A Royal Love Story: Inside Prince Harry's Engagement to Meghan Markle
By: Kayla Pasacreta
Who doesn't love a good love story? First, Prince William wed a commoner (we love you, Kate), and now, Prince Harry is engaged to Meghan Markle. Although any future-princess is special in their own right, Markle is especially fascinating as she will be the first black princess in the Royal Family. The pair is set to marry sometime next year, and she will take the title Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan Markle, photo via Vanity Fair
Markle is an American actress who stars in the show Suits. Her mother is black and her father is white, which has earned her much media scrutiny in British tabloids surrounding 'racy' scenes she's acted in, and her past marriage. Last year, the Prince had to make a statement condemning the headlines laced with racial undertones when speaking about Markle.
Markle and Prince Harry, photo via Getty Images
Markle speaks openly about her mixed heritage and identifies as a bi-racial woman, "I have come to embrace [this and] say who I am, to share where I'm from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident, mixed-race woman."
Markle is also vocal about women's rights, and officially serves as a UN women's ambassador. In a blog post, she wrote, “I’ve never wanted to be a lady who lunches – I’ve always wanted to be a woman who works.” She is a self-described feminist. As if Markle's resume wasn't impressive enough, she also doubles as an ambassador for Canada's World Vision Clean Water Campaign. Just last month, she traveled to a refugee camp in Rwanda to perform service work.
We think Markle will be a great edition to the Royal Family, and hope she is able to serve as an advocate for pressing social issues.
