25 Surprising Facts About Meghan Markle You Won’t Believe

Meghan Markle made history when she married Prince Harry in May 2018, becoming the first biracial woman to become a Duchess in modern memory. The couple has been a media sensation since 2016, and they’re still making headlines — although for a different reason.

But Markle did not have love the royal life after all. In January 2018, she and Harry announced that they were stepping down from their royal duties and moving to Canada part-time. A few years later, they permanently quit British royal life.

To understand why Markle shied away from the royal family and its many duties, it’s important to understand her past. Where did she come from and how did this American girl find a British prince?

Her Ancestors Were Slaves

While Prince Harry’s ancestors battled over kingdoms, Markle’s were enslaved to plantation work in Jonesboro, Georgia.

According to The Times, Meghan’s earliest ancestor can be traced back to 1830 to a man by the name of Richard Ragland, who lived as a slave near Jonesboro.

Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland (who is black), still carries the family name. Doria and Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle (who is white), divorced when Meghan was 6 years old.

She’s Been Familiar With Hollywood Since Childhood

Markle was born and raised in Los Angeles as Rachel Meghan Markle. Her father was an accomplished lighting director who would bring her to the set after school. For 10 years, her father worked on the set of “Married…with Children,” and little Markle would go from her straight-laced Catholic private school to the set of the ‘90s’ raunchiest shows. 

“There were a lot of times my dad would say, ‘Meg, why don't you go and help with the craft services room over there? This is just a little off-color for your 11-year-old eyes,’” Markle told Esquire. 

She wasn’t allowed to watch the show at home.

Her Dad Won the Lottery

In 1990, Markle’s father, Thomas, won the California State lottery, which paid out a sizable $750,000. Tom used the money to pay off his child’s schooling at Immaculate Heart Catholic School, a prestigious academy that currently costs $17,650 per year. 

The lottery also paid for Markel’s college education at Northwestern University.  

However, she and her father have been estranged for many years and he is no longer a part of her life.

She Changed a Soap Commercial at Age 11

Markle’s feminist activism started early. She first appeared on screen in 1993 when Nick News picked up a story about a young 11-year-old trying to get a Procter & Gamble commercial to stop being sexist. The commercial advertised Ivory dish soap, and was clearly directed at women. While panning over a sink overflowing with dirty dishes, the narrator quips “women are fighting greasy pots and pans with Ivory dish soap” all over America. Annoyed by this, Markle wrote to anyone who might listen, including Procter & Gamble itself. 

The crazy thing is, it worked. The corporation changed the commercial, switching out “women” with “people.” 

“If you see something you don’t like or are offended by on television or any other place, write letters and send them to the right people and you can really make a difference,” the 11-year-old Markle said.

Ironically, a woman who started a letter-writing boycott campaign in 1989 to get people to stop watching “Married… With Children” arguably led to the show growing even more popular. 

She Started Work Early

At 13, Markle got her first job at a yogurt store called Humphrey Yogart, which is the best yogurt shop name of all time.

She was paid $4 an hour to scoop ice cream and take out the trash on weekends.

Her next job would jumpstart her lifelong passion for charitable work and giving back.

Her Next Job Changed Her Life

The next job young Markle took on was charity work. And it wasn’t just any easy work, it was serving food at soup kitchens at Skid Row.

“I was 13 years old, and the first day I felt really scared. I was young, and it was rough and raw down there, and though I was with a great volunteer group, I just felt overwhelmed. I remember one of my mentors (Mrs. Maria Pollia) told me that ‘life is about putting others' needs above your own fears’. That has always stayed with me,” Markle told the Daily Mail.

She Studied Theater and Politics

Markle enrolled into Northwestern University, where she joined the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and picked up a double major in theater and international relations.

She Spent Time in Europe

During break, she eschewed the typical beach party life style and backpacked in France and Italy. 

She Was Almost a Diplomat

Right after college, Markle qualified for a six-week internship with the U.S. State Department as a junior press officer at a U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires.

During that time, she took the three-hour Foreign Service Officer Test, but failed it. That’s not a slight on her — that test is hard as nails. If you’re interested, check out the official practice test. 

While Markle seemed poised to work in a charity, or become a diplomat, failing the Foriegn Service Officer Test seemed may have been the reason she chose a career path in acting.

At First, Acting Was Tough

When Markle graduated college in 2003, she moved back to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. It wasn’t easy.

She picked up bit parts in 19 television shows, including a four-episode stint as a case holder in the game show “Deal or No Deal,” where she made around $800 an episode.

With the work being so sporadic, she had to work part-time elsewhere to make ends meet.

So She Sold Her Calligraphy Skills

Markle has some serious penmanship talent. She discovered the skill during handwriting classes at her all-girls school, and later it became something she could make money from in addition to her part-time gig as a waitress while looking for roles.

She worked at a place called Paper Source, a small business in Los Angeles, where she taught calligraphy, according to People.

She also did freelance calligraphy, landing invitations for at least one high-profile job: Robin Thicke’s wedding in 2005. 

Then She Landed 'Suits'

“Suits” was Markle’s life-changing gig. The 2011 USA Network legal drama was a critical and commercial hit.

It’s not entirely known how much she made at first, but it’s speculated that she generally made more than $50,000 per episode, according to KnowNetWorth.

She Made Bank as Rachel Zane

According to IMDB, Meghan Markle has been in 108 episodes, which totals a $5.4 million paycheck over her seven-year run as Rachel Zane.

She Used to Live in Canada

“Suits” was filmed in Canada, so Markle lived there part-time. When shooting was over, she lived in this $1.75 million house in Los Angeles with her former husband.

