Meghan, Duchess of Sussex facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Meghan |
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Meghan in 2024
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| Born | Rachel Meghan Markle August 4, 1981 Los Angeles, California, US |
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| House | Windsor (by marriage) |
| Father | Thomas Markle Sr. |
| Mother | Doria Ragland |
| Alma mater | Northwestern University (BA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2001–2017 (actress) |
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (born Rachel Meghan Markle, August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family. She is also a media personality, entrepreneur, and former actress. She is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, who is the younger son of King Charles III.
Meghan grew up in Los Angeles, California. She started her acting career after studying at Northwestern University. She was well-known for playing Rachel Zane in the TV show Suits from 2011 to 2018. She also had a popular lifestyle blog called The Tig. During this time, Meghan became very involved in charity work. She focused on helping women and promoting social justice.
Meghan stopped acting when she married Prince Harry in 2018. She then became known as the Duchess of Sussex. They have two children, Archie and Lilibet. In January 2020, the couple decided to step back from their main royal duties. They moved to Southern California and started Archewell Inc., which is a mix of business and charity projects. Meghan has also written a children's book called The Bench. She hosted a podcast called Archetypes in 2022. She has also appeared in the Netflix series Harry & Meghan (2022) and With Love, Meghan (2025). In April 2025, she launched her own lifestyle and cooking brand, As Ever.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Rachel Meghan Markle was born on August 4, 1981, in Los Angeles, California. She describes herself as mixed race. Her father is Caucasian and her mother is African American. Her parents, Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle Sr., separated when she was young.
Meghan went to Hollywood Little Red Schoolhouse as a child. When she was eleven, she and her classmates wrote to a company to make a dishwashing soap commercial more gender-neutral. She attended Immaculate Heart High School (Los Angeles), which is an all-girls Catholic school. She enjoyed taking part in plays and musicals there.
In 1999, Meghan started studying at Northwestern University in Illinois. She joined a sorority and volunteered with the Glass Slipper Project. She also spent time studying abroad in Madrid. In 2003, she earned her bachelor's degree. She studied both theater and international studies.
Acting Career and Roles
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Meghan found it challenging to get acting roles early on. She felt she wasn't "black enough for the black roles" or "white enough for the white ones." To support herself, she worked as a freelance calligrapher. Her first TV appearance was a small part in the soap opera General Hospital.
She had guest roles in shows like Century City (2004) and CSI: NY (2006). From 2006 to 2007, she was a "briefcase girl" on the game show Deal or No Deal. She also appeared in the series Fringe.
Meghan had small parts in films such as Remember Me and Horrible Bosses in 2011. In July 2011, she joined the cast of the USA Network show Suits. She played Rachel Zane, a paralegal who later became an attorney. She worked on Suits until late 2017.
Personal Life and Family
Marriage to Prince Harry
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Meghan began a relationship with Prince Harry in mid-2016. Prince Harry is a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II. They met through a mutual friend. Their relationship became public in November 2016. Prince Harry asked for privacy for Meghan due to negative comments in the media.
In September 2017, Meghan and Prince Harry appeared together in public at the Invictus Games in Toronto. Their engagement was announced on November 27, 2017. The news was met with excitement, especially because Meghan is mixed-race. She announced that she would stop acting and planned to become a British citizen.
Meghan was baptized and confirmed into the Church of England on March 6, 2018. The wedding ceremony took place on May 19 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Her wedding dress was designed by Clare Waight Keller.
After their wedding, the Duke and Duchess lived at Nottingham Cottage in London. They later moved to Frogmore Cottage near Windsor Castle. Meghan gave birth to their son, Archie, on May 6, 2019. Their daughter, Lilibet, was born on June 4, 2021.
Public Life and Royal Duties
Early Engagements as a Royal
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Meghan's first public appearance with Prince Harry was in Nottingham on December 1, 2017. She attended the Commonwealth Day service with the Queen in March 2018. Her first official trip abroad as a royal was to Dublin, Ireland, in July 2018.
In October 2018, the Duke and Duchess traveled to Australia, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand for the Invictus Games. The public and media were very happy when her pregnancy was announced during this tour. In February 2019, they visited Morocco. Their focus there was on projects supporting "women's empowerment" and "girls' education."
In September and October 2019, they went on a tour of Southern Africa. Their son Archie traveled with them, making it their first official tour as a family.
Stepping Back from Royal Duties
In January 2020, Meghan and Harry announced they would step back from their roles as senior members of the royal family. They decided to divide their time between the UK and North America. The Palace confirmed they would no longer do royal duties as representatives of the Queen. They also would not receive financial support for these duties. They kept their HRH titles but agreed not to use them publicly.
Meghan's last solo public engagement as a senior royal was a visit to Robert Clack School in Dagenham on March 7, 2020. She and Harry attended the Commonwealth Day service on March 9, 2020. This was their last engagement as a couple before officially stepping down on March 31.
In June 2020, the couple bought a house in Montecito, California. They returned to the UK in June 2022 for the Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving. They also visited the UK and Germany in September 2022 for charity events. They remained in the UK for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on September 8, 2022.
