On May 19, 2019, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were married. Because Markle is an American
biracial actress, who has been married before, some didn’t think she fit the mold of what
royalty is — but they couldn’t be more wrong.
But, Markle is not the first American to marry a royal, or the first divorcee, or even the
first mixed-race woman. And she certainly isn’t the first celebrity to do so. Here
are some other famous women who married into and became royalty before Markle.
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis wed Christopher Guest
in 1984. He later became Britain’s Baron Haden-Guest when he inherited the title from
his father. Curtis comes from Hollywood royalty. She is
the daughter of legendary actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, but as a baroness, she has
an official royal title.
Before she met Saturday Night Live alum Jason
Sudeikis, Vinyl star Olivia Wilde was married to Italian prince Tao Ruspoli, which made
her a princess. The two tied the knot in 2003, but the marriage
didn’t last. Wilde filed for divorce after eight years together.
Rita Hayworth was a twice-divorced Hollywood
megastar when she married Prince Aly Khan. They had one daughter together, Princess Yasmin
Aga Khan, and divorced in 1953. Hayworth was married a total of five times.
She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease before her death in 1987. Her daughter, the
princess, now works to bring awareness to the devastating disease.
Real Housewives of New York City star Luann
de Lesseps received the title of countess after she married French businessman Count
Alexandre de Lesseps. They were together for 16 years and share two children, Victoria
and Noel. The pair split in 2009 after he reportedly had an affair.
My So-Called Life actress A.J. Langer said
“I do” to Charlie Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon, in 2005. The marriage gave her the
titles of Lady Courtenay and later, Countess of Devon.
She and her husband have two children together: a daughter, Joscelyn Sky, and a son, Jack
Haydon, who is the heir to the royal title.
Zero Dark Thirty star Jessica Chastain married
her Italian beau, Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, in 2017. He is from a noble family, and his
parents still use their count and countess titles, although the Kingdom of Italy was
abolished in 1946 when it became a republic. This means that Chastain could one day hold
the countess title, even if it is just in name only.
In 1969, Diane Halfin married Germany’s
Prince Egon von Fürstenberg and came to be Princess Diane of Fürstenberg. They had two
children together before separating. When their divorce was finalized, the fashion
designer dropped the princess title, but continued to use the noble family’s name. By doing
so, she may have made the last name even more famous than it had been in the past with her
iconic designs and creation of the wrap dress.
Former Miss USA-turned-actress Laura Harring
became a countess when she tied the knot with Count Carl-Eduard von Bismarck in 1987. While
the two divorced just two years later, Harring was still able to retain her title.
The younger sister of Jackie Kennedy, Lee
Radziwiłł, married into royalty when she wed Polish Prince Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł.
They shared two children, Anthony and Tina. Their marriage lasted 15 years, but she reportedly
had an affair with Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis before her sister got involved with
him.
The Radziwiłłs’ son, Prince Anthony Radziwill,
married Carole DiFalco in 1994. But five years later, he passed away from cancer at the age
of 40. His widow, who later became a Real Housewives
of New York City star, was also good friends with Anthony Radziwiłł’s cousin, John
F. Kennedy Jr., and his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy. Tragically, the Kennedy couple perished in
a plane crash just one month prior to Radziwiłł’s death.
After an initial meeting in 2000, Olympic
swimmer Charlene Wittstock and Prince Albert of Monaco married in an extravagant wedding,
which lasted over the course of three days in 2011.
The couple welcomed a set of twins Princess Gabriella, Countess of Carladès, and Jacques,
Hereditary Prince of Monaco, in 2014.
In 2002, Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano was a journalist
reporting on the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and war in Iraq when she caught the eye of
then-Prince Felipe of Spain. The two ended up going to several dinners with one another
and then began secretly dating. On Nov. 1, 2003, the Spanish royal family surprised everyone
when they announced that Felipe was marrying the divorced commoner.
Despite some backlash, Felipe’s parents, Queen Sofía and King Juan Carlos, supported
their son’s decision, and the couple got hitched in 2004. King Juan Carlos abdicated
the crown to Felipe in 2014, making him King Felipe VI and Ortiz Rocasolano the Queen Letizia
of Spain.
In 2013, when chef and model Emma McQuiston
wed Ceawlin Thynn, Viscount Weymouth, she became Emma Thynn, Viscountess Weymouth, and
Britain’s first black future marchioness. Neither of the groom’s parents attended
the ceremony as it was reported that the viscount’s mother, Lady Bath, was banned for making racist
remarks about the bride. The viscount and his wife had two children
via surrogate The Honorable John Alexander Ladi Thynn, and The Honorable Henry Richard
Isaac Thynn.
And, of course, what would our list be without
mentioning one of the most famous royal unions. American actress Grace Kelly married Rainier
III, Prince of Monaco in 1956 and acquired the title Princess of Monaco. The pair were
together until her tragic death following a car accident in 1982 when the family chose
to take her off life support. The couple’s three children are Caroline,
Princess of Hanover, Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Princess Stephanie.