Some people love her and some people loathe her. We’re talking, of course, about Meghan Markle, who is currently living the life that most women (and quite a few men) would kill for. She became a household name thanks to a TV show that is more popular now than ever before, and she parlayed that fame into marriage with a literal Prince Charming.
In other words, most people know about Meghan as a skilled actor and wife of England’s Prince Harry. However, you may not be aware of a hidden skill she has, one that she used to make ends meet well before she married into the world’s most famous family. Just what special skill has Meghan been hiding, and how does it impact her life today? Keep reading to find out!
Meghan Markle’s breakout role
By now, you probably know that Meghan Markle’s breakout role as an actor was the legal drama Suits. She played the character Rachel Zane, and audiences were thrilled with both her career struggles and her onscreen romance with Patrick J. Adams’ character Michael Ross.
In many ways, Meghan owes her romance with Prince Harry to her success on this show. Harry previously claimed that he hadn’t watched the show before meeting Meghan, but the show’s success helped Meghan pop up on Harry’s Instagram. She was part of something posted by a mutual friend who helped set them up for a London meeting. There, she met and fell in love with Harry, who visited her in Toronto (where Suits was filmed) at least one time before she left Suits for good.
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Her somewhat embarrassing resume before ‘Suits’
Every actor has a breakout role, and there are usually plenty of embarrassing roles before that. Meghan is no exception to this particular rule: she previously appeared in shows like CSI: New York, where she played a scantily clad (think lingerie and little else) maid. And, of course, she was one of the unnamed “suitcase girls” on the popular Howie Mandel game show Deal Or No Deal.
Fortunately, it all paid off for Meghan when she was cast on Suits. Not only did that show lead to global fame, but it has only grown more popular (as of this writing, everyone is just counting down to the show getting a revival on Netflix). Some think she got lucky, but Meghan has always made her own luck, including developing a special skill that helped support her when she was between acting jobs.
Meghan, the…calligrapher?
As it turns out, Meghan Markle is more than a pretty face and more than a good actor. She is also a trained calligrapher. If the term doesn’t ring a bell, calligraphy is a fancy term for decorative handwriting. In an age where most communication is texted or printed, calligraphy has become a dying art where people use beautiful handwriting to create things like bespoke wedding invitations.
Meghan Markle is one of a relatively few people around the world who is a master calligrapher, and she discovered firsthand how lucrative this skill could be. Whenever she was between acting gigs or just needed extra cash, she would loan her calligraphy skills to individuals and companies who could afford her. In this way, Meghan used calligraphy to pay her rent, which is admittedly much classier than just getting a waitress job like all the other aspiring actresses in Los Angeles.
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Trying to balance two jobs
Where did Meghan Markle actually learn calligraphy? Back when she attended Los Angeles Immaculate Heart High School, Meghan took a handwriting course that she enjoyed so much that it led to a calligraphy career. Sometimes, she helped relatively famous people, like when she wrote the wedding invitations for Robin Thicke and Paula Patton. Other times, she worked with major companies, which included handling the holiday correspondence for Dolce & Gabbana.
Later, she would describe how surreal it was to effectively balance two different careers. In an interview with Town&Country, she revealed that “I would sit there with a little white tube sock on my hand so no hand oils got on the card, trying to pay my bills while auditioning.”
Meghan hasn’t let her skills fade
Now that Meghan Markle is married to Prince Harry, she no longer has to make ends meet like she did before. Because of that, you might expect that she has let her calligraphy skills fade over time. Surprisingly, though, she is still finding surprising uses for her specialized talent.
For example, she created a lifestyle brand named American Riviera Orchard a few months ago. The brand has a very intricate logo, and it turns out that Meghan personally created it. Somehow, this seems fitting: even as Meghan takes the first step on a new journey for herself, she’ll never forget where her previous journeys have led her.