Meghan: A Hollywood Princess

by Andrew Morton

'Highly readable and compelling' Daily Telegraph
_______________

What an extraordinary journey it has been for Meghan Markle . In this fully revised and updated biography, Andrew Morton navigates the at times baffling twists and turns of a royal saga that has both engaged and enraged those inside and outside the palace walls. It has taken just three short years for Meghan and Harry to be transformed from golden couple to royal outsiders living in a sprawling mansion in Montecito in California and cutting multi-million-dollar deals with media moguls.

From the frothy fun and laughter of her wedding day to darker days and the isolation , loneliness and prejudice she experienced, amplified by what the couple considered to be the sexism and racism of the mass media . Add to that the high and lows of motherhood -the joy of the births of her two beautiful children and the sadness of a miscarriage late into her second pregnancy - it has been nothing less than an emotional rollercoaster .

Morton draws on exclusive interviews with those closest to Meghan to uncover the story of her life, from her fractious childhood growing up in the Valley in LA, through her previous marriage and divorce, her struggles in Hollywood , her work as a humanitarian ambassador, her life as the Duchess of Sussex - and the seemingly bottomless rift that has developed between the Sussexes and the House of Windsor.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Royalty, Memoir, History, Biography Memoir, Audiobook

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 12, 2018

About the author

Andrew David Morton (born 1953) is one of the world's best-known biographers and a leading authority on modern celebrity. His groundbreaking biography Diana: Her True Story was a #1 New York Times bestseller, as was Monica's Story, an authorized biography of Monica Lewinsky, and Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography. The winner of numerous awards, including Author of the Year, his other New York Times bestsellers include unauthorized biographies of Madonna and Angelina Jolie, as well as William & Catherine: Their Story. A former British Fleet Street tabloid journalist,he studied history at the University of Sussex. He lives in London.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/andrew...

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meghan: A Hollywood Princess is the first of what I'm sure will be hundreds of Biographies written about Bi-Racial American actress and humanitarian Meghan Markle who on May 19 will marry England's Prince Harry. I am of course obsessed with Meghan, though I have yet to watch her former show Suits(its not on Hulu or Netflix) I plan on setting my alarm so I can wake up early to watch the wedding.

I know Andrew Morton is a top Royal biographer but I think he should have maybe waited a little bit before writing this book. Its a great book for those who know nothing about Meghan but for me it seemed like he copied articles from The Daily Mail and turned it into a book. He didn't interview any of her bitter and jealous family members ( her sister Samantha & brother Tom) or her bitter and jealous ex friends.

Where was the dirt?

I'm sure her sister Samantha would have talked to Andrew Morton for a free hamburger. That woman can't stand her younger, prettier, talented sibling. She can't say enough awful things about Meghan and nobody is going to buy her trash book so Andrew should have interviewed her.

I gave this book 3 Stars because it was a fast read and it got me even more hyped for the wedding ( I can only watch The Crown so many times). I'm sure in a year or two we'll have more in depth biographies, because everyone loves Harry, Meghan is famous in her own right and because theirs is the last major Royal Wedding for a generation. So interest will remain high for years to come.

Recommended for readers who can't wait for the wedding & people who loved her on Suits.

Read-A-Thin May Reading Challenge: Read a new release.
YA Bookaholics May Read-A-Thon.

[L.A. Barnes · Rating 1 out of 5]

Morton has provided so little insight into Markle's life that I can't help but call this a cash grab of a book. His entire research seems to be 1) reading her old blog posts and 2) speaking to some very peripheral people in her life. That's it. He has nothing to share on Markle's first marriage or her divorce. He offers little about her first two years on Suits. She's cast and then a couple of pages later the show is established and in it's second or third season. And as a really awful bonus, Morton (a white British man) feels the need to explain racism in America. Some of these passages may come off as insightful but only because they are summaries of her blog. She is insightful on the subject on race. His additions offer nothing worthwhile.

