Meghan Markle makes first Instagram post since moving to the UK, pays tribute to Gloria Steinem

Meghan Markle has shared a new image of her son Archie in her first social media post since her family relocated to the UK.

The Instagram post paid tribute to Gloria Steinem, a feminist pioneer and journalist whose work spearheaded the 20th-century women’s rights movement, who died aged 92 on Wednesday.

Steinem’s official Instagram page revealed on Thursday that she “passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her”.

Her cause of death has not yet been revealed.

Meghan told her five million Instagram followers that Steinem was her “friend and mentor”.

She shared three images, including one of a framed photograph of Steinem with son Archie, which looks to have been taken several years ago.

While his face has been covered in a loveheart, his red hair is unmistakable, and it looked to be taken at the Duke and Duchess’ Californian home.

The other images were of Meghan and Steinem together; one seated on a couch looking directly at the camera with a framed elephant photograph behind them, and the other of them sitting outside under the shade of a tree on a large property deep in conversation with Meghan and Harry’s dog beside them.

“Celebrating the life and legacy of my friend and mentor, Gloria Steinem, and also grateful to know that in these last few weeks and days she knew exactly how loved and admired she was,” the Duchess captioned the images.

“You all know her many accolades and the way in which she helped shape the world for women and all people - ‘we are linked, not ranked’ she would tell me, and the bracelet she gave me said exactly that.

“I still wear it with pride.”

Meghan said that, together, they did interviews, attended events, encouraged voters, and “brainstormed how to help this beautiful yet complicated world to become more equitable”.

She added that Steinem was “even better than you would imagine”, recounting some of their favourite memories together.

“But privately, she was even better than you would imagine- spending Thanksgiving with our family, introducing me to one of my best friends (forever the champion of female friendship), loving our children with her whole heart, counselling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivalled cheekiness and wit.

“But my very favourite story about GLO is when she was out one day in NY, and a woman approached her in absolute awe and said she wanted to introduce her young daughter to her (though she was embarrassed to say the young girl may not know who she was).

“Gloria replied: ‘It doesn’t matter if she knows who I am. What matters is that she knows who SHE is’.

“Rest in peace, and rest in pride. Look at what you’ve done for all of us. Thank you.”

She shared the post to her story as well, to the tune of Dolly Parton’s Just Because I’m a Woman.

It was the first social media post since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex flew into Britain on a private jet with Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, on August 26.

The family left behind their California life after spending their final days in Montecito with close friends and family.

The couple had called Montecito home since 2020 after they purchased their California mansion for $14.65 million (AUD $20.5 million) and decided to build a private life there following their shock exit from the royal family.

Before their July visit, the Duke and Duchess’ last visit to the UK as a couple was back in 2022, for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.