Meghan Markle

**Meghan, Duchess of Sussex** aka **Meghan Markle**, (Rachel Meghan; née Markle; August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British Royal Family through her marriage to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and former actress, model and humanitarian. Starting in 2011, she played Rachel Zane in the legal drama series *Suits*. She had the role of Amy Jessup in the Fox science fiction-drama *Fringe*.

## Biography

### Early life

Meghan was born at West Park Hospital in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California. She grew up in the View Park-Windsor Hills and Hollywood neighborhoods of Los Angeles County. Her father is of a Dutch and Irish background and her mother is African American. She was formerly married to Hollywood producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 to 2014.

### Acting career

Early in her career, Markle worked as a freelance calligrapher and taught bookbinding to support herself between acting jobs. Her first on-screen appearance was a small role as a nurse in an episode of the daytime soap opera *General Hospital*. Markle had small guest roles on the television shows *Century City* (2004), *The War at Home* (2006), and *CSI: NY* (2006). She also took on several contract acting and modeling jobs, including a stint as a "briefcase girl" on the US game show *Deal or No Deal*. She appeared in Fox's series *Fringe* as Junior Agent Amy Jessup in the first two episodes of its second season.

Markle had some difficulty getting roles early in her career. In 2015, she wrote: "Being 'ethnically ambiguous', as I was pegged in the industry, meant I could audition for virtually any role ... Sadly, it didn't matter: I wasn't black enough for the black roles and I wasn't white enough for the white ones, leaving me somewhere in the middle as the ethnic chameleon who couldn't book a job."

Markle appeared in two 2010 films, *Get Him to the Greek* and *Remember Me*, and one 2011 film, *Horrible Bosses*. She was paid $187,000 for her role in *Remember Me* and $171,429 for her role in the short film *The Candidate*.

In July 2011, Markle joined the cast of the USA Network TV series *Suits*. Her character, Rachel Zane, began as a paralegal and eventually became an attorney. She completed work on the seventh season in late 2017. According to a critique in *The Irish Times*, Markle "actively re-positioned" her character from ingénue to "the show's moral conscience" and gave viewers the unique portrayal of a daughter whose African-American father is in a position to help her career and advance her "desire to crack both racial and gender glass ceilings". While working on *Suits*, Markle lived for nine months each year in a rented house in the Seaton Village neighborhood of Toronto. *Fortune* magazine estimated that Markle was paid $50,000 per episode, amounting to an annual salary of about $450,000.

### Personal life

Markle began dating Prince Harry of Wales in June 2016. They became engaged in November 2017. In preparation for the wedding, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, baptised Markle and confirmed her into the Church of England on March 6, 2018. The couple married at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018. After their wedding, they became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

In October 2018, it was announced that the Duchess was pregnant with the couple's first child. The baby, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, was born on May 6, 2019.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's second child, a baby girl, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, was born on June 4, 2021.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6998877/amp/Doctor-reveals-delivered-Meghan-shabby-Los-Angeles-hospital-37-years-ago.html
2. ↑ Petit, Stephanie (September 30, 2019). Meghan Markle Just Received a Custom Gift for Archie During a Surprise Outing in Africa. Retrieved on October 9, 2019.
3. ↑ Eades, Chris (December 5, 2017). Meghan Markle Started Her Acting Career on *General Hospital* ABC Soaps In Depth. Bauer Publications. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved on January 26, 2018.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Ivie, Devon. "Beyond *Suits*: Your Guide to Meghan Markle's TV Work", November 28, 2017.
5. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie. "Meghan Markle joins 'Fringe'", *The Hollywood Reporter*, June 23, 2009. Retrieved on June 24, 2009.
6. ↑ Judith Vonberg. "Meghan Markle: Who is Prince Harry's bride-to-be?", CNN.
7. ↑ Hibberd, James. "Meghan Markle books lead role on 'Legal Mind'", *The Hollywood Reporter*, August 24, 2010. Retrieved on November 16, 2016.
8. ↑ Meghan Markle Net Worth 2017. Archived from the original on December 2, 2017. Retrieved on April 4, 2018.
9. ↑ "Meghan Markle to quit Suits after engagement to Prince Harry", November 27, 2017.
10. ↑ "Meghan Markle's final episode of 'Suits' features her in a wedding dress", *The Irish Times*, April 26, 2018. (in en-US)
11. ↑ Horton, Helena. "Meghan Markle's Toronto home – where Prince Harry stayed – up for sale", *The Telegraph*, December 12, 2017.
12. ↑ Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: What's Their Net Worth?. *Fortune* (April 4, 2018). Archived from the original on April 4, 2018.
13. ↑ Prince Harry and US actress Meghan Markle engaged, Prince Charles says. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (November 28, 2017). Retrieved on November 28, 2017.
14. ↑ Booth, Robert (November 28, 2017). Prince Harry to marry Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle in May. *The Guardian*. Retrieved on November 28, 2017.
15. ↑ Meghan and Harry announce pregnancy (en-GB).
16. ↑ "Duchess of Sussex gives birth to boy", May 6, 2019. (in en-GB)

## External links

* Meghan, Duchess of Sussex article at *Wikipedia*
* Meghan Markle links at FreeOnes
* Meghan Markle at Babepedia
* The Duchess of Sussex at the official website of the British royal family
* The Duchess of Sussex at the official website of the Prince of Wales