It wasn’t long ago that the Duchess of Sussex was just plain old Meghan Markle from California. Actually, she’s never been plain at all.
Before she was married to everyone’s favourite red-headed royal, Meghan lived a colourful life as a UN ambassador for women, lifestyle blogger and leading actress on hit show Suits. So now that she’s left that all behind and married into the monarchy, it’s easy to forget her former life.
When things started getting more serious with Prince Harry, Megs made the big decision to go offline forever, deactivating her Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Following this big move, a palace aide announced, “Ms. Markle is grateful to everyone who has followed her social media accounts over the years. However, as she has not used these accounts for some time, she has taken the decision to close them.”
The former actress frequently posted on The Gram and gave us a lot of insight into her life, but now the snaps are gone forever. Or are they?
Thanks to her long-time fans and followers, many of Meghan’s Instagrams have been saved proving that memories may fade, but thankfully, pictures last forever. Here are her best Instagram photos from the last few years and what we’ve learned about Meghan pre-Harry.
Suits star
Before she had the HRH title before her name, Meghan was probably most famous as paralegal Rachel Zane on the hit TV series, Suits.
And thanks to some handy screenshots, we get to see what life was like on set when Meghan was filming in Toronto. A personal favourite of ours is a snap of Meghan and her “Suits sister wife” Sarah Rafferty in between takes, and Megs certainly looks comfy as she lies on the floor checking her phone, we’re assuming checking Instagram.
In an old post, Meghan penned a sweet tribute to her co-star for her birthday saying, “The best mama, the bearer of sage advice, and today, she is the birthday girl. My sweet friend, I love your pilgrim soul.”
Lounging around with pal and co-star Sarah Rafferty.
Rachel and Donna forever.
The Suits cast clearly hold a special place in Meghan’s heart even now, as the main stars all flew across the pond to attend the royal wedding back in May.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight about the royal wedding, Sarah, who plays Donna Paulsen on the legal drama said, “It was a wonderful moment to get to see [Meghan] on that day and in that moment. It was special.”
“Seeing [Meghan] walk in on her own, in that moment before she met up with Prince Charles to walk the rest of the way, that was amazing.”
She may have to be on her best behaviour as a royal, but back when she was on set, Meghan was quite the goofball.
Watch her funniest Suits bloopers below. Post continues after video…
Selfie stunner
Not even royalty can resist a good selfie!
Looking back at her Instagram page, it’s clear to see that Meghan loved taking the odd selfie whether she’s rocking a Snapchat filter or showing off her fluffy Ugg boots.
Take a look back at the former Meghan Markle in action.
Who can resist a good mirror selfie? And a fluffy pair of Uggs come to mention it…
Meghan even manages to make the Snapchat dog filter look good.
All wrapped up for an elevator selfie.
Meghan showed off a sweet piece of artwork by her Suits co-star Sarah Rafferty’s daughter, Oona.
Alas, now that she is part of the royal fold, selfies are a big no no for security reasons, but that didn’t stop the Sussex duo breaking royal protocol on their royal tour of Australia.
When Harry spotted nine-year-old Sethunya Gibbons in the crowds at a meet-and-greet at the Sydney Opera House, he knew Meghan would appreciate her feminist-slogan T-shirt which read: “Girls can do anything!”
And sure enough, the lucky well-wisher had a photo snapped with the Duchess taken by none other than Prince Harry himself.
Dog mama
Like any proud pet owner, Meghan frequently shared snaps of her dogs Guy and Bogart to her social media accounts.
Harry and Meghan recently welcomed labrador Oz to their mini royal family but the former actress has been a longtime supporter of adopting not shopping when it comes to pets. In fact, she was convinced to adopt her dog Bogart by none other than funny lady Ellen DeGeneres.
Could Guy and Bogart be the most photogenic dogs ever?
Puppy cuddles cure everything!
“Now, I don’t now her, but Ellen goes ‘Is that your dog?’ And I said, ‘No,’ and she’s like, ‘You have to take that dog.’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m deciding.’ And she’s like, ‘Rescue the dog!’ ” Meghan told Best Health magazine.
“It’s sort of like if Oprah tells you to do something. I’m sitting there holding him and she’s like ‘Have you thought of a name for him yet?’ And I said, ‘Well, I think I’d name him Bogart,’ and she’s like ‘You’re taking the dog home.’ “
“And she walks outside to get into her car but instead of getting in she turns around and comes and taps on the window glass and she yells ‘Take the dog!’ And so I brought him home. Because Ellen told me to.”
Guy the beagle joined Meghan’s family in 2015 when she adopted him from Ontario shelter, A Dog’s Dream Rescue. He now lives with Meghan, Harry and Oz in the UK and even has his own book!
