Meghan Markle's New Year's Resolutions Include Stopping Swearing and Not Biting Her Nails

Meghan Markle wears her hair in a ponytail and wears a brown shirt

(Image credit: Diego Cuevas/Getty Images)

published 1 January 2025

The Duchess of Sussex delighted royal fans all over the world on New Year's Day when she rejoined Instagram. Duchess Meghan previously deactivated her Instagram account in 2018 following her engagement to Prince Harry, so her return to the platform feels long overdue. Her first post under her new handle, which is simply @meghan, is a video of Meghan at a beach in Montecito, California, captured by her husband, Prince Harry. As the Duchess of Sussex ushers in a new era, it's the perfect moment to revisit some of the extremely relatable New Year's resolutions she previously shared.

Prior to becoming a member of the Royal Family, Meghan Markle ran a now-defunct lifestyle blog called The Tig. Back in 2016, Meghan wrote, "These make my New Year's resolution list nearly (AKA actually every) single year. The swearing comes in lulls, triggered by being overworked or feeling mighty cheeky after a couple drinks."

Meghan continued, "And when it comes to the biting of the nails—well, it still happens with a turbulent flight or a stressful day. It's unladylike. But then again, so is the swearing. Dammit."

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Meghan Markle wears a strapless gold brocade dress as she stands at a podium giving a speech — "The swearing comes in lulls," Meghan wrote in 2016.

However, Meghan clearly wanted to make changes in 2016, and dropped some seriously inspirational words after her nail-biting and swearing suggestions. "This year, I resolve not to have a resolution," she wrote. "For this new year, the only thing I aim to do is to approach life playfully." She continued, "To laugh and enjoy, to keep my standards high but my level of self-acceptance higher."

Almost as if she knew something extraordinary was in store for her, the Duchess of Sussex wrote, "My New Year's resolution is to leave room for magic. To make my plans, and be okay if they sometimes break. To set my goals, but to be open to change."

Meghan Markle poses in an off the shoulder nude tan dress — "And when it comes to the biting of the nails—well, it still happens with a turbulent flight or a stressful day," Meghan wrote on The Tig.

If you've been struggling to make your own list of resolutions, it certainly wouldn't hurt to borrow some of Meghan's ideas for 2024.

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.