Is There an Impending “Meghan-aissance” on the Horizon?

Maybe it’s because, when she was a working member of the royal family, we could check in on Meghan Markle’s day-to-day schedule via The Royal Diary (which lays out every engagement members of the royal family have before it happens), and, after an engagement occurs, see what she’d done in the past week, the past month, or the past year via The Court Circular.

We don’t have that anymore, and the ambiguity surrounding Meghan’s next move is taking up brain space in a lot of people’s heads right now: is she relaunching her lifestyle blog, “The Tig”? Is she writing a memoir of her own, a la Prince Harry’s Spare? Is she taking her “Archetypes” podcast from Spotify to its rival, Audible? Will she run for political office? Is she going to become an influencer, or a brand ambassador, posting about a product on Instagram to the tune of a six-figure reason to do so? Speaking of Instagram, is the @meghan handle hers? Is it all part of a major re-brand? On. And on. And on. 

The speculation ramped up after Meghan signed in April with talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME), specifically with Ari Emanuel, who inspired the Ari Gold character in HBO’s Entourage. A big-time talent agency and a big-time agent must mean she’s up to something big, right? The mystery of it all—of Meghan herself, and of her next move professionally—endlessly fascinates so many, some of whom love her, and some of whom don’t. For such a polarizing person, one fact remains: people are deeply interested in her, one way or the other.

In truth, it does feel like something big is brewing, and that we might just be on the cusp of what is starting to be known colloquially as the “Meghan-aissance,” which implies a rebirth or a rebrand of some sort. Here are two irons we know Meghan has in the fire: an ongoing deal with Netflix, inked in 2020, which includes behind-the-scenes work on projects like a screen adaptation of Carley Fortune’s book Meet Me at the Lake; and Archewell, her nonprofit with Harry, founded in 2020. For whatever reason, two jobs don’t seem to be enough for the general public when it comes to Meghan, so speculation mounts on what will possibly be added to her plate. 

“A comeback by the Duchess of Sussex following a muted few months is believed to be imminent, in what insiders have dubbed the ‘Meghan-aissance,’” The Daily Mail reports. The outlet suggests that, based off of the resurgent popularity over the summer of her former television show, Suits, on streaming services, Meghan could be inspired to return to acting. (Highly unlikely, based off of comments Meghan herself has made in the past.)

Royal expert Tom Bower is convinced that Meghan will write a book of her own: “It will be Meghan’s truth,” he said. “There will be a readership for it because she’ll undoubtedly settle some scores from her point of view. What she says she said to the Queen, to Kate, to Philip, all that will be in the book, whether corroborated or not, and that’s a goldmine.”

Former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter had a whole lot to say about Meghan to The Sunday Times but said he didn’t think a return to acting was in her future. He did add, however, “If there is a Real Housewives of Montecito show in the works, she’d be a shoo-in.” (After all, Meghan is the dream cast member of franchise maestro Andy Cohen.)

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said that Harry and Meghan were just waiting for the right time to kick start their next move: “What’s important is that they launch a fight back—but we don’t yet know what that is going to look like,” he said, adding “The question is, why are they so quiet at the moment? What is going on? It really does seem they are brewing something up with their new team. I would not be surprised if we had an announcement from them very soon.”

The longer we wait, the more, it seems, anticipation grows—if WME is looking to make a splash when it comes to Meghan’s next move (whatever that may be), they’re poised for just that. And so, we wait.