[Lois · Rating 2 out of 5]

2022 Reread:
I'm rereading the books dealing with Meghan & Harry in anticipation of Harry's upcoming 'Spare' memoir. I'm trying to reread this gossipfest in the order they were published to track how opinions of the couple change. 
This is still abysmally awful.
That said the misogynoir that Meghan will continue to face in the UK is fully present in this text.
Morton judges Meghan for her drive and ambition while excusing and even praising those same traits in her ex-husband, Trevor Engelson. He also ignored that as a WOC Meghan was held to entirely different standards than Trevor. She couldn't show up to awards shows late and with rumpled clothes, it would negatively impact her career, while having zero impact on Trevor's.
It seems disingenuous at best, racist at worst, to not even mention that the couple's experience in Hollywood is impacted by their differing gender and race.
Also this is a money grabbing rehash of popular gossip blogs, just shameless.




Original 2018 Review:
Largely unsubstantiated gossip and tabloid standard. I like gossip and am nosey. Honestly this was not really that good.

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book over the weekend in concomitance with the Royal Wedding. I'm sure I was one of the millions of people who got up early to watch Meghan Markle marry Prince Charming. Wait, I meant Prince Harry.

Diana was one of my idols. Her death affected me dearly. Her life was cut so short leaving behind two small children. I've followed her sons' lives and their romances. Harry has always been my favorite. He doesn't have the pressure Will does so he has more freedom to be himself.

When I learned that Meghan was his girlfriend, I was so happy. Meghan was becoming a Princess, just like in the fairy tales. In real life, she's now a Duchess but still a pretty cool Cinderella love story with a twist. After all, she does have the mean half-siblings, Samantha and Thomas. The differences from Cinderella are multiple. Before Meghan married Harry, she was a successful actress. She had a good career, her own blog, over a million followers on social media and her philanthropy was already established.

Andrew Morton wrote Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words and when I saw that he was writing one for Meghan, I was so excited. I wanted to know more about her life.

I did learn more about Meghan's background, her childhood, her achievements and her career as an actress. Yet, I felt that there were too many holes in her life. Some parts were glossed over. Her marriage and divorce were two of them. At times, I also found the novel to be too dry or judgemental.

Anyway, like I said earlier, I did learn more about her life before Harry and I look forward to seeing her in her new capacity as part of the royalty. I wish her a life full of love and success.



Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Grand Central Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

[Amy Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This biography wasn't at all what I expected and felt very thrown together (even the picture sections were opposite of where they should have been).
I wanted to come out of this feeling like I knew more about the person but it was mostly tabloid info and the biographers opinion stated as fact. I was really disappointed at how poorly written this was.
I don't care about which celebrities were at which events or how much everything costed with every little thing. This kind of filler info gutted the book of the substance in my opinion. I seriously thought about dnf-omg this book but my future MIL asked me to read it and sent her copy for me to borrow so I felt like I had to.

There just wasn't enough story to fit behind the filler.

[Gigi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I truly am a fan of Meghan Markle. I have been for nearly a decade, long before Harry entered her life.

That said, I am NOT a fan of this book.

It's not so terrible that I would discourage everyone I know from reading it. However, it's important people know what they're getting: repackaged information from other sources, repetitive writing, and more speculation than is appropriate for a biography.

For instance, sentences like "As she relived that fateful evening in her mind, she perhaps wondered if she had been too eager to accept his invitation to meet again the following day" can be found all throughout the book. I don't need the author to tell me what he suspects Meghan thought or felt at any point in time. I'm looking for information... for knowledge that is accurate, interesting, and new.

I suspect the author rushed the book into print given how the date of the book release barely preceded the May wedding between Meghan and Harry. It feels like Mr. Morton is capable of better... and perhaps in time he will deliver something of higher quality.

[Tasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a series of chapters based on Meghan's Blog,newspaper and magazine articles and not much more. However as someone living in Toronto where Meghan lived during her time filming Suits,is far from affluent. It's a middle class area not the Bridle Path where Toronto's rich and affluent live. Her family life is interesting but on the whole this book was just rushed and a bit boring.

