The Duchess of Sussex has delighted her followers by sharing a rare and intimate glimpse into her family life, directly participating in a major new social media movement. Meghan Markle posted a nostalgic video to her personal Instagram account on Friday, 16 January 2026, marking her first post on the platform this year.
A Sweet Family Moment Captured on Camera
The charming black-and-white clip features the Duke and Duchess of Sussex dancing playfully together barefoot on grass. In the footage, the couple can be seen spinning and swaying before Meghan leaps into Harry's arms. The unique perspective of the video comes from its credited cinematographer: their four-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet, who watched on as her parents danced. Meghan captioned the post, "When 2026 feels just like 2016….you had to be there," and gave a special shout-out to Lilibet with "Cred: Our daughter." Comments on the post were disabled.
Riding the Viral '2026 is the New 2016' Wave
This personal post is a direct nod to the explosive social media trend that has taken over platforms like TikTok and Instagram at the start of 2026. The trend, a nostalgia-driven movement, encourages users to share photos or videos from 2016 and compare them to their current lives in 2026, celebrating the mid-2010s as a perceived "golden age" of internet culture. The concept of "living 2026 like it's 2016" aims to recapture a sense of carefree fun, marking the ten-year anniversary of that year.
To further embrace the trend, Meghan also shared a separate photograph from August 2016, showing her and Harry with their arms around each other during a trip to Botswana. This image commemorated their third date, adding another layer of personal nostalgia to her online contribution.
Celebrity Participation and Millennial Pushback
Meghan is not the only high-profile figure to join this viral bandwagon. Other celebrities who have participated include her friend Mindy Kaling, comedian Amy Schumer, actress Eva Longoria, and model Hailey Bieber. In the UK, television personality Stacey Solomon also posted her own 2016 throwbacks, expressing how the decade-old memories felt like "a previous life."
However, the trend has not been universally embraced. TikTok creator Helen McPherson, who has 100,000 followers, publicly criticised the movement in a recent reel, labelling it a "stupid trend invented by young people." From her millennial perspective, McPherson argued that 2016 feels too recent to be nostalgic, quipping that to her, ten years ago feels like 1990. She pointed out that many items from that era, like clothes, are still part of her daily life, minimising the perceived difference between then and now.
Regardless of the debate it sparks, Meghan's decision to participate has successfully fused a global internet phenomenon with a cherished private family moment, offering the public a carefully curated yet personal look at the Sussexes' life away from the spotlight.
