Meghan Markle shared and then deleted a cryptic Instagram story on Monday as she returned to social media following a furious response from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to fresh allegations in Tom Bower's forthcoming royal book.
The Duchess of Sussex initially posted a clip showing a mug bearing the words "Cultivate Kindness" beside a copy of They Bloom Because of You by Jessica Urlichs, a poetry collection described on its cover as featuring poems "on the infinite love, growth, and magic of motherhood".
The post was later removed from Meghan's Instagram story. The video was set to Natalie Cole's song This Will Be (An Everlasting Love).
The deleted post came after extracts from Mr Bower's new book, Betrayal: Power, Deceit and the Fight for the Future of the Royal Family, were serialised by The Times Magazine.
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The book examines the continuing rift between the House of Sussex and the House of Windsor and includes claims about the couple's public role and the Invictus Games.
In response, a spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex issued a strongly worded statement attacking the author.
He told GB News: "Mr Bower's commentary has long crossed the line from criticism into fixation.
"This is someone who has publicly stated, 'the monarchy in fact depends on actually obliterating the Sussexes from our state of life,' language that speaks for itself.
Meghan Markle deletes cryptic 'kindness' post after Sussexes blasted royal author for 'deranged conspiracy'
|PA
"He has made a career out of constructing ever more elaborate theories about people he does not know and has never met.
"Those interested in facts will look elsewhere; those seeking deranged conspiracy and melodrama know exactly where to find him."
After deleting the first story, Meghan posted a series of new clips from home.
One video showed the duchess arranging flowers in a vase while Prince Harry could be heard off-camera saying: "It's beautiful."
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Meghan Markle shared and then deleted this post
|INSTAGRAM: @MEGHAN
Meghan then laughed and replied: "Thanks," before the Duke of Sussex added: "It's so pretty and pink."
A second image showed the completed floral display, followed by another video that appeared to capture one of the couple's children picking purple leaves from a flowering tree.
The mother-of-two later shared footage of Princess Lilibet at the Sussexes' chicken coop, where the young royal was seen reaching towards one of the birds.
The footage showed the young royal bending down in Wellington boots, reaching out to stroke one of the birds as her mother filmed and laughed.
Tom Bower pictured during a previous appearance on GB News
| GB NEWSLilibet's striking auburn locks were clearly visible in the clip, a trait she shares with her elder brother Prince Archie, both having inherited the colouring from their father.
The Sussexes have kept rescued hens at their Californian home since 2021, housing them in a coop affectionately dubbed "Archie's Chick Inn" as a tribute to their now six-year-old son.
In the brief video, the Duchess of Sussex could be heard giggling behind the camera as the chickens roamed about in the sunshine.
The clip concluded just as Lilibet, dressed in her boots, appeared to begin saying something to her mother.