14 Meghan Markle Facts That, Honestly, You Probably Didn't Know

Nothing but respect for MY princess.

Hi, I'm Shyla, and I'm ~slightly~ obsessed with Meghan Markle. She's beautiful, talented, accomplished, and everything I could ever want in an American princess.

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But my friend Greg finally got tired of me talking about her all the time, so I decided to just write a post telling you all the interesting things about her:

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1. Meghan's not her real name.

Instagram: @meghanmarkle

Though the world knows her as Meghan, that's actually her middle name. Her first name is Rachel — the same name as her character on Suits.

2. She was once a professional calligrapher.

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She told Esquire that she's "always had a propensity for getting the cursive down pretty well," after taking handwriting classes in Catholic school. She said, "What it evolved into was my pseudo-waitressing job when I was auditioning. I didn't wait tables. I did calligraphy." She did everything from celebrity wedding invitations to holiday cards.

3. At just 11 years old, she spoke out against a sexist commercial.

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She told Glamour, "When I was in grade school, I saw this sexist commercial for dish soap. With Rosie’s 'We can do it!' mantra in mind, I wrote a letter to Procter & Gamble, Hillary Clinton, and Nick News anchor Linda Ellerbee, who sent a camera crew to meet me. Guess what? They changed the commercial."

4. She was once a briefcase model on Deal or No Deal.

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She told Esquire that her time on the show was something she was "doing while [she] was auditioning to try to make ends meet" and that "working on Deal or No Deal was a learning experience, and it helped [her] to understand what [she] would rather be doing." She also said that she never had the winning case.

5. She was basically a fashion designer.

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She designed two collections for the Canadian retailer Reitmans. You can check out a few of the looks here.

6. She has a political background.

Instagram: @meghanmarkle

Meghan got the best of both worlds by double majoring in theatre and international relations at Northwestern University, and she even had an internship working for the US Embassy. She told Marie Claire back in 2013 that she "thought for sure [she] would still have a career in politics."

7. She has two adorable adopted dogs, thanks to Ellen DeGeneres.

Instagram: @meghanmarkle

Markle told Best Health, "I was sitting there [in the shelter] with him [Bogart] and then Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi walk in ... Ellen goes, ‘Is that your dog?’ And I said, ‘No,’ and she’s like, ‘You have to take that dog.’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m deciding.’ And she’s like, ‘Rescue the dog!' ... And she walks outside to get into her car, but instead of getting in she turns around and comes and taps on the window glass, and she yells, ‘Take the dog!’ And so, I brought him home — because Ellen told me to."

8. She's a self-proclaimed foodie who knows her way around the kitchen.

Instagram: @meghanmarkle

She told Marie Claire, "I love to cook. My character [on Suits] is a foodie because they know that I'm a foodie. I'm always on the quest to find amazing new restaurants and new recipes... I do think there's some value to really throwing yourself into food and embracing where it comes from." And, I guess food is her lucky charm since Prince Harry proposed to her while they were making roast chicken for dinner.

9. She's besties with GOAT Serena Williams.

Instagram: @meghanmarkle

The two met in 2014 at DirecTV's Celebrity Beach Bowl. Meghan wrote on the Tig that they "hit it off immediately, taking pictures, laughing through the flag football game we were both playing in, and chatting not about tennis or acting, but about all the good old fashioned girly stuff. ... She quickly became a confidante I would text when I was traveling, the friend I would rally around for her tennis matches, and the down to earth chick I was able to grab lunch with."

10. She founded a lifestyle blog called the Tig.

Instagram: @meghanmarkle

After three years, Meghan shut down the blog in April. In the Tig's official goodbye, she wrote, "What began as a passion project (my little engine that could) evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity."

11. She's passionate about helping others.

Instagram: @meghanmarkle

Earlier this year, Markle became a global ambassador for World Vision Canada, campaigning for clean water and women's education in India and Rwanda, which is just one of many organizations she's a part of. During the couple's first official interview, Meghan spoke about the philanthropic aspects of royal life, saying, "I'm excited to really get to know more about the different communities here and smaller organizations that are working on the same causes that I've always been passionate about.”

12. She actually grew up around the entertainment industry.

Instagram: @meghanmarkle

Her dad, Tom, was a lighting director and director of photography for Married... with Children. She told Esquire that "every day after school for 10 years, I was on the set of Married... with Children, which is a really funny and perverse place for a little girl in a Catholic school uniform to grow up. There were a lot of times my dad would say, "Meg, why don't you go and help with the craft services room over there? This is just a little off-color for your 11-year-old eyes."

13. She's extremely well-traveled.

Instagram: @meghanmarkle

Meghan was born and raised in LA, and she made Toronto her second home after moving there to film Suits. But her Instagram is filled with photos of her travels to Spain, Italy, and of course, England. She was inspired after reading Eat, Pray, Love, and took a vacation this past August so she could "eat everything, pray (and meditate) often, and simply love my life, every ounce of it."

14. She's got royalty in her blood.

Instagram: @meghanmarkle

No, I'm not talking about the fact that she and Harry are apparently distant cousins, thanks to their 17th-century ancestor, High Sheriff of County Durham Ralph Bowes. I'm talking about playwright royalty — Meghan's allegedly related to William Shakespeare. (Be still, my English major heart!)

Long live Princess Meghan!

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(And yes, I know she'll technically be a duchess or something and not a princess, but it's been a rough year — let me have this!)

CORRECTION

Dec. 31, 2017, at 19:13 PM

Meghan filmed Suits in Toronto. An earlier version of this post misstated the location.