It may seem rather innocuous, a short clip of Meghan Markle that disappeared from an Instagram account overnight, but in the world of royal gossip, it’s a curious caper.
The Markle-obsessed media have speculated that a short video clip featuring the Duchess of Sussex at the British Fashion Awards on Monday night was removed from the awards show’s Instagram account on orders from Buckingham Palace.
In the Boomerang video – a feature that loops multiple photos together in a mini clip – Markle can be seen posing alongside British designer Clare Waight Keller and actor Rosamund Pike in a photo booth at the glitzy event.
The Duchess wore a one-shouldered black dress and smiled as she cradled her baby bump in the series of images.
The black-and-white video was originally posted on the British Fashion Awards’ Instagram account on Monday evening, but was inexplicably removed before the following morning. The account’s Boomerang videos showing other celebrities from the night remained, however.
As of Thursday morning, the clip was still visible on the Instagram account of Yvan Fabing, the photographer from the event.
The photos’ disappearance inspired outlets, such as Vanity Fair and Fox News, to question if the Palace was responsible for the censorship.
To add another layer to the “mystery,” Markle’s good friend Jessica Mulroney also posted a different photo of the Duchess presenting an award during the ceremony to her Instagram stories on Monday, but that too, had disappeared by the next morning.
The Duchess’ surprise appearance at the awards show was a headline-making occasion even before the photos attracted attention. People Magazine declared in its headline “Meghan Markle returns to her fun Hollywood party days” while the Daily Mail said she was “Back to her Hollywood roots!” in their coverage of the event.
Although it’s still unclear why the images of Markle were removed, the Royal Family is known for maintaining a carefully managed public profile.
Buckingham Palace hasn’t commented on the photos.
