15 Things You Didn't Know About Prince Harry's Hot New GF

Everyone loves a Royal couple. Way back when they were just dating, everyone was obsessed with Prince William and then on-again, off-again girlfriend Kate Middleton, and everyone loved the royal wedding. I mean, what's not to love? So, once Wills was all paired up and married, many people started turning their attention to the red-headed younger brother, Prince Harry. Prince Harry has always been a bit of a rebel, the mischievous troublemaker to William's dutiful presence, and the public kind of loved him for it. So, when rumours started swirling about a potential girlfriend, everyone was super curious - and they quickly found out there was truth to those rumours.

That's right - as you probably know, Prince Harry's reps confirmed that the royal was indeed seeing a woman by the name of Meghan Markle. So, who exactly is the lucky lady? A fellow Royal? Nope - it turns out that, like his older brother, Prince Harry has his romantic sights on a regular woman - an actress, in this case.

Since he essentially grew up in the public eye, people know pretty much everything there is to know about Prince Harry, from his childhood to his rebellious years, but Meghan Markle is a little more mysterious. Here are 15 things you didn't know about Prince Harry's gorgeous, intelligent new girlfriend Meghan Markle.

15 She's pals with the Williams sisters

Since she's an actress frequently strutting her stuff down the red carpet, it only makes sense that Meghan Markle would be rubbing elbows with celebrities on a regular basis - but it turns out that some of her most famous pals aren't even from the entertainment industry, they're from the world of athletics. Markle happens to be close friends with Venus and Serena Williams, the tennus superstars, and has often been spotted sitting on the sidelines at their tennis games - including at the prestigious Wimbledon matches. She even supports them in endeavours outside the sporting world - for example, she was there at New York Fashion Week when Serena debuted her new line. It just goes to prove that Markle isn't interested in befriending Hollywood superstars that could help boost her career - she just wants to hang out with people that she enjoys spending time with, like the strong and sassy Williams sisters.

14 She loves yoga

While countless starlets claim to be obsessed with yoga, Meghan Markle can probably one up them - you see, Markle's mother was actually a yoga instructor, so she got her start doing sun salutations far before other celebrities did. When she was just a child, Meghan tagged along to the yoga studio with her mother and took Mommy & Me classes, and it left quite the impression on her - she has practiced yoga ever since then. In fact, her lifelong yoga practice probably contributes to her insane physique and long, toned muscles quite a bit. Markle has been outspoken about her love for yoga - hot yoga in particular - and has shown off her crazy flexibility and skill in many spreads for fitness-oriented magazines. Perhaps she'll be spotted soon attending yoga classes with Kate Middleton - all that public scrutiny is likely exhausting, you need to unwind and stretch out those tense muscles somehow!

13 She's been married before

While her role as Rachel Zane on Suits has brought her more attention than any of her previous roles, Meghan Markle wasn't quite an A-List, household name when she started dating Prince Harry. So, unlike with A-List celebrities who make the front page of every tabloid whenever a major event happens in their personal life (looking at you, Brangelina), Markle's romantic life was pretty low key (you know, before she started dating a royal and all). Were she to ever walk down the aisle with Prince Harry, it wouldn't be her first time tying the knot - it turns out that the stunning actress has already been married once. Way back in 2004, Markle started dating Trevor Engelson, a film producer. The couple dated for a whopping 7 years, and after deciding they were obviously in it for the long haul, they got married in 2011. However, it turns out married life wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and they divorced about two years later.

12 She has a lifestyle website, The Tig

When you hear the words 'celebrity' and 'lifestyle website,' let's be honest - you probably immediately think of Gwyneth Paltrow and the insanity that is Goop. However, Meghan Markle is a lot more hands on in her website, and she launched it before she was a household name. You see, Markle is a bit of a foodie, and she also loves travelling. So, she opted to combine some of her passions and create a website where she could share all that with her fans. She's pretty busy with her acting roles right now, so she's not exactly chasing down Food Network to create her own cooking show, but the website has given her many opportunities to make guest appearances on talk shows where she shares her food knowledge. Hey, who knows - if she ever decides to take a step back from acting and The Tig continues to grow, maybe her next career move will be to manage a media empire.

