WHO IS MEGHAN MARKLE?
BORN: Rachel Meghan Markle was born in Los Angeles on August 4, 1981. It's unclear when or why Markle started going by her middle name.
FAMILY:
- Mum is Doria Ragland, an African-American social worker and yoga instructor.
- Dad is Emmy Award winner Thomas Markle, a lighting director who has Dutch and Irish heritage.
- They met in the late 70s when Markle was a lighting director on a TV soap and Ragland was working as a temp at the studio. They split when Meghan was six.
SIBLINGS:
- Meghan has two older half-siblings, Samantha Grant and Thomas Markle Junior, who were born when Thomas Markle was with his first wife Roslyn.
- Grant, 52, is a former actress and model, who lives in Florida and has multiple sclerosis. She reportedly hasn't spoken to Meghan since 2008.
PETS
- Two rescue dogs, Bogart, a labrador/shepherd cross, and Guy, a beagle.
EDUCATION:
- The Hollywood Little Red Schoolhouse and the Immaculate Heart High School, a private Catholic school for girls in LA.
- Graduated in 2003 from the Northwestern University School of Communication, Illinois, where she studied theatre and international relations.
PREVIOUS MARRIAGE:
- In September 2011, Meghan married movie producer and manager Trevor Engelson in Jamaica after a seven-year romance. The couple divorced in August 2013, citing irreconcilable differences.
HOBBIES/INTERESTS
- Cooking, writing, travel, yoga, politics, social issues.
CAREER:
- Best known as Rachel Zane in US TV drama Suits.
- Markle got her break on US soap General Hospital in 2002.
- Minor TV roles followed on shows including CSI New York, Knight Rider, 90210, and Without A Trace.
- Her movie credits include British thriller Anti-Social and the comedy romance Random Encounters.
- Before breaking into acting, Markle worked as a freelance calligrapher.
- She also ran a lifestyle blog, The Tig, as a "hub for the discerning palate - those with a hunger for food, travel, fashion & beauty", but brought it to a close in April 2017 as things began getting serious with Harry.
HUMANITARIAN WORK:
- Markle is a global ambassador for World Vision Canada, an ambassador for UN Women, and an advocate for gender equality.
- She told Vanity Fair her social awareness began during the Los Angeles riots sparked by the police beating of Rodney King, in 1991.
- As an 11-year-old she was also enraged by a TV ad suggesting women belong in the kitchen washing up.
Australian Associated Press
