Whenever anything happens with the British royal family it’s always BIG NEWS. And in case you haven’t heard, today PRINCE HARRY GOT ENGAGED!! But just the sheer fact that Prince William, the 33-year-old former bachelor, is getting married is not the surprising fact, it’s who he is engaged to…
A Royal Engagement
Meghan Markle’s engagement to Prince Harry has opened the floodgate of questions about who she is and where she came from. With every eye now on her, the former actress has a lot of expectations to meet and protocol to follow. However, while she may be the perfect image of grace and poise now, how much does the public really know about her? What skeletons are hanging in this duchess-to-be’s closet?
Questionable Choices
To say Markle isn’t proud of her decision to be a briefcase girl on Deal or No Deal is an understatement. The show is famous for the over-sexualized women displayed throughout the game, but at the time, Markle was a struggling actress and had no choice. It’s not like she scored much better in her next gig.
The Hot Girl
In an attempt to make a name for herself in the acting community, Markle took any role she was offered, including playing the part of the “hot girl” in the 2005 film, A Lot Like Love which starred Ashton Kutcher. Who would have guessed that this “hot girl” would go on to star in one of the biggest legal drama TV shows of all time?
Passionate Advocate
Growing up as a biracial female, Markle spent her younger years struggling with her identity and her adult years fighting against racism, inequality, and sexism. It’s because of these things that she’s such a strong supporter of gender equality, having worked as an advocate for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
Unorthodox Upbringing
When Markle was younger, she hung out on the set of Married…With Children, since her father worked there as a lighting director. She shared that, “Every day after school for 10 years, I was on the set of Married…With Children, which is a really funny and perverse place for a little girl in a Catholic school uniform to grow up.” We’re not so sure the queen will be overly fond of that “educational” experience…or the job Markle had to take years later to pay the bills…
Best Left Forgotten
While it’s perfectly normal for actresses to have sex scenes, it’s not exactly proper etiquette for a duchess to have partaken in them. We can’t imagine how Queen Elizabeth would react if forced to watch them, but it’s probably best to just sweep that one under the rug and forget it ever happened.
Co-star Reactions
What shouldn’t be forgotten is the sweet and hilarious way her on-screen fiancé reacted to the news of her engagement. Patrick J. Adams tweeted out the link to the official Kensington Palace announcement and captioned it, “She said she was just going out to get some milk…” He also took to his Instagram to share a sweet backstage photo of Markle with an even more personal caption.
The Real Deal
Prince Harry and Markle may have had what some consider a whirlwind romance, but there’s no denying their love for each other. The 33-year-old prince first met the 36-year-old actress in May 2016 through a mutual friend. A short two months later, she visited him in London and she just recently made the permanent move into his Kensington Palace apartment.
Perfect Proposal
The couple did a great job for the most part of keeping their relationship private. Prince Harry’s proposal was an intimate affair between the two of them over a romantic dinner at their home. He popped the question with a ring he designed that incorporated two of Diana’s diamonds. Their wedding is set for May of 2018, but of course, no wedding would be complete without some family drama to spice things up.
Biracial Bride
Meghan Markle is making history within the royal family in so many ways. Born in Los Angeles, California, to an African-American mother and Caucasian father, Markle will be the first biracial member of the royal family. Her heritage wasn’t always easy for her though…
What’s In A Name?
It may surprise you to know that Meghan Markle’s beautifully alliterated name isn’t actually her full name. Her first name is, in fact, Rachel with Meghan as her middle name. It remains to be seen if she will be required to go by her full name once she’s part of the royal family. With her character in Suits being called Rachel Zane, it’s clear that the name definitely suits her…no pun intended.
Marriage Mishap
While many would expect that any person marrying into the royal family would be entering into their first marriage, this isn’t the case with Markle. In fact, the last American to marry a British royal was also a divorcee. She cost her royal husband the throne, as they married in 1937 and the laws of the Church of England were much stricter. So what does this mean for Prince Harry?
No Need To Choose
Markle was married to film and television producer Trevor Engelson in 2011 after dating for years. But their marriage only lasted two years and is now causing a bit of controversy over her impending nuptials. Since Harry will soon be sixth in line to the throne, it doesn’t look like he will ever be put in a place where he’ll have to choose between Markle or the throne.
Star Of Suits
Markle has been with the hit show, Suits, since day one. Her role as the quick-witted paralegal, Rachel Zane, made audiences everywhere fall in love with her. When her character became romantically involved with her co-star’s character, Mike Ross, things really began to heat up…
Princess Pushy
Markle’s half-sister from her father’s previous marriage, Samantha Grant, suffers from multiple sclerosis and has been estranged from Markle since 2008. In addition to abusing Markle’s fame for her own attention, she’s even gone so far as to write a memoir titled, “The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister.”
Police Problems
Her half-brother, also from her dad’s first marriage, was recently arrested after holding a gun to his girlfriend’s head. We doubt extended family will be invited to the wedding, but Samantha has already stated that invitation or not, she’s definitely going. Get ready for lots of royal drama in the months ahead.
Harry The Nazi
Prince Harry has had quite the scandalous past himself. Back in 2005, his picture was plastered on tabloids everywhere featuring him wearing a shocking swastika armband. The headline read, “Harry the Nazi,” and it resulted in him releasing a statement saying he was “very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone.”
A Naked Prince
In 2012, photos were released of the naked prince partaking in a game of strip billiards in a Las Vegas hotel suite. Royal officials had no way to deny the photos and released a statement asking British media to refrain from using them, but the damage had already been done.
Quite The Childhood
The prince also found himself in hot water over attacking the paparazzi outside of a night club in 2004, getting busted at age 17 for admitting to smoking weed and drinking alcohol, and when a former teacher claimed that she helped him cheat in school. Thankfully, Markle’s school experience was completely different…
Star Student
Markle grew up attending all-girl Catholic schools. For college, she attended Northwestern, a private university in Evanston, Illinois, and graduated with a double major in theater and international studies.
Travel Bug
Markle has an infinite love for traveling and was fortunate enough to get an internship at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires while in college. Her many travels over the years are partly what inspired her to start her own lifestyle website…
The Tig
Back in 2014, Markle started a site called The Tig which mainly focused on food, fashion, beauty, and of course, travel. All of the content was original and written by Markle herself, but the site was mysteriously shut down this past April with no warning. It was rumored that her increasing closeness with the prince played a large part in that.
Puppy Love
Following suit with the queen, Markle is a huge dog lover. She currently has two dogs, Bogart and Guy, and strongly encourages every one of her fans to adopt rescue dogs rather than buy them from pet stores.
Princess Handwriting
A notable skill that will be sure to come in handy when signing all of their royal Christmas cards, is Markle’s love for calligraphy. She perfected the art back in Catholic school and used to work as a freelance calligrapher to help pay the bills. “I used to do it for Dolce & Gabbana’s celebrity correspondence over the holidays,” she once shared in an interview.
Famous Friends