11 She is biracial

It's a little bit tough to pin down Meghan Markle's ethnicity, and there's a reason for that - she's actually biracial. Her father is of Dutch and Irish descent, while her mother is African-American. Markle has been very outspoken about the struggle she felt growing up biracial, and she's spoken poignantly about her feeling of never quite fitting in - but she's learned over the years to truly embrace who she is, and to defy those boxes that might need to be checked. As she said in Elle, “while my mixed heritage may have created a grey area surrounding my self-identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that.” Well said! She's always been a fantastic role model for women, but her honest comments about what it was like to grow up biracial have likely inspired even more women who have grappled with the same issues.

10 She used to work as a freelance calligrapher

While there are a few starlets who are seemingly scouted out of nowhere and placed on the sets of blockbuster flicks, for most celebrities, they have to climb their way to the top - and that almost always involves a few years of waiting tables or pulling espresso shots to support themselves financially while they audition and try to make their dreams happen. Meghan Markle went through the struggling actress phase, but she wasn't waiting tables to make ends meet. Instead, she was using an entirely different skill set that most other celebrities likely don't have - calligraphy. It turns out that Markle has phenomenal, flawless cursive and calligraphy skills, so she decided to capitalize on that and create a side hustle for herself that would help support her while she auditioned. She even got some high profile clients, creating the invitations for Robin Thicke and Paula Patton's wedding as well as for Dolce & Gabbana.

9 She used to be a briefcase girl

If you ever wondered what types of roles Meghan Markle was getting before she got her big break on suits, the answer is definitely not super glamorous ones. After Markle graduated from university and worked a bit in the real world, she set her sights on the entertainment industry, and managed to snag a gig that paid the bills - but instead of landing a sitcom role, she landed on the set of Deal or No Deal. That's right - way back in 2006, the gorgeous Meghan Markle was one of the gorgeous models holding the cases offering varying sums of money on the reality television show with Howie Mandel as the host. And it wasn't exactly glamorous. As Markle recalls, “I would end up standing there forever in these terribly uncomfortable and inexpensive five-inch heels just waiting for someone to pick my number so I could go and sit down.” Luckily, her life on set is a little more cushy nowadays.

8 She worked at the U.S. Embassy

Meghan Markle is a woman of many talents, and she has one particularly interesting job on her resume - and it has absolutely nothing to do with the entertainment industry. Apparently, right after graduating from university, Markle (who had a double major in theatre and international relations) snagged a gig working at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina. In fact, the star initially considered a career in politics or international relations, and took the post-college gig in order to get a feel for that field. However, shortly after, she was discovered by an agent and encouraged to audition, and she started her path down the red carpet in Hollywood. Still - if she ever snags a gig playing someone who works at some type of embassy, she'll have a ton of experience to draw upon to ensure her portrayal is totally authentic (plus, she'll definitely be able to hold her own at any international function Prince Harry might take her to).

7 She's a major humanitarian

Many celebrities get a little bit self-obsessed and more worried about portraying a certain image of themselves than of using their considerable fame and fortune to help others - but Meghan Markle is not one of those celebrities. She's a major humanitarian and makes it a point to stay involved in a variety of causes. For example, she became an advocate for the HeforShe Gender Equality Campaign in 2014, and in 2016 was named the Global Ambassador for World Vision Canada. And she doesn't just sit on the board of charitable organizations and help from afar - when she became involved with One Young World and the Clean Water Campaign, she travelled to Afghanistan to help the organization with their mission. Markle is totally passionate about using her voice as a celebrity to help those that truly need help, something that many members of the Royal family make it a priority to do - so she'll fit right in.

6 Ellen DeGeneres inspired her to adopt a rescue dog

If you follow Meghan Markle on social media, you probably know that she's absolutely crazy about her rescue dogs, and is frequently encouraging her followers to #adoptnotshop. However, the story of how she got her first dog is pretty crazy and something that could really only happen in Hollywood. Markle was back in her hometown of Los Angeles and found herself at a dog rescue when Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi strolled in. DeGeneres took one look at the dog that Markle was cuddling and told her she absolutely needed to take the dog. And obviously, when Ellen gives you advice, you take it - so Markle found herself the proud owner of an adorable rescue dog, and she hasn't regretted the decision a single bit since. We wonder if Markle's dogs ever go on play dates with DeGeneres' pets, since Ellen is the whole reason they became members of the Markle household.