Guy enjoys a sunbathing session as much as Meghan.
Wonder if Harry bought this little outfit?
Travel addict
When you’re a renowned actress, you’re bound to get to visit some exciting places around the world and Meghan Markle was no exception.
And while she’s bound to travel even more in her royal role, it’s clear the US native loved to jetset, from Italy’s picturesque Amalfi Coast to the chilly snow-capped mountains of Iceland.
“I always want off-the-beaten-path, Anthony Bourdain–inspired travel,” she told Marie Claire in 2015.
READ MORE: Who are Meghan Markle’s ex-boyfriends?
Mediterranean Meghan soaks up the sun in Italy’s Amalfi Coast.
“Let’s do this again sometime soon. You’re so pretty, and really nice too. Just my type,” she posted on Instagram when she visited Iceland.
Meghan also revealed to The Chicago Tribune that she was never jealous of “the more cookie cutter-type of vacations”, although saying she was sure those would have been wonderful, too.
“But my mom never wanted me to just go to a resort and not leave the property, and think that was all there was to visiting a foreign country.”
In her role as a Global Ambassador for World Vision, the now Duchess of Sussex visited Rwanda in early 2016 to see the first-hand importance of having clean, accessible drinking water.
Shortly after her Rwanda trip, she and Harry started dating and the couple went on a romantic trip to Botswana. They re-visited the African nation in August 2017, a few short months before Harry proposed with a ring featuring a ring from the country that holds a special place in their heart.
Meghan meeting local children as part of her World Vision trip to Rwanda.
With her monogrammed notebook and travel kit, Meghan is ready to hop on a plane at any given moment.
Food glorious food!
It’s no secret that Meghan is a foodie, in fact her Suits character Rachel Zane was developed into a foodie because of that reason!
“I’m always on the quest to find amazing new restaurants and new recipes. I’m a California girl, right?” she told Marie Claire.
“I grew up with that farm-to-table dining before it was sweeping the nation. I do think there’s some value to really throwing yourself into food and embracing where it comes from.”
From her now extinct Instagram, we’ve seen her sampling everything from hearty brunches to fresh stuffed sea bream to cheesy nachos so we know she’s no picky eater. And let’s not forget her favourite red wine, Tignanello which her blog The Tig was named after.
Foodie Meghan loves to try new things wherever she goes.
And she’s a dab hand in the kitchen too.
Who doesn’t love nachos?
Health and fitness fanatic
She may be a foodie, but Meghan’s social media proved that health is a top priority for her.
Speaking Best Health in 2015, the now Duchess said she tended to eat vegan during the week but be more flexible on the weekends.
“But at the same time, it’s all about balance. Because I work out the way I do, I don’t ever want to feel deprived. I feel that the second you do that is when you start to binge on things. It’s not a diet; it’s lifestyle eating.”
WATCH: Meghan Markle’s rigorous Suits workout. Post continues…
Speaking to Today in the US, she explained her love of green juices when she’s on the go, “It’s easy to fall into the trap of rushing for a coffee when you hit that 4 p.m. slump. But if I blend some apple, kale, spinach, lemon, and ginger in my Vitamix in the morning and bring it to work, I always find that sipping on that is a much better boost than a cup of espresso.”
Perhaps Megs could whizz up a green smoothie for the Queen to try at Christmas?
We wonder if she’s converted Harry to become a green juice lover…
When it comes to exercise, Meghan has stated that yoga is her thing, which makes sense seeing as her mum Doria Ragland is a yoga instructor and she started practicing around the age of seven.
“I change it up: I’ll do yoga a couple of times a week – hot yoga, especially. I love an intense vinyasa class – and even better if it’s blasting hip-hop and done in a dark room with candlelight. The best!” she previously stated.
And if we looked as good as Meghan when we did yoga, we’d be putting those pics all over Instagram.
Namaste Your Highness.
A cheeky side
HRH the Duchess of Sussex may look regal and dignified in the public eye, but back when she was Meghan Markle, she loved to show off her sense of humour and speak her mind.
A vocal feminist, one of our favourites is her snap of a derriere in jeans rocking a print that says, “Touch my butt, buy me pizza.” Somehow, we doubt the Queen would approve if she donned that item on a royal engagement.
She also shared some packaging she once received that said ‘Good in bed.’ We’ll take your word for it Megs…
Cheeky!
Risque puns, we like it!
Meghan may have to watch how she behaves in public a bit more, but her sense of humour has reportedly been a hit with the royals.
According to the Daily Star, Meghan gifted The Queen a singing hamster as the royals prefer to give each other gag presents or homemade gems with the Queen saying, “It can keep my dogs company!”
Wine not?
Never change Megs! (All images: Instagram @meghanmarkle)
