What did Meghan do before becoming a duchess?

Before becoming the Duchess of Sussex through her marriage to Prince Harry in May 2018, Meghan Markle had a successful career as an actress in Hollywood. She is perhaps best known for her role as Rachel Zane on the legal drama television series Suits, which aired on the USA Network. She played that character for seven seasons, from 2011 until she left the show in 2017 to prepare for her royal life. The role made her a recognizable face on American television and helped establish her as a working actress in the industry. Before landing the Suits role, Meghan worked her way up through smaller parts in television and film. She had guest appearances on shows such as General Hospital, CSI: NY, and 90210, among others. She also had a recurring role on the show Deal or No Deal, where she worked as one of the briefcase models while she was still trying to break into acting. She has spoken openly about that period of her career, noting that it was a way to pay the bills while she pursued more substantial acting opportunities. She also appeared in films including Horrible Bosses and Random Encounters. Beyond her acting career, Meghan was also known as a lifestyle blogger and entrepreneur. She ran a lifestyle website called The Tig, named after her favorite wine, Tignanello. The site featured content about food, travel, fashion, and beauty, and it developed a dedicated following before she shut it down in April 2017, shortly after her relationship with Prince Harry became public. The Tig reflected her interests in wellness, cooking, and living well, and it gave her a platform beyond acting to express her personal tastes and values. Meghan was also involved in humanitarian and advocacy work before joining the royal family. She served as a United Nations Women advocate for political participation and leadership, and she traveled to Rwanda and India on behalf of various charitable causes. She was passionate about issues related to gender equality and women's empowerment, and she wrote op-eds and gave speeches on these subjects. This philanthropic dimension of her life was something she had cultivated independently of her relationship with Prince Harry and was seen as a natural fit for the kind of public-facing charitable work expected of members of the royal family. Meghan grew up in Los Angeles, California, and attended Northwestern University, where she studied theater and international studies. Her biracial background, with an African American mother and a Caucasian father who worked as a lighting director in Hollywood, shaped her perspective on identity and representation, topics she has addressed publicly throughout her career. By the time she married into the British royal family, she had already built a multifaceted career as an actress, entrepreneur, and advocate, which made her transition into royal duties both a continuation of and a departure from the professional life she had established.