In May 2024, Meghan and Harry visited Nigeria. The trip focused on "sports rehabilitation, mental health, and women's empowerment." Meghan co-hosted a women's empowerment summit and received special honors from Nigerian Chiefs.
Further Career and Projects
In June 2020, Meghan and Harry signed with the Harry Walker Agency for public speaking events. In September 2020, they signed a deal with Netflix. In December 2020, Meghan invested in a coffee company called Clevr Blends. They also signed a deal with Spotify to produce podcasts through their company, Archewell Audio. Meghan's podcast, Archetypes, started in August 2022.
Meghan wrote a picture book called The Bench, which was published in June 2021. It is about the relationship between a father and son. The book became a number one best-seller on The New York Times list for children's picture books.
In October 2021, Meghan and Harry announced a partnership with Ethic, a sustainable investment firm. They also created several companies to manage their projects and foundation.
Harry & Meghan, a docuseries about the couple, premiered on Netflix in December 2022. In April 2023, Meghan signed with the talent agency WME.
In March 2024, Meghan launched her lifestyle and cooking brand, American Riviera Orchard, later renamed As Ever. In April 2024, Archewell Productions announced two new Netflix shows, one on lifestyle and one on polo. Her lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, premiered on Netflix in March 2025. In the same month, she launched an online site called ShopMy.
Charity Work and Advocacy
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Meghan became a counselor for One Young World in 2014. She also toured with the United Service Organizations (USO) in Spain, Italy, Turkey, Afghanistan, and England.
In 2016, she became a global ambassador for World Vision Canada. She traveled to Rwanda for the Clean Water Campaign. She also worked with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women as an advocate. In 2017, she joined Prince Harry in supporting Elephants Without Borders in Botswana.
In January 2018, Meghan became interested in the Hubb Community Kitchen. This kitchen was run by survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire. She suggested they publish a cookbook to raise money. Together: Our Community Cookbook was her first charity project as Duchess of Sussex. Proceeds from the cookbook have been donated to charities like Migrateful and Himmah.
In March 2020, Meghan narrated the Disneynature documentary Elephant. Disneynature and the Disney Conservation Fund donated to Elephants Without Borders to support elephant conservation. In June 2020, the couple supported the Stop Hate for Profit campaign. In July 2020, she spoke in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
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In April 2021, the couple became campaign chairs for Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World. This event was organized by Global Citizen to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines. In August 2021, for her 40th birthday, Meghan launched 40x40. This campaign encourages people to spend 40 minutes mentoring women returning to work.
In February 2022, the couple received the President's Award from the NAACP. This was for their work on social justice and equality. In October 2022, Meghan and Harry received the Ripple of Hope Award. This award recognized their work on racial justice and mental health through their Archewell foundation. In April 2023, she received the Women of Vision Award from the Ms. Foundation for Women.
Patronages and Interests
From January 2019 to February 2021, Meghan was a patron of London's National Theatre. She was also a patron of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. She continues to be a private patron of Smart Works. From March 2019 to February 2021, she was the vice president of The Queen's Commonwealth Trust.
In 2019, Meghan was a guest editor for the September issue of British Vogue. She highlighted the work of 15 women who were "Forces for Change." She also collaborated with fashion houses to launch a clothing collection called The Smart Set. This collection benefited the charity Smart Works. For every item purchased, one was donated to help "unemployed and disadvantaged women."
Sussex Royal and Archewell
In February 2018, Meghan became a patron of The Royal Foundation. In May 2019, she and her husband launched Shout. This is a text messaging service for people with mental health issues. In June 2019, Harry and Meghan decided to create their own foundation.
Their new foundation was called "Archewell". The name comes from the Greek word "arche", meaning "source of action." This word also inspired the name of their son. Archewell was registered in the United States. Its website officially launched in October 2020.
Privacy and Media Interactions
Meghan and Harry have had several interactions with the media regarding their privacy. In October 2019, Meghan filed a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). This was the publisher of The Mail on Sunday. The lawsuit was about the publication of a private letter she sent to her father.
In February 2021, the High Court of Justice ruled that ANL's Mail on Sunday had invaded Meghan's privacy. She won her case for "misuse of private information and copyright infringement." In December 2021, an appeal court upheld this decision. The Mail on Sunday and MailOnline later published a statement acknowledging Meghan's victory.
In March 2020, the couple took Splash UK to court. This was after Meghan and her son were photographed without permission in Canada. The case was settled later that year. Splash UK agreed not to take unauthorized photos of the family again. In April, the Duke and Duchess announced they would no longer work with certain tabloids.
Interesting Facts About Meghan
- She identifies as mixed race.
- At age 11, she and her classmates wrote to Procter & Gamble to ask them to make a dishwashing soap commercial gender-neutral.
- As a teenager, she worked at a frozen yogurt shop, and later as a waitress and babysitter. She also volunteered at a soup kitchen in Skid Row, Los Angeles.
- Along with Catherine, Princess of Wales, Meghan is seen as a royal style icon. In 2018, Tatler magazine included Meghan on its list of Britain's best-dressed people.
See also
In Spanish: Meghan Markle para niños
