Meghan Markle worked as a freelance calligrapher to support herself between early acting jobs. Her first appearance on screen was a small role as a nurse in an episode of the daytime soap opera General Hospital. She is to become a member of the British royal family upon her appending marriage to Prince Harry on 19 May 2018.
In 2017, she became engaged to Prince Harry, and announced her retirement from acting. Meghan Markle on IMDb
The marriage ceremony took place on May 19, 2018, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married in a ground-breaking ceremony that blended the modern with the traditional. They blended English ritual with African American culture, infusing the British monarchy with a blast of modernity.
Titles and styles
Since her marriage to Prince Harry, Meghan is a princess of the United Kingdom entitled to the style of Royal Highness, as well as Duchess of Sussex, Countess of Dumbarton and Baroness Kilkeel. She is styled as "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex".
The Duchess of Sussex at the Royal Family website
The Duke of Sussex is a substantive title, one of several royal dukedoms, that has been created twice in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It takes its name from the county of Sussex in England.
Dukes of Sussex
Second creation, 2018
| Duke | Portrait | Birth | Marriages | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Harry House of Windsor 2018–present also: Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel (2018) |
 |
15 September 1984 St Mary's Hospital, London son of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer |
19 May 2018 Meghan Markle |
– |
| Dukedom of Sussex | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Creation date | 2018 |
| Creation | Second |
| Monarch | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Peerage | Peerage of the United Kingdom |
| Present holder | Prince Harry |
| Subsidiary titles | Earl of Dumbarton Baron Kilkeel |
| Status | Extant |
First creation, 1801
| Duke | Birth | Marriages | Death | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince Augustus Frederick House of Hanover 1801–1843 also: Earl of Inverness and Baron Arklow (1801) |
|
27 January 1773 Buckingham House, London son of King George III and Queen Charlotte |
4 April 1793 Lady Augusta Murray 2 children 2 May 1831 Lady Cecilia Underwood No children |
21 April 1843 Kensington Palace, London aged 70 |
| Prince Augustus' marriage to Lady Augusta Murray, which produced two children, was invalid under the Royal Marriages Act 1772; accordingly all his titles became extinct on his death. | ||||
| Duchess of Sussex |
|
|---|---|
| Born | Rachel Meghan Markle August 4, 1981 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Residence | Nottingham Cottage, Kensington Palace, London |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University (2003) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2002–2017 |
| Spouse(s) | Trevor Engelson (m. 2011; div. 2013) Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (m. 2018) |
| House |
Windsor (by marriage) |
| Parents |
|
Engagement to Prince Harry
The ring given by Harry to Markle consists of a large central diamond from Botswana, with two smaller diamonds from the jewellery collection of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
In preparation for the wedding, Markle was baptised and confirmed into the Church of England on March 6, 2018 by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. The private ceremony, performed with holy water from the River Jordan, took place in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace. The marriage ceremony itself will take place on May 19, 2018, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. After becoming engaged, Markle began the years-long process of becoming a British citizen. After the wedding, they will live at Nottingham Cottage in London, on the grounds of Kensington Palace.
Humanitarian work
Markle was a counsellor for international charity One Young World, speaking at the 2014 annual summit in Dublin on the topics of gender equality and modern day slavery. Also in 2014, she traveled to Afghanistan and Spain as part of the United Service Organizations Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Holiday Tour. In 2016, Markle became a global ambassador for World Vision Canada, traveling to Rwanda for the Clean Water Campaign, the agency's campaign to provide safe, clean drinking water, and she traveled to India to raise awareness of issues concerning women. She has also worked with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women as an Advocate. She identifies as a feminist. Markle again attended the One Young World summit in 2016.