Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

American actor and humanitarian

• Born: August 4, 1981
• Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California

Education: Northwestern University

Significance: Although Meghan Markle enjoyed some modest success in her Hollywood acting career, she became internationally known, including as a humanitarian, in 2016 when she started dating Prince Harry, a member of the British royal family. They were engaged in 2017 and wed in May 2018, at which point Meghan became the first mixed-race member of the royal family.

Background

Rachel Meghan Markle was born on August 4, 1981, in Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Doria Ragland, was a social worker and yoga instructor, while her father, Thomas Markle, was an Emmy Award–winning lighting director who worked on the show Married . . . with Children when Meghan was young. Her mother, who is Black, and her father, who is White, divorced when Meghan was six. Her father later moved to Mexico.

Meghan grew up in Hollywood, where she attended Immaculate Heart High School before attending Northwestern University outside of Chicago, Illinois. Earning a bachelor’s degree with a dual major in theater and international studies, Meghan pursued a career as an actor, making some money on the side as a calligrapher.

In 2011, Meghan married actor and producer Trevor Engelson, but the marriage was short-lived and the couple divorced in 2013. She reportedly first started seeing Prince Harry, the fifth in line to the British throne, in June 2016. The couple announced their engagement the following year.

Professional Work

Early on, Meghan found acting jobs working as an extra or bit player on shows like the soap opera General Hospital or the science-fiction drama Fringe. When not acting, Meghan also modeled, at one point working as a “briefcase girl” on the game show Deal or No Deal. Meghan remarked that she had trouble finding acting roles early on due to not fitting neatly into a single racial category. In 2011, Meghan got her big break when she landed the role of Rachel Zane on the USA Network show Suits, where she would stay for seven seasons. Meghan appeared in numerous other television shows and movies, including the films Remember Me (2010), Horrible Bosses (2011), and Anti-Social (2015), though exclusively in supporting or guest roles. In 2014, Meghan founded a lifestyle blog called the Tig, which profiled various women in media and politics; however, the venture stalled and the blog was closed down in 2017. In November 2016, Meghan released a line of women’s fashion workwear with Canadian company Reitmans.

Meghan became heavily involved in humanitarian work in 2014, when she served for a time as a counsellor for the international charity One Young World. She went on to work as a global ambassador for World Vision Canada, going to Rwanda to promote safe drinking water and to India to promote women’s rights. Meghan, who identifies as a feminist, also worked with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women as an Advocate beginning in 2016. After her engagement to Prince Harry in 2017, Meghan announced that she would retire from acting to focus on her royal duties and devote herself to humanitarian work.

Meghan’s status as both biracial and divorced did not go unnoticed in the British media, and some of its reactions were criticized as both racist and sexist. Following news of Meghan’s engagement, the Daily Mail publicized a story with a tweet that read: “From slaves to royalty, Meghan Markle’s upwardly mobile family.” Previously the paper had described her as “(almost) straight outta Compton,” a reference to the debut album by LA gangsta rap group NWA. Another media commentator referred to Meghan’s “exotic DNA.” The Spectator magazine, referencing Meghan’s divorced status, noted, “Seventy years ago, Meghan Markle would have been the kind of woman the prince would have had for a mistress, not a wife.” Prince Harry himself publicly addressed what he called the “outright sexism and racism of social media trolls.”

The couple were married at Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018, with about 29.2 million people watching the televised event. Thereafter Meghan became known by the title Meghan, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Sussex, as Harry was also the Duke of Sussex. The duke and duchess had their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, on May 6, 2019; their son became seventh in line to the British throne.

In January 2020, the couple suddenly announced their resignation as senior members of the royal family effective April 2020, although they made royal appearances through March. During that time, they sought to create the brand SussexRoyal, but protocols about the word "royal" prevented them from registering the trademark and the charity they created under that name was closed in June of that year. The deal the Sussexes struck with the monarchy prohibited their appearance as official royal representatives and closed their royal office, terminating their staff.

