The 36-year-old bride will be the first divorced, biracial, Jewish American actress to join the British royal family, and it doesn’t stop there.

Markle has broken royal protocol since her engagement to Prince Harry last November to become a unique and relatable public figure in the British monarchy.

“It was known before Meghan got engaged to Harry that she alone of his many girlfriends could cope with the interest and publicity and work the crowds,” says British public relations consultant and royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams. “Meghan-mania is the result.”

Although she won’t officially be a royal until after the couple weds on May 19, Markle is already making the role all her own.

She broke one major rule from the start of her engagement: She didn’t wear stockings at the announcement of their impending nuptials at Kensington Palace.

“Nude stockings, though not her usual style, are expected” by the palace, Fitzwilliams says.

Also a no-no? That sold-out denim she wore on her first public appearance with Prince Harry. “The ripped jeans she wore at the Invictus Games are a thing of the past,” Fitzwilliams says.

While Princess Diana and Duchess Kate carried clutches to head off unwanted handshakes, Markle has switched it up with a mix of bags with shoulder straps and handles.

“She wants to be more approachable, as her role will be different from Kate’s,” Fitzwilliams says. “A handle or shoulder strap is therefore more her style if she wants to reach out, shake hands and touch more or hug.”

Outside of fashion, Markle will likely have to tone down some of the warm tendencies she cultivated in Hollywood. “She will find some protocol challenging, and signing autographs is absolutely out of bounds.” In January, Markle responded to a young fan’s request for an autograph by writing a greeting without signing her name.

She has continued to display affection for Prince Harry at their public engagements, often holding his hand or touching his arm. She also hugged a young girl at an appearance on International Women’s Day.

“She has been careful to avoid breaking the rule about selfies, but there is no actual ‘rule’ regarding holding hands and also hugging someone,” Fitzwilliams says.

Although she left her job on TV’s Suits, don’t expect her to stay silent about issues she deems important. Along with her and Harry’s dedication to philanthropic work, Markle has spoken up about the Time’s Up and Me Too movements.

“Women don’t need to find a voice,” Markle said at a Royal Foundation forum in February. “They have a voice. They need to feel empowered to use it, and people need to be encouraged to listen.”

As far as other basic royal protocol, both Prince Harry and Duchess Kate are thought to be helping Markle master it all, including “who curtsies to whom when alone and how this alters if their husband is present,” Fitzwilliams says.

“What is so precious is Meghan’s independence of spirit,” Fitzwilliams says. “She will abide by basic protocol — whether or not it is written down — whilst cultivating her own distinctive style.”

Source: https://www.usatoday.com/

With the royal wedding just nine days away and no more official engagements on their calendars, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are ticking off the final to-dos before they say “I do.”

Markle, who is said to have largely planned the wedding with her best friend, Canadian stylist Jessica Mulroney, is “on top of everything,” according to one friend, and looking forward to welcoming her parents; her mother is already rumored to be in London. “Meghan can’t wait to see them and show them her new home. There won’t be a rehearsal dinner. Instead, Meg has planned a number of low-key events for her parents so they can meet her new friends,” a source said.

As Vanity Fair reported last week, there will be a private family meeting so that Harry’s family, including his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, can meet Markle’s parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland. Her parents will spend a brief amount of time in London before heading to Windsor, where there will be a dress rehearsal ahead of the big day. The Palace has not yet confirmed where Markle and Ragland will be staying.

Meanwhile, Markle has been busily zooming around the capital doing last-minute pre-wedding jobs. Her schedule is being managed by Harry’s senior communications officer, Amy Pickerill, while the actress has an army of professionals on hand to get her ready for May 19. According to sources, she has had her final dress fitting and is said to be overjoyed with her bespoke wedding gown. (Bookmakers stopped taking bets on the designer of the dress in late March; photographs were released of Harry leaving Ralph & Russo last week.)

It is thought that Harry and his family will pay for the dress, which is rumored to cost £100,000 and is said to be adorned with hand-stitched beading. Markle is also said to have booked the services of celebrity stylist Miguel Perez, known for “bouncy curls,” to do her wedding-day hair. Though The Mail on Sunday recently quoted Perez saying that he and Markle “have a plan” for the wedding day, Perez has since taken to Instagram to say that he is not doing Markle’s hair and “did not even meet Meghan.”

