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Meghan Markle’s road from California schoolgirl to actress to future bride to the fifth-in-line to the British throne is a real-life fairytale.

Markle, 36, will become part of the British royal family when she weds Prince Harry, 33, at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19.

While the life of a royal is undeniably glamorous from the outside, Markle will be expected to embrace the official duties that come along with joining the royal family, a role she may not have imagined herself in even just a few years ago.

Take a look at the ways Markle’s life has changed, and how she is learning the ways of royalty. Continue reading Real life to royal: How Meghan Markle’s life is changing

As a team of professionals at Kensington Palace oversees the metamorphosis of Meghan Markle from American actor to British princess, they may have squandered one useful gift: her dowry.

“As I understand it, there have been an extra 1m hits on the royal Kensington Palace website as a result of Meghan,” said Andrew Morton, the biographer of Diana, Princess of Wales; of Wallis Simpson – the last US divorcee to marry into the family; and now of Markle.

Once her romance with Prince Harry was confirmed, the former star of legal drama Suits shut down The Tig, her lifestyle website, and bid farewell to 1.9 million Instagram followers. “Talk about frittering away a constituency,” said Morton, whose book Meghan: The Hollywood Princess is published this week. “In the old days, a bride brought a dowry. She brought 1.9 million Instagram followers, all of whom have been cast aside.”

Palace aides might look at another American princess, Sarah Butler, who, like Markle, studied international relations and married into royalty. Now HRH Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan, she advocates on mother and child rights, harnessing her social media power to disseminate her message, Morton said. Continue reading ‘Team Meghan’ helps Markle prepare for life as a princess

Meghan Markle has a busy week coming up. The future royal will attend two engagements during the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, which convenes every two years and this year takes place in London. Given that she is not yet a fully fledged member of the family, it is highly unusual for Markle to be involved in such a high-profile event (the meeting is a summit of the Commonwealth’s 53 leaders). It’s a strong hint at what Markle might do once she is a member of the royal family.

Meghan will attend the Commonwealth Youth Forum in London on Wednesday, with Prince Harry, as well as a Women’s Empowerment reception on Thursday which involves charities and organizations working to promote gender equality through girls’ education, a cause Markle is passionate about. Her presence at C.H.O.G.M. is being seen in royal circles as very significant, and yet another indication of how warmly she has been welcomed into the royal fold ahead of her wedding. “Clearly the feeling is that she is equipped and ready for the job even before the ring is on her finger,” a former courtier told Vanity Fair. “This is quite unusual. C.H.O.G.M. is a very important official meeting. It’s quite something for Meghan to be involved.”

The news that Markle will attend her very first C.H.O.G.M. follows Kensington Palace’s announcement earlier today that Prince Harry has been made president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. The new youth charity, of which Her Majesty is Patron, provides a platform for young changemakers across the Commonwealth in the areas of education, sport, health, and the environment. Continue reading Meghan Markle Takes on a New, and Highly Unusual, Royal Duty

Meghan Markle has been baptised into the Church of England in a secret ceremony with Prince Harry at her side.

The intimate 45-minute service was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Chapel Royal on Tuesday evening.

They were joined by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, but neither Prince William nor the Queen were present.

Miss Markle’s baptism, which formally introduces her into the Anglican faith ahead of her wedding to Harry in two months, marks an important step on her transformation from divorced American actress to future granddaughter-in-law to the Queen.

The ceremony was a closely-guarded secret with only a handful of royal aides involved.

Miss Markle, 36, had asked the 62-year-old Archbishop, Justin Welby, to lead the service after forming a close bond with him in recent weeks as he instructed her on the rites and sacraments of the Church.

Her baptism was followed immediately by her confirmation, which means she will be able to join Harry, 33, at Holy Communion.

Miss Markle did not need to become an Anglican in order to marry Harry in church, but at the time of their engagement last November she made clear she had chosen to be baptised and confirmed out of respect for the Queen’s role as the head of the Church of England.
Continue reading Meghan Markle Baptized Into the Church of England in Secret Ceremony