From TV Sets to Motherhood! Photos of Meghan Markle’s Transformation Through the Years

For as long as we’ve known and loved her, Meghan Markle has always been a fashion and style icon. Even long before she tied the knot with husband Prince Harry in May 2018, fans have been obsessed with the former royal’s effortless beauty following her big break on Suits in 2011.

Since then, the Hollywood alum has transformed her look many times over the years, going from a showbiz starlet to the Duchess of Sussex. Meghan and Harry ultimately stepped back from their senior roles in Queen Elizabeth‘s royal family, but the brunette bombshell has embraced her newest chapter: Motherhood.

Meghan’s journey with the Duke of Sussex began in November 2017 when she said goodbye to her acting life in Canada to pursue a relationship with the prince. Upon moving to the U.K., the lovebirds got engaged, married and announced their first pregnancy with son Archie Harrison, who arrived in May 2019.

Although their former lives as royal family members seemed to be all rainbows and butterflies, the doting mom — who welcomed baby No. 2, daughter Lilibet, in June 2021 — opened up about her struggles of adjusting to her life in an extremely candid interview.

While chatting with TV News at Ten anchor Tom Bradby for the 2019 documentary titled Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Meghan revealed how difficult it was to juggle her role as a royal while being a mother.

“Especially as a woman it’s really — it’s a lot,” she shared. “So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom and trying to be a newlywed. … And also thank you for asking, because not many people will have asked if I’m OK. But it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”

Meghan also divulged the difficulties of pleasing the public. “Look, any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable,” the former Deal or No Deal model shared. “And so that was made really challenging, and then, when you have a newborn, you know?”

Though Harry and Meghan decided to leave the royal family in January 2020, they’ve started a new life in Santa Barbara, California, where they’re raising their two kiddos in a beautiful mansion in the Montecito neighborhood.

“The house has a Mediterranean vibe to it — French doors and archways and a pool. It’s beautiful and spacious, but not too over-the-top,” an insider told Closer in August 2020, noting the $14.7 million property is the “perfect” place to raise their growing family.

To see photos of Meghan’s transformation from her early Hollywood days to now, keep scrolling!