Before Meghan Markle became the Duchess of Sussex, before she gave birth to baby Archie with her prince and before her dramatic exit from the royal family, she was just like any other struggling actress living in Los Angeles.
But the palace has gone to every effort to ensure that her previous life should be hidden from the public.
But in this digital age, there’s one hard-and-fast rule; once something has been posted online, it can never really be deleted. To Meghan and the palace’s aggravation, her deleted Instagram photos still exist. They show a very different side to the Duchess of Sussex that they don’t want anyone to see.
Selfie Obsessed
One thing that becomes clear about Meghan’s former online presence is her love for posting selfies. Selfies in bed, selfies in a public toilet, or even just a passing window reflection – the Suits actress just loved to document herself and show her Instagram followers. In this pre-bedtime pic, she added the Instagram caption: “Sleep tight, sweet friends.”
In fact, she loved to document her life on her lifestyle blog called The Tig. Named after her favorite wine, she created her blog to be a “hub for the discerning palate – those with a hunger for food, travel, fashion & beauty.” Even before Harry, Meghan had a taste for the fancier things in life and wasn’t shy to share it.
Her Biggest Acting Role
Before Meghan was the Duchess of Sussex, she had achieved a small amount of fame for appearing in the USA Network legal drama Suits. She was part of the cast for seven seasons from 2011 to 2018, playing the part of Rachel Zane, a senior paralegal assistant and later an associate at Pearson Specter Litt.
Meghan was thrilled to get a spot on a television series like this, and it was her biggest role yet. As we can see from the image above, she loved to post photos of her life as a working actress. As far as she was concerned, she was living the dream and well on her way to finding fortune and fame.
A New Life In Toronto
Before Meghan met Prince Harry, she had been in a serious relationship with someone else. She was married to film producer Trevor Engelson – who bears an uncanny resemblance to her future red-headed husband. He’s five years older than Meghan, and they were married for only two years after a lavish wedding in Jamaica, circa 2011.
But it has been widely reported that Meghan left the relationship to take up her role on Suits. She was required to live in Toronto for shooting and ultimately chose that over her marriage to Trevor. Judging from her since-deleted Instagram, she was pretty happy with her decision. Here she is having dinner with her Canadian friend Markus Anderson, definitely not thinking about her Trevor.
The Partner In Crime
There was one person who was a big part of her life before Harry. Here Meghan is pictured on holiday with her best friend, Jessica Mulroney, who made frequent appearances on the ‘gram. Jessica was also living in Canada and working as a fashion stylist and marketing consultant.
Both ladies had a taste for the finer things in life. A girls’ holiday wasn’t just a trip to the beach for them – it usually involved a private yacht, fine dining, and rubbing shoulders with wealthy men in upmarket nightclubs. The girls definitely knew how to work the social scene both in Toronto and abroad.
Flaunting Her Figure
Meghan was definitely pretty body-confident before her life in the public eye. Today, she wouldn’t be seen dead in something that was too revealing. But back when she was just a nobody, she happily flaunted her figure in a tiny bikini. Her Instagram followers were used to photos like these.
Meghan was keenly into fitness, as she still is today, and joined in on the trend of posting various yoga poses or cute gym selfies. When you’re as good-looking as Meghan, there aren’t many occasions when you don’t look your best! We love how she used to be a sun-worshipper before Harry, like so many people on Instagram.
Meghan’s Naughty Side
Meghan was definitely naughtier on her old Instagram. She once posted the photo on the left of her jeans which read: “TOUCH MY BUTT AND BUY ME PIZZA.” Yep, she was posting selfies on Instagram way before Kim Kardashian was. It’s something she would never do today as the Duchess of Sussex.
Can you imagine how people would react if Kate Middleton posted the same? She also wore far more revealing outfits before Harry – or at least, she doesn’t turn up in outfits like the one on the right for public engagements. A deep-V neck and backless jumpsuit like this would have the palace in a panic. No wonder she was made to quickly delete all of her socials. Read page 2 for Meghan Markle Home Life Before Harry
