Meghan's 'American royalty' push shows why she and Prince Harry did the right thing by leaving British monarchy

OPINION – – To outsiders, she is just like most proud mums – sharing photos of her children online from special occasions.

But to royal watchers, the Duchess of Sussex is once again showing her critics exactly why she left the confines of the monarchy.

Meghan, who was never one to follow the strict rules that come with being a working royal, posted six photos of her and Prince Harry's recent trip to Disneyland with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Along for the ride was Meghan's mother Doria Ragland.

Since stepping back from official duties in 2020, the couple has chosen to shun the tried and true royal tradition of sharing formal portraits to mark birthdays and other special events.

Instead, Meghan has used her personal Instagram to share more candid imagery of her family enjoying life in the United States.

"Once you know us, I think you want us to have the same normalcy as parents and for our children as they do, despite however unique our situation is," the duchess previously told People.

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Speaking of having "day dates" with her children, Meghan added that "I really love that we can just have fun".

This time, the family's day out at Disneyland was in celebration of Archie's birthday (May 6) and Lilibet's (June 4) and Mother's Day.

Meghan's photos showed her, Prince Harry and Ragland enjoying the park in California and meeting characters including Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.

Archie and Lilibet were shown from behind or from side profiles only, as the duchess as become accustomed to doing – to protect their privacy, of course.

Meghan and Harry have, historically, been fiercely protective of their children's privacy, citing it as one of their reasons for leaving Britain – and the fishbowl of royal life – for the US six years ago.

But since returning to Instagram in January last year, Meghan has used social media to share carefully curated glimpses of the family's life.

And she's not the only royal to do so.

The Prince and Princess of Wales often share unseen family photos and short clips to their official Instagram account. Most recently, new portraits of Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were released by Prince William and Catherine for the children's 11th and eighth birthdays.

But sometimes Meghan's sharing has ventured into oversharing... such as when she posted that twerking video from inside the delivery room hours before giving birth to Lilibet.

This time, Meghan's family photo dump isn't as intimate or controversial.

It's just another example of the duchess doing things her own way, a modern royal who is also trying to make the most of her new life outside of the monarchy.

Since early 2025 when she returned to the social media platform after an eight-year absence, Meghan has used Instagram to share her family moments in the way she wants to.

What's more interesting here, though, was the revamp of Meghan's page hours before the Disneyland post.

The duchess updated her profile photo, removing the simple and candid black-and-white image taken on a local beach, for a more polished and formal portrait showing her relaxing on a lounge.

What followed was a promotional reel for Meghan's lifestyle brand As ever which showed the duchess making tea, picking flowers and vegetables from her Montecito home, opening her pantry to find fruit spreads and marmalade and sitting on her kitchen bench.

The clip is now the first thing visitors see on the As ever website, which has had a bit of an update.

Meghan is clad head-to-toe in designer clothing, some of which she has now shared to her One Off page where fans can purchase the products while giving the duchess a cut of the profits via affiliate links.

In her new profile photo, the duchess wears an $88k diamond tennis necklace by Logan Hollowell and her $12k Cartier love bracelet.

Meghan chose her $18k Snowstorm diamond earrings by Birks, which she wore on her first ever solo engagement as a member of the royal family.

Her trousers by The Row cost $1800. Other designer outfits worn by Meghan in the short clip include a white Oscar de la Renta gown, $440 jeans by Montecito-based designer Tracy James Robbins and black Chanel flats.

She's ditched her former 'girl next door' image for a new look of refinement and 'old money'.

Some might argue the duchess is trying to market herself as American royalty.

Last week, Meghan was once again caught using royal cypher, a monogramed M with a crown on top.

She had sent Kris Jenner a haul of As ever goods for Mother's Day and the Kardashian matriarch shared a photo to her Instagram, thanking Meghan.

Under her and Prince Harry's agreement with the late queen upon exiting the royal family, they would not use their titles, HRH styling or royal connections for professional gain.

But the couple's recent tour of Australia proved they are firmly ignoring that directive, carrying out an itinerary packed with paid and charitable events.

For Meghan's fans, she can do no wrong and her latest social media foray is just want they want from the duchess.

But for loyal royalists, the duchess is once again proving why she and Prince Harry made the right choice when choosing to relocate their lives away from the UK to the US.

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