We don’t begrudge her for protecting the bag, but it’s an open secret that Meghan Markle has a certain public image that she has worked hard to cultivate. As an American actor turned Duchess of Sussex, she basically achieved the dream of most little girls to marry her own handsome prince charming: Harry. Therefore, Meghan does her best to cultivate and protect the image of herself as a kind of fairytale princess.
Even if that were true now, though, there are many aspects of Meghan’s past which, frankly, shocked us. These are the kinds of things that don’t just disrupt her narrative…they might also change how you view this royal forever. Just what are these hidden facts about Meghan Markle, and how do they change her own royal story? Keep reading to find out!
Her father won the lottery
A big part of Meghan Markle’s story is that she was effectively “rags to riches.” After all, it’s much easier to become a royal beloved by the people (like Princess Diana was) if she could sell the idea that she was just like everyone else until she happened to make it big, first as an actor and then as a royal.
However, she doesn’t exactly come from a super common background. For example, her father won the California State lottery back in 1990, and he used a portion of the money to fully pay off Meghan’s tuition at the prestigious Immaculate Heart Catholic School (whose tuition currently sits at $22,350 per year) and then her tuition at Northwestern University.
So, sure…Meghan’s just like the rest of us. The rest of us who got free, full rides involving the best educational opportunities and networking, that is!
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Surprisingly early Hollywood history
Before she met Prince Harry, a big part of the story Meghan Markle tried to sell everyone was that she put in the hard work and made her Hollywood career a success purely from the sweat of her brow. And while she really did have acting struggles (more on this later), it’s worth noting that she was something of a Hollywood insider from a young age.
That’s because her dad, Thomas Markle, was a well-known lighting director, and he worked for over a decade on the hit show Married…With Children, going so far as to bring Meghan to the set right after she left private school. So while she’s not exactly a “nepo baby,” the truth is that she had a better shot at making it in Hollywood than any of us would have had.
She dreamed of being a blogger
When Meghan Markle was “just” a successful Hollywood actor, she still dreamed of more. And no, we’re not talking about marrying into royalty. Instead, she dreamed of having a successful lifestyle blog based on her life and her activities.
Indeed, she made that happen by running the successful blog The Tig for three years. It looked like she might keep at this passion project, but she took everything down once things got serious with Prince Harry. However, it’s downright wild to think that if she hadn’t married into royalty, she’d likely be an actor with a sideline as a social media guru.
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Her early struggles as an actor
A big part of Meghan’s story is that when she retired from acting, she went out on top. And it’s true that she was a successful actor in Suits by the time she started dating Prince Harry. What she is less transparent about, though, is just how grim her early acting career really was.
She kept getting bit parts in small television shows at the time. In fact, one of her most consistent (and a bit embarrassing) roles was as one of the “suitcase girls” on Deal Or No Deal. In fact, her job prospects were bad enough that she supplemented her income by selling her calligraphy skills to those with deep pockets, which is how she ended up creating the invitations for Robin Thicke’s 2005 wedding.
She came very close to being a diplomat
Now you know a bit more about the careers that Meghan Markle explored before she married into the Royal Family. However, many people don’t realize she had yet another road untaken. A road that, arguably, would define her most pivotal career choices for years to come.
Right after she graduated college, Meghan was a junior press officer at a U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires as part of an internship with the State Department. At the time, she took the Foreign Service Officer test which is a requirement for those hoping to become a diplomat. She failed (hey, don’t laugh…most people do because of the sheer difficulty of the exam), and it seems like she pivoted to acting because her early dreams of being an American diplomat were dashed.
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Meeting Prince Harry on a blind date
If they could bite down their jealousy long enough to form a question, many of Meghan Markle’s friends and associates had one burning query after she started dating Harry. In short, just how the hell does one go about dating royalty? It’s not like you can find these guys on Tinder.
Believe it or not, their first date was a blind date set up by a mutual friend. Meghan had met Violet von Westenholz when they were doing PR for Ralph Lauren, and the latter woman just happened to be a childhood chum of Harry’s. When she found out Harry wasn’t having much luck in love, she set them up on a blind date and the rest is history!
Serious beef with most of her family
Perhaps the biggest part of Meghan Markle’s narrative is that everyone loves her. And while she certainly has a legion of fans, you shouldn’t overlook this sobering fact: it really seems like she has serious beef with most of her family.
For example, she is estranged from her father, Thomas Markle (who, to be fair, never wastes a chance to exploit his inadvertent royal connection if it means he can make a buck). She is also estranged from her half-sister Samantha, who once wrote a tell-all book that was pointedly titled Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister. And while not officially estranged, her “Megxit” to America put her at odds with most of the royals she’s not married to (such as Charles, William, and Kate).
In other words, Meghan has managed to alienate most of her family other than her mother. And at this point, we’re not sure if a road to reconciliation even exists with the rest of them!
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