Flashback to 1956: It was the fairy-tale moment watched ’round the world when the ever-elegant (American) Grace Kelly walked down the royal aisle to marry her prince—Prince Rainier III of Monaco, to be precise. Flash-forward 60-plus years to the follow-up fairy tale when Meghan Markle did the same, marrying Prince Harry and echoing the epic fanfare of the American princess who came before her. As it turns out, the two have a lot in common. Don’t believe us? Read on.
Not only that, both were successful in their field. Case in point: Meghan, who had a leading role playing Rachel Zane on the USA Network’s runaway hit Suits for a whopping seven seasons. (That’s quite a long time with a regular paycheck by Hollywood standards.) For her part, Grace earned an Oscar for her role in The Country Girl, a film that placed her front and center opposite Hollywood heartthrob Bing Crosby. (Psst…she was also the favorite ingénue of a little-known director named Alfred Hitchcock, who cast her in films like Rear Window and To Catch a Thief next to big-deal stars like James Stewart and Cary Grant.)
Duty calls, aka Grace and Meghan both had to give up their acting careers in order to take on their regal responsibilities at the palace. Grace was rumored to be kind of bummed out about it, although she frequently discussed film industry issues (including her frustration with the public's perception of Hollywood life versus it's behind-the-scenes reality), she was happy to leave behind as she assumed her new royal role. Meghan, on the flip side, has been quite positive about the career shift: “I don’t see it as giving anything up, I just see it as a change,” she said in her engagement interview.
Grace threw herself into charitable efforts after she assumed the throne, becoming president of Monaco’s Red Cross and making it a top priority to lobby on behalf of children’s rights. Meghan is also philanthropic, but unlike Grace, her efforts to do good for the world are something she pursued long before she was the Duchess of Sussex. In fact, her work as global ambassador for World Vision (she traveled to Rwanda to help campaign for clean water) is something that helped her bond instantly with Harry on some of their early dates. Aw.
Come on, Grace was a working woman, earning her own living as an actress in 1950s America at a time when that was still considered pretty taboo. (She famously said, “I think that women can do anything they decide to do.”) Brava. Meghan—who also built her own career—isn’t afraid to speak her mind about the causes she cares about (from #MeToo to gender equality) or share her own viewpoint while on the arm of Harry. (In the ancient past, royal wives have been much more soft-spoken and taught to prioritize poise over opinions.)
It’s no small task to be thrust into the world of the royals after growing up stateside, far removed from the traditions, rules and social expectations that go hand-in-hand with being nobility. Americans Grace and Meghan both had to learn fast and hold their own against intense scrutiny, not just from the general public, but also from inside their respective royal households. (“Grace is an actress?!” “Meghan is going to walk down the aisle alone?!” We can hear the royal scuttlebutt now.)
OK, so Grace already had her own thing going, being an actress and all, but she really came into her own fashion-wise after marrying Prince Rainier. That’s when she started embracing more classic pieces and highlighting Monaco-based designers, making her mark as a trendsetter for everything from the menswear-inspired Oxford to the delicate kitten heel. Meghan is doing the same, sticking with timeless pieces made by both British and Canadian brands while also leaving her mark. For example, her engagement coat sold out in minutes. (All hail the power of e-commerce and the internet.)
See? Meghan and Grace: Two peas from the same (royal) pod.