5 She was a Catholic school girl

When you find out that Meghan Markle grew up in Los Angeles, it's easy to picture her rocking ultra fashionable, designer outfits at a Beverly Hills high school, a la Cher in Clueless, perusing all the dreamy high school boys who wanted to take her on a date. However, that couldn't be further from the truth. Markle actually attended private school - private Catholic school to be specific. Her parents placed a priority on education and enrolled their baby girl at the Immaculate Heart High School, an all-girls high school in Los Angeles. While the all girls school was likely quite strict and traditional, that doesn't mean no celebs have passed through its hallways - in fact, some of the school's alumnae include Mary Tyler Moore, Tyra Banks and Ione Skye. So, if Prince Harry ever gets sassy about his private school education, Markle can tell him all about her own years at private school.

4 She's a big foodie

On the show Suits, Meghan Markle's character Rachel Zane is portrayed as a foodie who knows and loves all the gourmet goodies the culinary world has to offer. And it's not exactly tough for Markle to convey that passion on Rachel's behalf, because in real life she's actually quite the foodie herself. Her Instagram feed is constantly filled with shots of her delectable dishes, both at restaurants in town and the ones whipped up in her own kitchen, and before dating Prince Harry she was in a relationship with a talented chef. There have been a ton of celebrities coming out with cookbooks lately, but we feel like Meghan Markle would actually have some great recipes to share, as she does on The Tig. Who knows - perhaps one day she'll pursue her career in the culinary world with the same intensity she's pursuing her acting career, and we can't wait.

3 Meghan is her middle name

While it's not exactly crazy exotic, Meghan Markle sounds almost like a fake name - we blame the alliteration. However, while Meghan Markle is not Meghan Markle's real name, it's actually not so far from the truth. In reality, Markle's full name is Rachel Meghan Markle, and she just opted to go by her middle name like countless famous celebrities (Laura Reese Witherspoon, anyone?) It's quite an interesting tidbit considering that her most famous role to date has been playing a driven young woman named Rachel. It must be odd on the set of Suits to be called by her real name when she's gotten accustomed to being referred to professionally as Meghan. However, there's no doubting that she made a good call when it came to picking her stage name - the alliteration, while some might see it as cutesy, definitely makes an impact - you're more likely to remember Meghan Markle than Rachel Markle.

2 Despite growing up in entertainment industry, she never wanted to be an actress

While most people know that Meghan Markle grew up in the Los Angeles area, not many know that she actually grew up in the entertainment industry. While her mom was a yogi, her father was involved behind the scenes, and one of his major gigs was on the set of Married… With Children. That meant that a young Meghan often came to set after school, hanging out on the set of the beloved sitcom. While that experience may have driven some to pursue careers in the industry, Markle never really wanted to be an actress. As she spilled to Focus Magazine, “I didn't intend to be an actress - I went to Northewestern University as an English major but quickly changed to a double major in Theatre and International Relations. It really wasn't until after working for the US Embassy abroad and coming home for the holiday that a friend from college gave a manager a student film I did - he watched it and called me, telling me he thought I should stay home and give acting a shot. I did, and I was so grateful.” Who knew?

1 She was a sorority girl

Unlike many other celebrities who grew up in Los Angeles, Meghan Markle didn't decide to stay in sunny California and attend college at UCLA or UC-Santa Barbara for a few semesters before dropping out to pursue acting careers. She actually headed east to attend Northwestern, a studious school that requires quite the brain power to succeed. Given that she had travelled so far from home to attend university, it makes sense that she'd try to set up a network of friends in her new home - and she did so by joining a sorority. While in university, Markle was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, and it turns out she's not the only celebrity in that particular sorority - her celebrity sisters include Sophia Bush, Lo Bosworth, Mariska Hargitay, Ashley Judd and more. Who knows - perhaps one day she'll play a brainy, brunette Elle Woods in a Legally Blonde reboot.