Meghan Markle considered becoming a journalist before acting, claims new book

Meghan Markle reportedly “thought about becoming a journalist” as a career, before eventually settling on acting, according to a new biography on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Finding Freedom.

The duchess, who started in legal drama Suits prior to becoming part of the royal family, reportedly “enjoyed writing in school” and considered pursuing it full time.

Royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, who co-authored the book, said: “She [Meghan] 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.”

A spokesperson for the couple told The Independent, neither Harry nor Meghan have contributed to the book; it is based on the author’s own experiences as members of the royal press corps.

Before her relationship with Prince Harry became public, Meghan ran a lifestyle blog called The Tig - which she started in 2014 and named after a bottle of wine.

The blog detailed everything from her fashion choices, to interviews with famous friends like actor Priyanka Chopra, and recipes for dishes like “spicy broccoli and hempseed stew”.

In Finding Freedom, The Tig is described as “curated eye candy that [Meghan] hoped would be the ‘breeding ground for ideas and excitement – for an inspired lifestyle’”.

Meghan was also reportedly the author behind an anonymous blog, which ran from 2010-2012, called The Working Actress, about people trying to make it in Hollywood. Although she never publicly confirmed she was the source of the blog.

Since the couple’s announcement in January that they were intending to step back from the royal family, they have attempted to reshape their relationship with the press too.

The Sussexes revealed an updated media relations policy in protest over “misreporting”, saying they wished to “provide access to credible media outlets”, referencing the “frequent misreporting” across the globe.

“The Duke and Duchess have chosen to revise their media policy to reflect both their forthcoming change as members of the Royal Family with financial independence, and their wish to reshape and broaden their work,” the policy read.

This included removing themselves from the royal rota system, which has been in place for more than 40 years.

Since moving away from the UK, the couple has already shown their commitment to engaging with non-traditional media: on 19 August Meghan will interview Emily Ramshaw, founder and CEO of the 19th newsroom, a publication launched during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement released in the lead-up to the summit, the duchess said it has “never been more important” to uplift individuals who are “often underrepresented in the media”.