- Meghan Markle's career has changed dramatically throughout her life.
- She is best known for acting on "Suits" and becoming a working royal after marrying Prince Harry.
- Meghan also worked as a calligrapher for many years, and she is becoming a lifestyle mogul.
It's safe to say Meghan Markle has been through some career changes in her life.
Meghan, 43, was best known as an actor for years, landing her big break on "Suits." Then, she became the Duchess of Sussex and a working royal, serving the crown alongside Prince Harry.
Now, she is living a post-royal life and working on becoming a lifestyle mogul, launching her Netflix series "With Love, Meghan" and new brand As Ever.
However, Meghan worked for years before being cast on "Suits," and not just as an actor. Take a look back at Meghan's career, from her odd jobs to her starring roles.
Meghan Markle's early career
Meghan began working when she was 13, holding a part-time job at a frozen yogurt shop called Humphrey Yogart in 1995.
Paula Sheftel, Meghan's boss at the store, told the Mirror in 2017 that she was "very popular with customers" during her tenure.
Meghan studied acting and international relations at Northwestern University. While still in school, she did a six-week internship at the American embassy in Argentina.
According to her IMDb page, Meghan began pursuing a career in acting even before she graduated in 2003. Her first official role was Nurse Jill on "General Hospital" in 2002, and she went on to book a series of smaller roles in shows like "CSI," "Knight Rider," and "90210" over the next eight years.
Meghan also worked as a briefcase girl on "Deal or No Deal" between 2006 and 2007 and appeared in a "Tostitos" commercial in 2009.
She landed a few small film roles, including as a bartender in the 2010 movie "Remember Me," which her first husband, Trevor Engelson, produced, and as Jamie in "Horrible Bosses" in 2011.
In addition, Meghan had odd jobs as she built up her acting career, including working as a hostess at an unnamed restaurant, as she told Vanity Fair in 2017.
She also worked as a part-time calligrapher, a gig she described as "super lucrative" in a 2018 interview with Esquire. She told the outlet her calligraphy work included Dolce & Gabbana's holiday correspondence and the invitations for Paula Patton and Robin Thicke's 2005 wedding.
Meghan's breakout acting role on 'Suits'
Meghan landed her breakout acting role when she was cast as Rachel Zane in "Suits" in 2011. Her character started as a paralegal in the legal drama and became a lawyer, and she had an on-again-off-again romantic relationship with Michael Ross in the series.
Meghan filmed "Suits" from 2011 to 2017; her final episode aired in April 2018. She became a household name through the show. She also lived in Toronto while on the series, as it was filmed in Canada.
Meghan met Prince Harry when she was starring on "Suits."
Although her acting career was hitting its peak on "Suits," Meghan also had a side hustle while on the show. She started her blog The Tig in 2014 and ran it until 2017. The lifestyle blog featured travel content, recipes, and interviews with Meghan's famous friends.
She also channeled her off-screen time into service work, becoming a United Nations women's advocate in 2015 and a World Vision ambassador in 2016.
Meghan left "Suits" after announcing her engagement to Harry in November 2017, preparing to become a working royal. USA Network and Universal Cable Productions confirmed her departure in a statement at the time, saying they wanted "to send our most heartfelt congratulations to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on their engagement."
"Meghan has been a member of our family for seven years, and it has been a joy to work with her," the statement said. "We want to thank her for her undeniable passion and dedication to 'Suits,' and we wish her the very best."
Post-royal ventures with Prince Harry
Meghan became a working royal after she and Harry got married in May 2018, attending royal engagements and taking on patronages on behalf of the crown. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in January 2020, and they wrapped up their royal duties in March of the same year.
Meghan and Harry launched their post-royal careers in the summer of 2020. In August 2020, they signed a reported $100 million production deal with Netflix to produce both non-scripted and scripted series for the streamer and a $20 million deal with Spotify to make podcasts in December of that year.
They also created Archewell Inc. in October 2020, which would serve as the umbrella organization for their production and charitable ventures.
In 2021, Meghan became an author, publishing the children's book "The Bench" in June, and she launched her Spotify podcast "Archetypes" in August. Both ventures were immediate successes; "The Bench" became a New York Times bestseller, and "Archetypes" dethroned Joe Rogan's podcast to reach the No. 1 spot on Spotify when it premiered. The popularity of "Archetypes" waned, though, and Harry and Meghan's relationship with Spotify ended in 2023.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's first Netflix series, "Harry & Meghan," was a docuseries about their relationship and step back as senior royals. It was a huge hit when it premiered in December 2022, though the couple didn't build on that momentum until 2025.
Meghan's lifestyle era
On March 4, 2025, Netflix released "With Love, Meghan," a lifestyle series that builds on Meghan's passions from her blogging days. The show was initially set to premiere in January, but Meghan delayed its release amid the LA wildfires.
Season one explored Meghan's recipes, hosting hacks, and gardening tips. A different celebrity guest starred on each episode of the show, offering a mix of interactions with Meghan and her friends and industry experts like Roy Choi.
When it debuted, the show hit Netflix's top 10. On March 7, the streamer announced that season two of "With Love, Meghan" had already wrapped filming and would air sometime in the fall.
In February 2025, Meghan also revealed she would launch a lifestyle brand, As Ever, in conjunction with the show, unveiling a new website and Instagram page the same day.
The company was originally announced in March 2024 as American Riviera Orchard, a nod to a common nickname for her neighborhood of Santa Barbara. Meghan shared an Instagram account and website for the company and teased its first product, strawberry jam, by sending jars of it to her famous friends.
However, in August 2024, Meghan's trademark application for the brand was denied because the name was "primarily geographically descriptive." In February 2025, she announced in an Instagram video that she had rebranded the company to As Ever and that Netflix had joined the company as her business partner.
The first As Ever products, including a raspberry spread, wildflower honey, flower sprinkles, a crepe mix, a shortbread cookie mix, and three types of tea, dropped on April 2. The collection sold out in under an hour.
Meghan hasn't announced when As Ever's next collection will drop, but dozens of products are registered under the company's name.
The Duchess of Sussex's latest venture is a new podcast, "Confessions of a Female Founder," which she launched on April 8. In each episode, Meghan speaks to different women who run businesses and shares reflections on her own journey of launching As Ever.
