Meghan Markle: The story of her life in pictures

Meghan Markle was born on 4 August 1981, to parents Doria Garland and Thomas Markle Sr.

Meghan Markle's parents got divorced when she was six years old, and she lived with her dad for a few years while her mother pursued her career as a make-up artist.

Her television debut was in 1993 on Nickelodeon's Nick News where she spoke out against sexist Procter & Gamble ads.

In 2007, Meghan Markle appeared as one of the briefcase girls in Deal or No Deal. She said it wasn't easy to stand in heels for so long.

In 1995, she worked at a Humphrey Yogart, which was a frozen yoghurt shop. Her former boss said that she was very popular.

Meghan Markle's very first role was in General Hospital as Nurse Jill for two episodes.

Not many people know that Meghan Markle worked as a freelance calligrapher in 2005.

Meghan Markle met film producer Trevor Engelson in 2004, and the couple got married in 2011, in Jamaica. 

2011 is the year the trajectory of her career changed after getting the role of Rachel Zane in Suits.

In 2014, she started her own lifestyle blog entitled The Tig, which is a tribute to her favorite wine Tignanello by Antinori.

Meghan Markle and Trevor Engelson got divorced in 2014, allegedly because of their busy work schedule, as the actress had to live in Toronto for nine months a year to film Suits. 

Meghan Markle became a World Vision Ambassador in 2016, and helped to bring clean water to a community in Rwanda through donations.

She met Prince Harry in the same year. 

In 2017, Meghan Markle continued her humanitarian work through World Vision and visited India to promote women's rights in the country.

In 2017, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially announced their engagement, which initiated her path to becoming a Duchess.

Only a few days later, USA Network officially announced that Meghan Markle was leaving Suits, thanking her and wishing her the very best.

In 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married with celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Elton John attending the wedding.

Meghan Markle's father did not attend her wedding to Prince Harry, and he decided to speak to the media about personal aspects of his relationship with the Duchess, leading her to cut ties with him. 

In 2019, her first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor was born.

In 2020, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry officially announced that they intend to take a step back from the Royal Family.

In 2020, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry briefly lived in Canada at their waterfront home on Vancouver Island.

Shortly after moving to California in 2020, it was announced that the couple had signed a production deal with Netflix.

In October 2020, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry officially founded Archwell Inc., focusing on charity and media production.

In 2021, Meghan Markle gave birth to her second child, a daughter who was given the name Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.

Thomas Markle Sr. has often made pleas to his daughter and son-in-law, as he wants to meets his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet. He told the Daily Mail:

‘I would love to meet my grandchildren, but I would be happy with a photograph at this stage.’

Meghan Markle published The Bench in 2021, her first children's book. It features a poem which began as a love letter to Prince Harry.

In 2021, Netflix announced that Meghan Markle would be the executive producer for the series Pearl. It was then cancelled to cut costs.

In 2021, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry shocked fans with their explosive Oprah interview. 

Meghan Markle was seen getting involved at the 2022 Invictus Games 'Land Rover Challenge'. 

In the summer of 2022, Meghan Markle accompanied Prince Harry to Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee. The celebrated the birthday of Lilibet in the UK, and that was the last time her kids were in the country. 

Meghan Markle gave a moving speech at the One Young World Summit 2022.

Meghan Markle attended Queen Elizabeth's funeral with her husband, Prince Harry, in September 2022.

In December 2022, Harry & Meghan, the couple's documentary aired on Netflix.

Meghan Markle signed with new talent agency WME in April 2023.

Meghan Markle's old show Suits became Netflix's most-watched series in the summer of 2023 when it became available on the platform.

In 2023, Meghan Markle joined Prince Harry at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf. 

Meghan Markle accompanied her husband, Prince Harry, to the 2024 Invictus Games in Vancouver. 

Meghan Markle was a keynote speaker at the SXSW Conference in Texas, in 2024. She spoke about women in power. 

Meghan Markle's step-sister, Samantha Markle, filed a lawsuit against her, accusing the Duchess of lying about her family during several interviews, including the famous Oprah sit-down. The case was dismissed by the judge in 2024. 

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attended the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, in Hollywood, in 2024. 

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visited Colombia with their Archwell Foundation in August 2024.