Meghan Markle 

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, born Rachel Meghan Markle, is a member of the British royal family. She married Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the second child of King Charles and the late Princess Diana, in 2018. 

Before marrying Prince Harry, Markle was well known as a main cast member on the hit television series “Suits.” Markle was born in Los Angeles and double majored in theater and international studies at Northwestern University. 

Before “Suits,” Markle landed roles on “General Hospital,” “The War at Home” and “CSI: NY.” For 36 episodes of “Deal or No Deal” between 2006 and 2007, she worked as a briefcase girl. 

Her big break came in 2011 when she was cast in “Suits.” In 2016, when news broke she was dating Prince Harry, Markle became one of the most watched women in the world. 

When she walked down the aisle, Markle wore a custom-designed Givenchy wedding gown by Clare Waight Keller, featuring embroidery of the eight flowers of all the Commonwealth countries. She also wore a Givenchy dress for one of her first public appearances as a working royal. 

Prior to marrying into the royal family, Markle wore more colors and even ran a lifestyle blog, The Tig. Fans could also get an insight into her closet, including her very extensive shoe collection. Her style before becoming the Duchess of Sussex was characterized by bootleg jeans, blazers, pearl jewelry and a variety of heels. After marrying Prince Harry, Markle switched to wearing more muted colors, including beige, navy, brown and black. 

In what became known as the “Meghan Markle effect,” many items the Duchess of Sussex was photographed wearing would sell out. In 2017, a Strathberry tote she was photographed wearing sold out 11 minutes after a photo of the fashion moment was released. 

In January 2020, Markle and Prince Harry stepped down from their roles as senior royals. After a stint in Canada, they eventually landed in Santa Barbara, Calif., where they now run the Archewell Foundation. Markle has also had a podcast, and the pair have a deal with Netflix to produce content. In 2022, the two put their lives on display for the Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan.” 

To this day, the “Meghan Markle effect” remains strong — a J.Crew blazer Markle wore to the Invictus Games caused the brand’s website to crash due to search interest.