Time will tell whether Prince Harry's new fiancée, Meghan Markle, will become a real princess, but she certainly has had quite a stint as a drama queen. With today's announcement that she and Prince Harry are engaged, a lot of buzz is circulating about whether or not the actress is fit for a royal. But daytime fans are chuffed about the match. After all, she got her start on General Hospital -- meaning the soap world will henceforth forever and always be connected to the British royal family.
Though Markle's role as Rachel Zane on Suits is her most talked-about acting job, her first paying gig was a November 2002 appearance on GH. Diehard fans may remember that she appeared as a nurse named Jill during the Brenda/Sonny/Jax/Alcazar storyline. You know, that crazy week when Brenda (Vanessa Marcil) and Carly (Tamara Braun) got caught in quicksand in South America, Brenda and Sonny (Maurice Benard) shared a passionate kiss, and Brenda found out she wasn't really dying of a fatal brain disease as Alcazar (Ted King) had made her believe. According to the British tabloid the Daily Mail, the GH role is just one of "the roles Prince Harry's actress girlfriend would rather forget."
In addition to taking on bits and bobs in the acting world, the future princess is a global ambassador for World Vision Canada, has worked with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women as an Advocate, and was a counselor for international charity One Young World. She also launched a line of women's workwear fashion with Canadian clothing company Reitmans and was the founder and editor in chief of a lifestyle website called the Tig.
Believe it or not, Markle -- who is set to be the first American to marry a titled British royal -- isn't the only GH actress with a connection to the royal family. Just last year, Queen Elizabeth honored Emma Samms (ex-Holly Sutton) for her work with Starlight Children's Foundation, an organization she helped cofound that provides hospital entertainment and grants wishes for seriously and terminally ill children.
The Queen speaks to @starlight_uk co-founder @EmmaSamms1 about her work helping seriously & terminally ill children at today's #Investiture pic.twitter.com/2bPTKCCdJQ
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 25, 2016
"Obviously I was representing EVERYONE who's volunteered, worked & supported [Starlight Children's Foundation]," Samms wrote at the time. "And can I just stress how INCREDIBLE our Queen is? She stood for over an hour and gave every single one of us her focused attention."
As for Prince Harry and Markle, the Royal Family's official Twitter handle says the pair is "thrilled and happy" to be engaged. Check out a video of the royal couple below and let us know what you think about Prince Harry choosing the American to be his bride.
Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle are "thrilled and happy" to be engaged. pic.twitter.com/5j0nBvZKZy
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 27, 2017
UPDATE (December 4, 2017): If you don't recall Markle's appearance on General Hospital, video of her time in Port Charles has been unearthed. You can check it out below.
What do you think about Prince Harry choosing Markle as his bride? Do you remember Markle's brief appearance on GH? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
