As well as her acting career and her humanitarian work, Meghan Markle ran a successful lifestyle blog called The Tig – named after her favourite Italian wine Tignanello. But before she landed the role of paralegal Rachel Zane on US legal drama, Suits, in 2011, the former actress also had another website.
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New royal biography Finding Freedom says that Meghan penned a secret blog The Working Actress from 2010 to 2012 which detailed the "pitfalls and triumphs of struggling to make it in Hollywood". The book says: "The blog captured the heartfelt moments of joy when she booked a job and the despair and rejection actors felt each felt time a role was lost in an industry often driven by appearance rather than by talent.
"While [Meghan] never publicly acknowledged authorship of the popular blog, it was one of the industry's worst-kept secrets that she was the face behind it – and she quickly became recognised for its clever advice and honest anecdotes."
© Photo: Getty ImagesMeghan with her Suits co-stars in 2012
The posts under The Working Actress were said to be candid diarised accounts of Meghan's experiences on TV sets and castings, whereas The Tig was described as "a hub for the discerning palate - those with a hunger for food, travel, fashion & beauty". Meghan launched the lifestyle site in 2014, which featured travel tips, style advice, recipes and interviews with influential names.
Just a few months before her engagement to Prince Harry in November 2017, the former actress made the decision to close down her website. In early 2018, she also deactivated all of her public social media accounts as she prepared to join the royal family.
MORE: New details about how Meghan Markle snuck into Pippa Middleton's wedding reception
Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, £13.60, Amazon
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Harry and Meghan also made the decision to no longer use their Sussex Royal Instagram account in March 2020 as they stepped back from royal life. Part of their final post read: "While you may not see us here, the work continues. Thank you to this community - for the support, the inspiration and the shared commitment to the good in the world. We look forward to reconnecting with you soon. You’ve been great! Until then, please take good care of yourselves, and of one another. Harry and Meghan."
Details of the Sussexes' non-profit organisation Archewell are expected to be unveiled in the coming months, although it's not known if the couple will be setting up a new social media account to coincide with the launch.
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