Prior to becoming the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was known for her role as Rachel Zane on “Suits” and the lifestyle blog that she founded in 2014, The Tig.
But that wasn’t her first foray into the world of blogging, according to royal insiders Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie.
The two claim in their new book, “Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family,” that the former “Suits” actress was also behind an anonymous Hollywood site called The Working Actress.
They refer to Meghan being behind it as “one of the industry’s ‘worst-kept secrets,’” which makes sense, as the Daily Mail was the first to report that Meghan was behind the blog in 2018, though it’s never been officially confirmed by the duchess herself.
“The Tig wasn’t the first time that Meghan had taken to the internet to not only express herself but also to reach out to others. From 2010-2012, she wrote The Working Actress, an anonymous blog that detailed the pitfalls and triumphs of struggling to make it in Hollywood,” the authors write.
“She had always enjoyed writing in school and even thought about becoming a journalist at one point, as it was an opportunity to channel her creativity and frustration,” they added.
“The blog captured the heartfelt moments of joy when she booked a job and the despair and rejection actors felt each time a role was lost in an industry often driven by appearance rather than talent.”
Though 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,” Scobie and Durand say. “And she quickly became recognized for its clever advice and honest anecdotes.”
She later moved on to blogging at The Tig, which the authors say was “polished and optimistic,” while The Working Actress “was raw and candid.”
“Finding Freedom” also reveals that once The Tig gained a large following in 2016, Meghan signed with a literary agent, prior to meeting Prince Harry, and “was in talks to release a food-focused book to capitalize on her new platform.”
There were even discussions for a show starring Meghan “where she would travel the world, discovering new foods with a focus on sustainability.”
Though Meghan didn’t end up writing her book or doing the show, she later collaborated on and wrote the forward for the Hubb Community Kitchen’s cookbook, with a group of women affected by the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire whom the duchess met in her first project as a royal.
She also became the first guest editor in British Vogue’s 103-year history after overseeing the magazine’s iconic September issue.
Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of the magazine, revealed earlier this year that Meghan’s 2019 issue set two records as it became the fastest-selling issue in the history of the magazine and also the “biggest-selling issue of the past decade.”
Enninful was on to something when he said that Meghan had “an editor’s eye.”
A spokesperson for the Sussexes previously told HuffPost in a statement that the couple did not participate in the new book.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to ‘Finding Freedom,‘” the statement said. “This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.”
“Finding Freedom” hits shelves on Tuesday.
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