Meghan Markle's Secret Moments
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Although Old Hollywood legends and royal princesses alike may have been revered for their enviable style and penchant for luxury, they also grappled with troubled upbringings and tumultuous relationships throughout their lifetimes. Delving past the curtain of glamorous celebrity, Secret Moments is a series humanizing the icons of yesterday.
When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018, she made waves as the first Duchess of Sussex and first woman of color in the British royal family. However, before her marriage to Prince Harry, the birth of baby Archie, and the tabloids surrounding her personal life, her role as Rachel in Suits made her an influential actress. Beyond her career, she graduated from Northwestern University, interned at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina, and has continuously advocated for women's rights. The American-born royal has been a feminist leader and is highly regarded around the world for her elegant style, ambition, and philanthropic work. CR takes a look at some of the Duchess's most personal moments that have made her the significant woman she is today.
SHE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN LA
Before becoming a royal, Markle was born on August 4, 1981 in Canoga Park, Los Angeles. Her parents divorced when she was six years old and she was then raised in LA by her mom Doria Ragland, a yoga instructor and social worker.
HER GIVEN NAME ISN'T MEGHAN
Markle's given name was actually Rachel Meghan Markle, meaning that she shares a name with her Suits character.
SHE'S ALWAYS BEEN A FEMINIST
Although Markle is now known for her generous work with numerous women's organization, she has been a supporter of women's rights since she was a child. While speaking about gender equality at the UN Women's 20th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference in Beijing, she revealed that she wrote letters to company representatives and politicians at 11 years old to change a dishwashing soap slogan from "Women all over America" to "People all over America."
SHE FORETOLD HER FUTURE
Twenty-two years before her marriage to Prince Harry, Markle visited London as a tourist and took a picture in front of Buckingham Palace. Inside, her future husband was only 12 years old.
SHE ATTENDED AN ALL-GIRLS CATHOLIC SCHOOL
Markle graduated from Immaculate Heart High School, a Catholic-affiliated, all-girls high school in Los Angeles. “Just picture me with my curly hair and a gap in my teeth and my little school uniform with Keds on,” she recalled.
SHE DOUBLE MAJORED AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
A self-proclaimed "theater-nerd," Markle double majored in theater and international relations while attending the prestigious Evanston, Illinois university. She was also in the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and frequented the campus Burger King.
SHE CONSIDERED A CAREER IN POLITICS
After securing an internship at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina during her junior year at Northwestern, Markle briefly planned for a future in politics.
SHE WAS A BRIEFCASE GIRL ON DEAL OR NO DEAL
Before her lead role on Suits, Markle worked as a briefcase girl on game show Deal or No Deal to help make ends meet. However, she hated it, revealing that she would "end up standing up there forever in these terribly uncomfortable and inexpensive five-inch heels just waiting for someone to pick my number so I could go and sit down."
SHE HAD A SIDE HUSTLE AS A CALLIGRAPHIST
After taking a handwriting class at her high school, Markle used her early love for and expertise in cursive to hand write celebrity wedding invitations for extra cash.
HER BREAKOUT ROLE WAS AS RACHEL IN SUITS
In July 2011, Markle joined the cast of USA show Suits as paralegal Rachel Zane. It's been estimated that the actress was paid $50,000 per episode.
SHE WAS MARRIED ONCE BEFORE PRINCE HARRY
Before becoming a Royal, Markle was briefly married to producer Trevor Engelson. The two dated for six years and divorced in 2013 due to distance.
SHE WORE HER OWN JEWELRY ON SUITS
While filming Suits, Markle insisted on wearing her own jewelry, including family heirlooms like her grandma's charm bracelet and her signet ring.
SHE DABBLED IN DESIGN
In 2015, the fashion figure became the brand ambassador for Canadian clothing brand Reitmans. In 2016, she launched a capsule collection of dresses with the label.
SHE ONCE RAN A LIFESTYLE BLOG
Before she was a Duchess, Markle ran a now-removed lifestyle blog called The Tig. Named after Tignanello wine, her posts covered topics like food, fashion, beauty, and travel.
SHE LOVES TO COOK
As a self-proclaimed "foodie," Markle has publicly supported farm-to-table dining and published recipes for her favorite dishes, including roasted chicken and fish tacos, on The Tig. It's rumored she cooked her signature roasted chicken before Prince Harry proposed.
SHE STARTED DOING YOGA AT SEVEN YEARS OLD
Markle's mom introduced yoga into the Duchess's life at only seven years old by bringing her to "mommy and me" classes. Markle is still a fan now, claiming that it helps her find her balance.
SHE LOVES TO TRAVEL
Even before becoming the Duchess of Sussex, Markle was used to a travel-filled lifestyle. In 2013, she said that she's been "biking through Vietnam, camper-vanning through New Zealand, and touring the whole coast of Croatia and the islands there. I always want off the beaten path, Anthony Bourdain-inspired travel.”
SHE'S CLOSE FRIENDS WITH SERENA WILLIAMS
The Duchess and tennis legend hit it off when they met at a charity event in 2014. "She quickly became a confidante I would text when I was traveling, the friend I would rally around for her tennis matches, and the down-to-earth chick I was able to grab lunch with just a couple weeks ago in Toronto," she published on The Tig. "We are both the same age, have a penchant for hot sauces, and adore fashion, but what connects us more than those things is perhaps our belief in exceeding expectations–our endless ambition."
SHE'S RELATED TO SHAKESPEARE
Prince Harry isn't the first English man to be in Markle's bloodline. According to a report from MyHeritage, the Duchess comes from the same family line as playwright and actor William Shakespeare.
SHE WAS A GLOBAL AMBASSADOR
The philanthropic Markle was a Global Ambassador for World Vision Canada in 2016. Since then, she has traveled to Rwanda and India to support campaigns for clean water and women's education.