The Sussexes nevertheless went on to launch another nonprofit of their own under the name Archewell and established a private residence in the Los Angeles area. They also signed on with the Harry Walker Agency to do speaking engagements on racial justice, gender equity, and environmentalism. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they volunteered with area nonprofits to aid those in need. In 2020, they also entered into a production contract set for several years with the streaming service Netflix.

In February 2021, it was announced that Harry and Meghan had determined that their retreat from work as senior royals had become a permanent resignation. The following month, the couple provided an exclusive and particularly candid interview with Oprah Winfrey in which they discussed the lack of support and racist attitudes that they had experienced from members of the royal family regarding their marriage and their son. That same year, she put out the picture book The Bench, which ultimately became a best seller.

The duke and duchess had their second child, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, on June 4, 2021. They continued to expand their charitable work through the Archewell Foundation throughout the early 2020s, including helping Afghan refugees resettling in the United States, partnering with the City of Uvalde to create a playground for the community following the tragic mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in May 2022, and supporting women in Iran who took part in protests for human rights in 2022.

Meghan also began hosting the podcast Archetypes in August 2022, in which she explored and subverted women's stereotypes through interviews with well-known women leaders in the arts. It was reported in 2023, however, that the podcast's platform, Spotify, had opted not to produce anymore seasons of the podcast. Meanwhile, a docuseries centering upon the duke and duchess, titled Harry and Meghan, debuted on Netflix in late 2022.

The couple made a number of high-profile appearances. They often attended the Invictus Games, an annual event for injured, sick, and wounded service members and veterans that Harry had cofounded in 2014. They also made multiple international visits at the invitation of various governments. Two such trips took place in 2024. The first saw the couple travel to Nigeria for three days in May. In August, Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex spent four days in Colombia after they were invited by the country's vice president.

Impact

The public reception of Meghan and the unprecedented prospect of a biracial person joining the British royal family opened a new discussion on the role of race and racism in British culture. Meghan, by her very presence in British high society, had the power to change racial perceptions not only among the royalty, but in British culture overall. She also drew comparisons to her husband's deceased mother, Princess Diana, for her demonstrative demeanor and was credited with modernizing the monarchy in other ways, including breaking a number of royal protocols and traditions.

Bibliography

"Archewell Foundation." Archewell, archewell.com/foundation/. Accessed 21 June 2023.

Domonoske, Camila. “Who Is Meghan Markle? 6 Things to Know about the Princess-to-Be.” NPR, 27 Nov. 2017, www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/11/27/566745713/who-is-meghan-markle-6-things-to-know-about-the-princess-to-be. Accessed 12 Mar. 2018.

Friedman, Vanessa. “Meghan Markle Is Going to Make History.” The New York Times, 27 Nov. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/11/27/fashion/meghan-markle-prince-harry-wedding-style.html. Accessed 12 Mar. 2018.

Kashner, Sam. “Meghan Markle, Wild about Harry!” Vanity Fair, 6 Sept. 2017, www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/09/meghan-markle-cover-story. Accessed 12 Mar. 2018.

“Meghan Markle: The Lowdown on Prince Harry’s Fiancée.” BBC News, 27 Nov. 2017, www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-37908788. Accessed 12 Mar. 2018.

Smith, Saphora. “Meghan Markle Engagement to Prince Harry Exposes ‘Quiet’ Racism.” NBC News, 2 Dec. 2017, www.nbcnews.com/news/world/meghan-markle-engagement-prince-harry-exposes-quiet-racism-n825516. Accessed 12 Mar. 2018.

Sakoui, Anousha. “Harry and Meghan Sign with Speaking Agency That Reps Obamas.” Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2020, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2020-06-24/harry-meghan-sign-with-speaking-agency. Accessed 6 July 2020. ‌

Truong, Peggy. “A Definitive Timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Relationship.” Cosmopolitan, 24 Jan. 2018. www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a8673228/prince-harry-meghan-markle-dating-timeline/. Accessed 12 Mar. 2018.

Wells, Ione, and Harrison Jones. "We Are No Longer Debating Facts, Says Harry in Colombia." BBC, 15 Aug. 2024, www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce31qld552lo. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.