Meghan Markle Made One Move Before Her Royal Engagement That Broke Every Protocol in the Book
Before her engagement to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle pulled a move that came as a rude shock to many.
Even before her brush with royalty after meeting Prince Harry, Meghan Markle was already an established star on the small screen. She had played a lead role in a successful TV show, but she was abruptly thrust into the global spotlight because of her relationship with Prince Harry. That’s when everything in her life changed.
In 2017, before the pair had even gotten engaged, the future Duchess of Sussex appeared on the October cover of Vanity Fair with a headline, ‘She’s Just Wild About Harry!’ The Instagram caption for the cover reveal read, “In Vanity Fair's October cover story, Meghan Markle opened up about living in the spotlight, starring on Suits, and her whirlwind royal romance, ‘I think it’s really simple. We're two people who are really happy and in love.’”
Royal expert Richard Eden recently spoke about the move in an Instagram reel, saying, “Meghan Markle set alarm bells ringing before her engagement to Prince Harry was even announced. In 2017, before she’d even got engaged to Prince Harry, Meghan Markle agreed to appear on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine for an article inside. The headline on the front was ‘Why I’m Wild About Harry.’” Accusing Markle of capitalising on her relationship with Harry, Eden compared her to the royal brides who came before her, namely her mother-in-law, Princess Diana, and her sister-in-law, Kate Middleton. “Can you imagine Lady Diana Spencer or Catherine Middleton doing this before an engagement was announced? It really seemed like Meghan was trying to capitalize on the publicity that her relationship with Harry was bringing,” Eden said.
However, in 2025, it was revealed that there had been a severe miscommunication between Markle and the team at Vanity Fair. The former "Suits" star was reportedly under the belief that she was being featured for her charity work, which was sadly not the case. As per the former editor of Vanity Fair, Graydon Carter, Markle had raised the issue with the reporter interviewing her. “(Markle said) Excuse me, is this going to all be about Prince Harry? Because I thought we were going to be talking about my charities and my philanthropy,” Carter mentioned via Page Six, before adding, “This woman is slightly adrift on the facts and reality.”
In the interview, Markle talked about the challenges that her newfound global fame had brought her. However, at the time, she had a positive outlook on things. “It has its challenges, and it comes in waves—some days it can feel more challenging than others. And right out of the gate, it was surprising the way things changed. But I still have this support system all around me, and, of course, my boyfriend's support,” she said. Markle graced the cover of the prestigious magazine once again, some years later, with her husband this time. In 2025, the Sussexes featured on the cover of the magazine to give fans a look into their business ambitions after they departed from the royal family in 2020.
A month after her first Vanity Fair interview, Markle and Harry got engaged in November 2017. A few short months later, the couple tied the knot in a dreamy ceremony at St. George’s Chapel on May 19th, 2018.
