meanwhile, was at an Inter Miami football game in Los Angeles on Sunday night with Adam Lilling, a venture capitalist who is believed to be involved in Meghan’s much anticipated commercial relaunch, which is believed to be imminent and to be centered around her mothballed website The Tig and the Instagram handle @meghan, which has 126,000 followers despite having yet to post.
The return of Meghan to the bear pit of online influencing has, of course, been extensively trailed. It was in an interview with The Cut last year that Meghan first said she was “getting back” on Instagram, though news of her online re-emergence was somewhat eclipsed by her ill-advised repetition of a story in which a South African told her: “When you married into [the British royal family], we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison.”
The Daily Mail and others reported that Harry’s trip to watch soccer coincided with a trip by another spectator: Brooklyn Beckham and his wife Nicola. The two parties studiously ignored each other (Harry instead spent time chatting with Will Ferrell and Rob McElhenney), with the Mail speculating this may be due to the fact that Brooklyn’s folks, David and Victoria, have been ghosted—or “Markled” as they say it’s called—after offense was apparently taken on both sides at alleged acts of disrespect.
The Beckham camp is reportedly irate that Meghan and Harry allegedly suspect them of leaking stories on them to the press, while the Sussexes were reportedly not thrilled to not be invited to Brooklyn and Nicola’s wedding, despite David and Victoria getting a golden ticket to their 2018 royal wedding.
Cynics might note, however, that celebrity beef is one of the best ways of ensuring a solid churn of headlines.
However, Meghan’s carefully curated double Beyoncé appearance is being taken by many as a clear statement of intent. But given that Harry was spotted checking his phone on Friday night, and appeared to be wearing one of Meghan’s silver blazers (suggesting that minimal effort went into nevertheless complying with Beyonce’s request that concert-goers wear the color to mark her birthday Monday), it’s probably just as well he missed Beyoncé redux Monday. Harry’s absence allowed Meghan to take charge and activate the glamor confetti canon.
If the best revenge really is living well, then a buoyant Meghan certainly looked like she was nailing it.
Beyoncé, of course, has long been a powerful supporter of Meghan: After the interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Beyonce wrote on her website: “Thank you, Meghan, for your courage and leadership. We are all strengthened and inspired by you.”
On Thursday, it will be Harry’s turn to emphasize the philanthropic and royal angle of the Sussex offering; on the eve of the anniversary of the queen’s death, Harry is guest of honor and key speaker at the WellChild Awards, where he is expected to pay tribute to his grandmother.
On Saturday, the man of action will be seen flying by helicopter to the launch of the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf, Germany. Meghan is expected to jet and join him for the closing ceremony of the competition on Saturday, Sept. 16.
So, yes, it seems Meghan is intent on sending a message with her latest, show-stopping appearance, and it may not be one the royal family, this week of all weeks, wish to hear.
But she is saying it loud and clear, nonetheless: I’m back.
