The world is buzzing about the new romance between Prince Harry and his multi-talented
American girlfriend Meghan Markle.
There's no news of a royal wedding just yet, but she is said to have already met key members
of his family.
And Harry himself confirmed their couple status in a scathing response to those who'd scrutinized
the small screen beauty over her relationship with the royal beau.
Now everyone wants to know who she is and how she's managed to captivate one of the
globe's most eligible bachelors.
Here's the scoop on Meghan Markle.
DVR alert
Markle is perhaps best known for her role as Rachel Zane on USA Network's legal dramedy
Suits, but she's had recurring roles on several other shows, too, including 90210 and Fringe.
She's also graced the sets of Castle and The League in guest appearances and appeared on
the big screen in films like Horrible Bosses.
Boob tube baby
Markle has long admitted that she practically grew up on a television set as her father
was a director of photography for a decade on the popular '90s sitcom Married with Children.
Although she attended Catholic School during the day, her after school program was basically
watching the risque program being taped — although some of the scenes were too adult for her
to watch in person or on-screen.
She was even restricted from watching anything but the show's credits, so that she could
catch her dad's name rolling by each episode without being exposed to some of the naughtier
jokes.
Game show gal
You might not think that the background beauties of a popular game show might go on to have
a shot at becoming real-life royalty, but that's exactly what's happening with Markle
right now.
One of her earliest turns in TV came in the mid-2000s, when she appeared as one of the
briefcase models for a season of Deal or No Deal.
Although the gig helped keep the lights on when she was still auditioning for bigger
and better, she's still not terribly fond of revisiting that particular block on memory
lane in interviews.
Odd job
After Markle finished her degree at Northwestern University, she went on to work in Argentina
at the U.S. Embassy.
Once she was discovered by an agent and began to pursue a career in the spotlight, though,
she had to work a side job in the meantime.
Rather than wait tables or tend bar, she used an old skill she'd developed in grade school
to earn some extra cash: Calligraphy.
Turns out, the pen is mightier than the sword and the tray table, and she had several celebrity
clients along the way who paid handsomely for her skill.
The Tig
As a world traveller, Markle felt compelled to document her cultural experiences while
trotting the globe and founded her own lifestyle website called The Tig — short for Tignanello,
a type of wine that inspired her.
In addition to sharing her love of food, wine, and fashion, Markle also uses the platform
to detail her philanthropic interests and activities.
She's written extensively about her conscious effort to balance her acting work with her
more humanitarian interests.
She once wrote:
"I'm consistently asked how I keep a foot in two contrasting worlds — one in the entertainment
industry, predicated on wealth and indulgence, and the other in humanitarian work … To
me, it's less a question of how can you do this, and more a question of how can you not?"
Heal the world
Markle boasts an entire CV of charitable credits, including advocate work with United Nations
Women, World Vision Canada, and the Clean Water Campaign.
And her interest in good works began very early in life, as she was just 11 when she
managed to convince several politicians to join her cause in demanding change to a commercial
that promoted sexist ideals about women's home roles.
The dish liquid ad, which mentioned women's interest in fighting greasy pots and pans,
was eventually altered to state that people all over the country were included in that
grease-fighting effort, and it was an early moral victory that would mark the beginning
of her life-long passion for advocacy.
Acting is second fiddle
Markle might be best known for her TV work, but she said that when she's been faced with
the choice of attending Hollywood events or pursuing her altruistic interests, she's chosen
the latter.
She wrote:
"I've never wanted to be a lady who lunches … I've always wanted to be a woman who works.
And this type of work is what feeds my soul, and fuels my purpose.
The degree to which I can do that both on and off camera is a direct perk of my job."
She has admitted that balancing the two extremes has taken a toll on her from time to time,
however — like when she came back from visiting refugees in Rwanda on behalf of UN Women and
attended a glitzy awards show shortly thereafter and noticed a clear distinction between "the
swinging pendulum from excess to lack of access."
Pound puppy
It seems like everyone who's ever met Ellen DeGeneres has a story to share, and Markle
is no exception.
In fact, she has a living, breathing reminder of that encounter at home.
She revealed that she was once visiting a dog rescue in Los Angeles and the talk show
host strolled in and absolutely insisted that she take home the fur baby she was visiting
with.
Markle hadn't grown up with dogs, but after adopting her four-legged friend, she soon
got another and now champions the "adopt, don't shop" mantra on her digital feeds.
The other man?
Before she struck up a romantic international relationship with Britain's regal redhead,
Markle was actually once married to a producer named Trevor Engelson.
The two dated for six years before getting engaged, and they wed in Jamaica in 2011.
The union didn't last long, though, because by 2013, their separation and eventual divorce
became public.
That wasn't the only bit of scandal to hit the newsfeeds after Meghan and Harry became
a public item.
Some speculate that when Markle first met Prince Harry she may have still been in a
relationship with Canadian celebrity chef Cory Vitiello.
Reportedly, she and Vitiello split in May 2016, which is also when the Toronto Invictus
Games promos took place and she and Harry first met.
No matter the close timing, though, there's certainly no question about who she's with
now!
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