Markle's Life Before Marriage: Where Did She Live?

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, lived in Toronto, Canada, for nine months of the year while filming Suits. She also lived in Los Angeles, California, where she was born and raised, and where she returned after stepping down as a working royal in 2020. Markle also lived in the UK in the lead-up to her wedding to Prince Harry, with the couple residing at Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace following their marriage.

Meghan Markle's pre-wedding life in Los Angeles

Meghan Markle was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She lived with her parents and half-siblings in a two-bedroom property on Providencia Street in Woodland Hills until she was two. When her parents divorced in 1983, Markle and her mother, Doria Ragland, moved to an apartment in Mild-Wilshire, LA. Markle split her time between her mother's apartment and her father's apartment behind the Hollywood strip until she graduated and left for college in 1999.

Markle's father, Thomas Markle, worked as an Emmy award-winning lighting director, and he often brought his daughter to the set of 'Married... with Children'. Markle attended the private, all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles. At age eleven, she and her classmates wrote to Procter & Gamble to gender-neutralize a dishwashing soap commercial on national television. She was also a "theater nerd" at Northwestern University, where she double-majored in theater and international relations.

Markle's acting career began at Northwestern University. She supplemented her income by working as a freelance calligrapher and teaching bookbinding. Her first on-screen appearance was a small role as a nurse in an episode of the daytime soap opera 'General Hospital', a show for which her father served as a lighting director. She also had small guest roles on the television shows 'Century City', 'The War at Home', and 'CSI: NY'. Markle's big break came when she was cast as paralegal Rachel Zane in the popular USA Network legal drama series 'Suits' (2011-2018). She lived in Toronto, Canada, for nine months each year while filming the show.

Markle was married to producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 until their divorce in 2014. They owned a Colonial-style home in Los Angeles until 2013, when they divorced and Markle moved to Toronto. The former marital home is now up for sale for approximately £1.5 million. It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a huge garden with an al fresco dining area.

Meghan's career as an actress

Meghan Markle's acting career began at Northwestern University, where she studied theatre and international relations. She had her first onscreen appearance as a nurse in an episode of the daytime soap opera General Hospital, for which her father was a lighting director. She went on to play small roles in television series and films, including Cuts, The War at Home, CSI: NY, 90210, Century City, The League, and Castle. She also took on several contract acting and modelling jobs, including a stint as a "briefcase girl" on the US game show Deal or No Deal.

Markle's big break came in 2011 when she landed the role of Rachel Zane on the USA network series Suits. The legal drama centres on the shifting intrigues of a Manhattan corporate law firm, with the savvy Zane attending Columbia Law School to pursue her dreams of becoming an attorney. The show became a top performer among USA Network's scripted programs and Markle stayed with the show for seven seasons until 2018, when she retired from acting after her marriage to Prince Harry.

Markle has also done big-screen work, appearing in films such as Get Him to the Greek (2010), Horrible Bosses (2011), and Anti-Social (2015), as well as the TV movies When Sparks Fly (2014) and Dater's Handbook (2016).

Meghan's relationship with her father

Meghan Markle's relationship with her father, Thomas Markle, has been described as "toxic" and "complicated". Meghan's parents divorced when she was two years old, and she lived with her father full-time before starting university. Growing up, Meghan's father supported her acting career, and he helped her land a small part on General Hospital, where he worked as a lighting director.

However, Meghan's relationship with her father took a turn for the worse after she began dating Prince Harry. In the lead-up to Meghan and Harry's wedding, Thomas Markle staged paparazzi photos of himself and shared personal information about his daughter with the press. He also admitted to initially lying to Meghan and Harry about his involvement in the staged photos and confirmed that he had hung up on one of their phone calls. As a result of his actions, Thomas Markle did not walk Meghan down the aisle at her wedding, citing health issues as the reason for his absence.

In the years following the wedding, Thomas Markle continued to share personal details about Meghan and her family with the press. In 2018, he published a private letter from Meghan, in which she pleaded with him to stop speaking to the tabloids and exploiting her relationship with Harry. Meghan and Harry sued the publisher of the letter, Associated Newspapers, and won their case, with the High Court of Justice ruling that the publication had invaded Meghan's privacy.

In a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan opened up about her relationship with her father, stating that she felt betrayed by his actions. She also revealed that she and Harry had a private wedding ceremony three days before their public wedding, which only included them and the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Meghan and Harry's secret wedding ceremony

Meghan Markle was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and lived there until her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018. During her acting career, she lived in Toronto for nine months each year while filming Suits.

Now, as for the secret wedding ceremony...

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry revealed in their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey that they had a private wedding ceremony three days before their royal wedding. The couple shared that they had privately exchanged vows in their backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, present. Meghan explained that the public spectacle of the royal wedding was "for the world", but the private ceremony was for their union as a couple.

While the couple considered this a wedding, the Archbishop of Canterbury later clarified that the legal wedding took place on the originally planned date, and that he would have committed a criminal offense if he had signed a false wedding certificate. A source close to the couple also confirmed that the private ceremony was not legally binding.

The private ceremony was not revealed to the public until the Oprah interview, which took place three years after the wedding. The couple explained that they wanted to keep the private ceremony a secret, with Meghan stating that it was liberating to be able to speak about it.

The royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry took place on May 19, 2018, at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, United Kingdom. The ceremony was attended by approximately 600 guests and was followed by two receptions hosted by the Queen and Prince Charles. The event was broadcast worldwide and was estimated to have been viewed by hundreds of millions of people.

The royal wedding included many traditional elements, such as the bride and groom processing out of the chapel, singing the national anthem, and sharing a kiss on the steps outside the chapel. The ceremony also incorporated African-American culture and featured a gospel group, the Kingdom Choir, who sang "Stand By Me".

The wedding was significant for its departure from some royal traditions and for its inclusion of modern elements. For example, the bride gave a speech at the evening reception, which broke with tradition. Additionally, the wedding inspired trends in bridal choices, such as the bride's dress and the cake.

The couple delayed their honeymoon and made their first public appearance as a married couple at Prince Charles' 70th birthday celebration a few days after the wedding.

The royal wedding ceremony

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took place on Saturday, 19 May 2018, at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in the United Kingdom. The groom is a member of the British royal family, and the bride, an American actress, is known for her role in the Canadian-American legal drama 'Suits'. The ceremony was officiated by Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, and notably included elements of African-American culture.

The bride arrived unescorted at the chapel's West Door and walked down the aisle to a cantata composed by Handel. Markle's elegant white dress was designed by British designer Clare Waight Keller, the first female artistic director for the Givenchy fashion house. Her 16-foot-long veil was held in place by a diamond bandeau tiara lent to her by the Queen.

Prince Harry, flanked by his brother and best man, Prince William, wore the frockcoat uniform of the Blues and Royals. As Markle reached his side, Harry said, "You look amazing. I missed you." The couple exchanged rings created by Cleave and Company, with Markle's ring fashioned from Welsh gold and Harry's from platinum.

The ceremony was conducted according to the Christian liturgy for Holy Matrimony, as set out in Common Worship of the Church of England. The service included a stirring address by Bishop Michael Curry, the first African-American head of the Episcopal Church in the United States. The ceremony concluded with the Etta James version of "Amen/This Little Light of Mine," a gospel song synonymous with the US civil rights movement.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, rode through the streets of Windsor in an open carriage drawn by four Windsor Grey horses. They were waved off by a bridal party that included Prince Harry's nephew and niece, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

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