Where was she born and what was her early life like?
Meghan Markle was born in Los Angeles on August 4, 1981 and raised by her mother, a yoga instructor and clinical therapist, and father, a photography director. She was introduced to television from a young age as her father used to take her to the set of American sitcom Married… With Children, where he was the lighting director. She studied at a girls’ Roman Catholic college before graduating from Northwestern University School of Communication in 2003 — where she double-majored in theatre and international relations — just as her acting career was beginning.
When did she get into acting?
After college, she worked for the US Embassy in Buenos Aires. Her acting career launched after allegedly being discovered by a manager who was handed a recording of one of her college films while at a party. When starting out, she split her time between acting and working as a freelance calligrapher. She told Esquire that calligraphy was her “pseudo-waitressing job” when she was auditioning. “I didn’t wait tables. I did calligraphy for the invitations for, like, Robin Thicke and Paula Patton’s wedding,” she explained.
Which shows are she best known for?
Miss Markle is best known for her role in legal drama Suits. In the programme she plays Rachel Zane (in picture), a paralegal who worked hard to get into Columbia Law School. One fan website says: “Rachel is viewed as the eye candy of the associates. She is a respected member of the firm and one of the best when it comes to what she does, prompting the help of her other co-workers.”
And she’s big on social media too?
A self-proclaimed foodie and beauty, fashion and travel enthusiast, she founded the lifestyle blog thetig.com, which has more than 106,000 followers on Instagram and 11,000 on Twitter. She said setting up the website was an attempt to “reframe the beauty content to include think pieces about self-empowerment” and feature dynamic, inspirational women. In a post on the thetig.com explaining how she balances her fame and activism, she said: “I’ve never wanted to be a lady who lunches — I’ve always wanted to be a woman who works.”
Is she known for anything other than acting?
Yes, she is an active humanitarian campaigner — particularly on the topic of gender equality — and was this year named global ambassador for World Vision Canada.
How did news of her relationship with Prince Harry surface?
News of the royal romance emerged at the end of October when it was reported that the pair met in May while 32-year-old Harry was in Canada promoting Invictus Games 2017, the paralympics-style competition for injured servicemen and women and veterans he founded. One source claimed the fifth-in-line to the throne is “besotted” and the actress is said to have “fitted in straight away” when she met other members of the royal family.
What is her dating history?
The actress married producer Trevor Engelson in Jamaica in September 2011, having dated since 2004. The couple separated in 2013 and divorced in August that year. What are the odds on Harry and Meghan getting married? Bookmakers Ladrokes have already issued new odds of 5 to 4 that the couple will walk down the aisle together.
Lydia Willgress and Danny Boyle
(The Daily Telegraph)
