Meghan markle biography parents

1981-present

Who Is Meghan Markle?

Meghan Markle pursued a career as a screen actress, appearing in a number of TV series before landing the role of Rachel Zane on the USA Network show Suits. Markle, who also ran the lifestyle blog The Tigfrom 2014 to 2017, became the subject of international headlines in 2016 upon the revelation of her romance with Prince Harry of Great Britain. After announcing their engagement in late 2017, the two married on May 19, 2018, and welcomed son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor the following May. In January 2020, the couple revealed plans to step back from their senior roles in the royal family.

Early Life

Rachel Meghan Markle was born on August 4, 1981, in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Doria, a clinical therapist and yoga instructor, and Thomas, a television lighting and photography director.

When she was 11, Markle wrote a letter to various notables, including then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, about a TV advertisement featuring the idea of women being bogged down by greasy cookware. The youngster deemed the ad sexist when male classmates started yelling, upon seeing the commercial, that the kitchen is where women belonged. (The language of the ad was subsequently changed.) Markle went on to study theater and international relations at Northwestern University School of Communication, graduating in 2003.

In 2002, Markle landed her first TV role with a guest spot on General Hospital, and she went on to appear in a number of other series that included Cuts, The War at Home, CSI: NY and 90210. As a biracial actress, Markle would eventually talk about the challenges of navigating Hollywood’s check-a-box casting landscape while also finding her voice as an actress.

Starring Role in 'Suits'

In 2011, Markle had her big break, landing the role of paralegal Rachel Zane on the USA network series Suits, co-starring Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams and Gina Torres. The legal drama centers

Before she was a royal, The Duchess of Sussex led a relatively normal life. We delve into her childhood and uncover all the need-to-know details about Meghan Markle's parents.

She's one of the most photographed and talked about public figures in the world. With her life catapulted into the spotlight shortly after she met Prince Harry and married the Duke of Sussex in a fairytale Windsor wedding.

Decades before her royal romance though, Meghan Markle was just a regular California girl - growing up from humble beginnings in a life worlds away from Buckingham Palace. We take a look back at her childhood and life with Meghan Markle's parents in downtown LA.

Who are Meghan Markle's parents?

Meghan Markle was born on 4 August 1981 to proud parents Doria Ragland and Thomas Markle Snr.

Mum Doria is a trained yoga teacher and social worker who lives in View Park-Windsor Hills in Los Angeles.

Whilst dad Thomas Markle Senior is a retired Daytime Emmy-award winning lighting director who resides in Rosarito, Mexico.

Doria Ragland

Meghan maintains a close relationship with her mother, who calls Meghan her 'bud' or 'flower'. And Doria even has her own guesthouse to stay in when visiting Prince Harry and Meghan's LA home.

The 64-year-old was one of the first people to be introduced to Harry when they began privately dating in 2016. She even accompanied her daughter to the Invictus Games in Toronto 2017 when Harry and Meghan made their public debut as a couple.

Fast forward a year and Doria was thrust further into the spotlight during Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding in May 2018. She spent the night before the big day with Meghan at Clivedon House. And escorted her daughter to St George's Chapel in Windsor on the morning of her nuptials. In addition to her daughter tying the knot, Doria's royal wedding highlight was revealed as her meeting with the Queen.

Al

5. Are They Close to Meghan?

While Meghan’s relationship with her father is strained, she remains incredibly close to her mother.

In fact, in January 2024, it was reported that Ragland temporarily took up residence in the Sussexes’ guesthouse in Montecito to avoid the long commutes from her home. (No word on how often she stays at the guesthouse.) However, since Meghan now has two grandchildren, we’re sure she’s spending plenty of time with both of them.

Ragland also has a sweet nickname for her daughter. While we tend to call her the duchess or Meg, her mother, on the other hand, calls her “Flower.” In an interview with Best Health Magazine, the duchess revealed the unique moniker, saying, “I was very resistant [to yoga] as a kid, but she said, ‘Flower, you will find your practice—just give it time.’”

Stay up-to-date on every breaking royal family story by subscribing here.

In real life, Meghan's union with Prince Harry wasn't her first marriage. In September 2011, she wed film producer Trevor Engelson, but the pair divorced two years later.

In September, it was reported, external that her ex-husband was producing a new TV show based on a man's custody battle with his ex-wife who marries into the Royal Family.

In 2014, she began writing about topics such as food, beauty, fashion and travel, as well as her own story, on her lifestyle website The Tig.

Meghan said setting up the website was an attempt to "reframe the beauty content to include think pieces about self-empowerment" and feature dynamic, inspirational women.

In one post, she explained: "I've never wanted to be a lady who lunches - I've always wanted to be a woman who works."

The site also carried candid blogs she wrote on every birthday. On turning 33 in 2014, she wrote: "My 20s were brutal - a constant battle with myself, judging my weight, my style, my desire to be as cool/as hip/as smart/as 'whatever' as everyone else."