Meghan Markle will marry into the British family in Spring 2018, so who is the US actress who has captivated Prince Harry - and world headlines?
She was born Rachel Meghan Markle in Los Angeles on August 4, 1981. It is unclear when or why Markle started going by her middle name.
Her mother is Doria Ragland, an African American social worker and yoga instructor, and her father is Emmy Award winner Thomas Markle, a lighting director who has Dutch and Irish heritage.
Markle's parents met in the late 70s when Thomas was a lighting director on a TV soap and Ragland was working as a temp at the studio. They split when Markle was six.
She has two older half siblings, Samantha Grant and Thomas Markle Junior, who were born when Thomas was with his first wife, Roslyn.
Grant, 52, is a former actress and model, who lives in Florida and has multiple sclerosis.
She reportedly has not spoken to Markle since 2008.
The soon-to-be royal has two rescue dogs, labrador-shepherd cross Bogart and beagle Guy.
She was educated at the Hollywood Little Red Schoolhouse and the Immaculate Heart High School, a private Catholic school for girls in LA.
Markle graduated in 2003 from the Northwestern University School of Communication, Illinois, where she studied theatre and international relations.
In September 2011, Meghan married movie producer and manager Trevor Engelson in Jamaica after a seven-year romance. The couple divorced in August 2013, citing irreconcilable differences.
Her hobbies and interests include cooking, writing, travel, yoga, politics and social issues.
She is best known as Rachel Zane in US TV drama Suits. Markle got her break on US soap General Hospital in 2002.
Minor TV roles followed on shows including CSI New York, Knight Rider, 90210, and Without A Trace.
Her movie credits include British thriller Anti-Social and the comedy romance, Random Encounters.
Before breaking into acting, Markle worked as a freelance calligrapher. She also ran a lifestyle blog, The Tig, as a "hub for the discerning palate - those with a hunger for food, travel, fashion & beauty", but brought it to a close in April 2017 as things began getting serious with Harry.
Markle is a global ambassador for World Vision Canada, an ambassador for UN Women, and an advocate for gender equality.
She told Vanity Fair her social awareness began during the Los Angeles riots sparked by the police beating of Rodney King, in 1991.
As an 11-year-old she was also enraged by a TV ad suggesting women belong in the kitchen washing up.