Markle has made an appointment to see her trusted facialist, Nichola Joss, whose signature facial involves massaging inside the mouth to lift and sculpt the muscle. Her manicurist has been booked to come to Kensington Palace next week to ensure her nails look perfect for that all-important close-up when she and Harry exchange rings. And Meghan has been exercising, doing regular workouts at Kensington Palace and Heartcore Pilates, with her friend, instructor Heather Dorak, to combat her pre-wedding nerves. “Meghan has been doing regular exercise as a way of beating the stress,” said a source. “She goes jogging around the park most days and starts every morning with some yoga and a meditation.”

While she and Harry have both practically quit drinking as part of their healthy pre-wedding regimen (Harry has also quit smoking for Meghan), the actress is partial to a glass of red wine in the evenings to help her unwind.

It is also going to be an exciting day for little Jasper George Galloway Dyer, who has been asked to be a page boy on the big day. The five-year-old son of Prince Harry’s close friend Mark Dyer is rumored to be one of Prince Harry’s godsons, and will join Prince George, who will also feature as one of the couple’s page boys, presumably. While Kensington Palace has not announced the details of the bridal party, the Dyers have excitedly been telling friends that their son Jasper will have a “starring role” on May 19.

Dyer is a former equerry to Prince Charles who became a mentor to Prince Harry in the years after Princess Diana’s death. It was Dyer who suggested Harry travel to Lesotho in his gap year, and the two have been close ever since.

Source: https://www.vanityfair.com

In sad news for royal fans, the couple will not be seen in any official capacity until their wedding day in less than three weeks, PEOPLE understands.

Meghan and Harry, who are set to tie the knot at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, do not have any public duties or outings scheduled on their royal calendar until the big day.

They will continue to have briefings, visits and meetings — but they will all be private.

Time off before the big day is well-deserved, as Harry and Meghan have kept a full schedule since they announced their engagement in November. In the run-up to their wedding, the future newlyweds have traveled all over the U.K. on official royal duty.

As the wedding nears, members of Meghan’s expected bridal party have been in London for fittings and pre-wedding meetings.

Groom-to-be Prince Harry, meanwhile, has been keeping toned before the big day with visits to the gym.

While Meghan’s bridal party members have yet to be announced, Prince Harry revealed last week that big brother Prince William! will be standing by his side as his best man.

Source: http://people.com

As she prepares for her royal wedding, Meghan Markle has officially said goodbye to acting.

On Wednesday, Markle, who has previously said that she would be retiring from acting to focus on her royal duties, made her last appearance as an actress on the season 7 finale of Suits.

In the two-hour episode, Markle’s character, Rachel Zane and fiancé, Mike Ross (played by Patrick J. Adams, who is also leaving the USA Network series) get a job offer that’s too good to pass up. The pair accepts, but there’s a catch. It’s in Seattle. So the couple quickly moves up their special day, and finally tie the knot.

Following news of Markle’s engagement to Prince Harry, USA Network announced back in November that Meghan would be leaving the hit legal drama.

“From all of us at USA Network and Universal Cable Productions, we want to send our most heartfelt congratulations to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on their engagement,” the statement read.

“Meghan has been a member of our family for seven years and it has been a joy to work with her,” continued the statement. “We want to thank her for her undeniable passion and dedication to Suits, and we wish her the very best.”

Meghan, who was one of the original cast members of the show (featured in 107 episodes) since it first aired in June 2011, also confirmed that she would no longer be acting.

“I don’t see it as giving anything up. I just see it as a change,” she said in her first joint interview with Prince Harry in November.

“It’s a new chapter, right? And also, keep in mind, I’ve been working on [Suits] for seven years. We were very, very fortunate to have that sort of longevity on a series,” she explained, adding, “I’ve ticked this box, and I feel very proud of the work I’ve done there, and now it’s time to work with [Harry] as a team.”

While she will be stepping away from TV roles, Meghan will continue to further her passion for humanitarian work.

“I think what’s been really exciting as we talk about the transition out of my career and into my role is,” she said. “The causes that are really important to me that I can focus even more energy on. Very early out of the gate, I think you realize you have access or a voice that people are willing to listen and with that comes a lot of responsibility, which I take seriously.”

Source: http://people.com