It’s well known that Meghan Markle was a famous actress before she became a part of the Royal Family but what many don’t know is that she had an unexpected side hustle to help her make some extra income before she made it in her acting career.
Before landing her breakthrough role in Suits back in 2011, the Duchess of Sussex revealed in a 2013 interview with Esquire that she was very good at calligraphy.
Responding to a remark about her “incredible handwriting”, the 42-year-old explained that she developed this skill while attending an all-girls’ Catholic school where handwriting was part of the curriculum.
She said: “It was because I went to an all-girls’ Catholic school for like six years during the time when kids actually had handwriting class.”
Meghan also added that she’s “always had a propensity for getting the cursive down pretty well”.
However, the quirky talent turned out to be more than just a hobby for the duchess as it ended up helping her pay her bills.
In the same interview, Meghan described calligraphy as her “pseudo-waitressing job” while she was auditioning for roles.
She revealed that she even created the invitations for Robin Thicke and Paula Patton’s wedding as well some writing for Dolce and Gabbana’s celebrity correspondence.
She said: “I would sit there with a little white tube sock on my hand so no hand oils got on the card, trying to pay my bills while auditioning.”
The duchess referred to the calligraphy job as “super-lucrative” due to the shortage of people who take up this niche role, advising those trying to improve their calligraphy to use fluid strokes which keep the writing authentic to the writer.
Meghan said “there’s something so incredibly romantic and beautiful” about a man penning a handwritten note to a woman.
However, calligraphy is not the only form of writing which the talented Duchess of Sussex has found a passion for.
During a 2020 interview on the Teenager Therapy podcast, the former Suits actress confessed that writing helps her cope with stress.
She explained: “You have to find certain things that work for you. For me, I think journaling is a really powerful thing.
“It allows me to reflect on where I’ve come from. With that comes a lot of perspective. When you look back on something, it doesn’t seem that big.”
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