Her Early Movie Roles Paid Well

Markle landed a few decent roles, including parts in “Remember Me,” “The Candidate,” and “The Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down.”  

Respectively, these roles earned her $187,000, $153,846 and over $50,000, according to KnowNetWorth.

She is now retired from acting, and will presumably be spending the rest of her time with royal duties.

She Has Activist Ties to Canada

Markle’s activism didn’t end at making Procter & Gamble change one of its commercials. Over the years, Markle has cemented herself as a woman’s rights and female empowerment advocate. She has been an ambassador for the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, and in 2015 gave a speech at the UN Women conference in New York. 

She worked with the Myna Mahila Foundation, a Mumbai-based charity that employs impoverished women to manufacture women’s hygiene products (it was also one of seven charities chosen by the royal couple to benefit for their wedding donations). In 2014 and 2016, she served as a One Young World counselor in Dublin and Ottawa, respectively. From 2016-2017, she was the global ambassador for World Vision Canada, a children’s charity.

Since her engagement to Harry, it appears that Markle has not been directly involved in these charities. 

 

She Charged A LOT of Money Just to Turn Up

With her rising celebrity status, Markle found she could charge a lower-income worker’s annual salary just appear at certain events.

According to “Meghan: A Hollywood Princess” by Andrew Morton, at 2015 and at the height of her fame (before meeting Prince Harry), Markle charged “$20,000 and up per appearance.”

For that price, you can also get Pauly D from “The Real World” to DJ your party.

She Used to Run a Lifestyle Blog

When Markle was traveling the world during her just-a-celebrity days, she ran a blog called The Tig, where she blogged about travel, food and fashion.

The blog was active for three years until she took it down last April (royals, we presume, don’t do blogs).

However, you can still find archives of it elsewhere.

She Met Her Prince-to-Be on a Blind Date

Apparently, Harry and Markle met via the scrupulous decision of the prince’s childhood friend, Violet von Westenholz, because the prince was having a difficult time finding true love, according to E!.

Von Westenholz and Markle met through some PR work with the fashion corporation Ralph Lauren and set the two up for a blind date in summer of 2016. 

Her Sister Doesn’t Like Her

Meghan’s half-sister, Samantha Grant, is writing a book titled “In the Shadows of The Duchess”(original title: “The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister)” and the title should tell you all you need to know about the narrative. Grant is 16 years older than her sister and is reportedly estranged from the rest of the family; Grant’s brother accused her of “trying to cash in” on Meghan’s success.  

So if you see a bunch of negative headlines about Meghan Markle in the near future when and if it ever releases, that might be why. 

In contrast, it seems like most people like the princess. Except maybe her ex-husband, whom she broke up with by sending him her wedding and engagement rings by mail. She also absconded with the family Vitamix.

Will She Keep Her Title?

Markle is still the Duchess of Sussex, but she's no longer sporting the official title of "Her Royal Highness" (and Harry is no longer "His Royal Highness"). An official statement from the monarchy says the couple will keep their Duke and Duchess titles, but the royal highness parts are being dropped because they "are no longer working members of the royal family."

 

Her Net Worth Shot Up

Meghan Markle is worth around $5 million, a purse which contains her $450,000 yearly earnings from “Suits” and about $80,000 per-year earnings from sponsorships and endorsements. Prince Harry is worth between $25 million and $40 million; after the royal wedding, the couple was worth at least $30 million, according to Business Insider. 

But now that they’re stepping down, their net worth is expected to drop. 

She May Not Be the First Biracial Royal

According to some experts, Markle isn’t the first biracial person to enter into Britain’s royal bloodline. There’s an argument that it was Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III, who was the first biracial royal family member. 

According to the Washington Post, some historians believe Queen Charlotte “was directly descended from a black branch of the Portuguese royal family: Alfonso III and his concubine, Ouruana, a black Moor.” The Post goes on to say that after Charlotte’s death in 1818, she passed on her Moorish roots all the way up to the current Queen Elizabeth II.

Does the royal family care as much as all those Twitter trolls and racists? Nope. A Buckingham Palace spokesman told The Boston Globe, “This has been rumored for years and years. It is a matter of history, and frankly, we’ve got far more important things to talk about.”

But it’s possible that all the constant bashings from British tabloids has gotten the best of the royal couple. On Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020, they posted a message to their Instagram account announcing that they are “stepping back” from their royal duties and  will “work to become financially independent” while living in Canada. 

 

It's a Boy!

In the early morning of May 6, Markle gave birth to a royal baby boy. The baby weighed 7 pounds and three ounces, as announced on Meghan and Harry’s official Instagram. The boy is named Archie, a popular British name that means “genuine,” “bold” or “brave,” according to the BBC.  

She Now Has a Royal Coat of Arms

Meghan Markle's official coat of arms includes several elements to honor her native California home - including "Pacific blue" and rays of sunlight. No word yet on if retaining the arms will be affected by the couple's new plans. 

Related: Queen Elizabeth When She Was Young

Remembering the Wedding

For those of you who missed the big wedding day, or want to relive it, continue on to see highlights from the royal wedding. 

Scenes From the Royal Wedding Day

Scenes From the Royal Wedding Day

Scenes From the Royal Wedding Day

Scenes From the Royal Wedding Day

Scenes From the Royal Wedding Day

Scenes From the Royal Wedding

Scenes From the Royal Wedding Day

Scenes From the Royal Wedding

Scenes From the Royal Wedding

Scenes From the Royal Wedding

Scenes From the Royal Wedding Day

Scenes From the Royal Wedding

Scenes From the Royal Wedding

Scenes From the Royal Wedding Day

Scenes From the Royal Wedding

Scenes From the Royal Wedding

Scenes From the Royal Wedding