[Rebekah Hajj · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written, lackluster, and forgettable - that's how I'd describe this very "meh" book about Meghan Markle. This book did confirm my assessment that Meghan is a privileged individual who doesn't have a good track record of forming lasting relationships in her climb to the top. I wonder if Morton would have written about her in such glowing tones had he known that just a few years later she and Harry would whine their way out of the royal family to come live the American dream in California. Ultimately, I think it's a losing battle to try and paint Markle as someone to emulate or look up to. I don't think she's all bad, far from it, but she's not the role model for success that Morton tries to make her out to be.

[bookspumpkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inhalt:

Die neue Prinzessin der Herzen
Mit ihrem natürlichen Charme verzaubert Meghan Markle nicht nur Prinz Harry, sondern die Menschen weltweit. Die Amerikanerin, bekannt aus der TV-Serie "Suits", lebt ein echtes Märchen: Im Mai heiratet sie Prinz Harry und wird damit offizielles Mitglied des britischen Königshauses.

Cover:

Man sieht auf dem Cover ein Porträt von Meghan Markle. Sie sieht auf dem Foto sehr natürlich und glücklich aus, was mir sehr gut gefällt. Man erkennt, dass sie eigentlich auch nur eine normale Frau war, die es vermutlich niemals für möglich gehalten hätte, dass sie irgendwann einmal einen Prinzen heiraten würde.

Meine Meinung:

Normalerweise lese ich keine Biografien, aber das Buch über Meghan hat mich sehr interessiert, weil ich ihre Geschichte – von Hollywood in den Buckingham Palace – sehr interessant finde. Ich verfolge schon seit längerem die Serie „Suits“ und auch hier ist mir Meghan als Schauspielerin sehr sympathisch. Deshalb bin ich sehr froh gewesen, dass der Verlag mir die Chance gegeben hat, das Buch über Meghan zu rezensieren.

Am Anfang des Buches erfährt man viel über die Herkunft von Meghan, über ihre Familie und die früheren Generationen. Das ist schon sehr interessant, weil ich vorher gar nicht wusste, dass Meghan so viele Kulturen miteinander verbindet.

Als nächstes erfährt man viel über ihre Kindheit. Es wird genaustens erläutert, wie sie aufgewachsen ist. Schon früh bemerkt man, was für eine unglaublich starke Persönlichkeit Meghan ist. Sie ist eine wahnsinnig starke Frau, was mich sehr beeindruckt hat.
Ihre Interessen, die sie vertritt, stechen schnell aus der Geschichte heraus. Und die Bilder in der Mitte des Buches runden ihre Biografie ab.

Ich will nicht lügen, deshalb bin ich ganz ehrlich: Die zweite Hälfte des Buches, in der es um ihre Beziehung zu Prinz Harry geht, hat mich dann doch am meisten interessiert. Ich fand es sehr schön zu lesen, wie die Beiden sich kennengelernt haben. Wie der Titel schon sagt: Es ist wie im Märchen. Welche Frau wünscht sich nicht so eine Liebesgeschichte?

Ich finde es auch sehr bemerkenswert, wie sie ihr altes Leben beinahe komplett aufgeben musste, um zum royalen Königshaus zu gehören. Sie meistert das Leben mit Bravour und behält ihre sympathische Persönlichkeit bei. Trotz, dass sie ihr Leben ändern musste, hatte ich nicht das Gefühl, dass sie sich persönlich verändert hat. Sie ist weiterhin menschlich, stark und taff. Sie lässt sich nicht jede Regel des Königshauses gefallen, was mir sehr gut gefällt.

Andrew Morton hat es geschafft, mir das Leben von Meghan detailliert zu zeigen und sie mir als Person noch viel sympathischer zu machen, als ich sie sowieso schon wahrgenommen habe. Sein Schreibstil war flüssig, er hat die wichtigsten Lebensabschnitte erwähnt und ist nicht unnötig zu sehr ins Detail gegangen.

Fazit:

„Meghan“ ist eine wirklich gute Biografie für alle, die sich für die „Suits“-Schauspielerin und „Duchess of Sussex“ interessieren. Man bekommt einen Einblick in ihr vergangenes Leben und ihr neues Leben, im englischen Königshaus. Außerdem merkt man in diesem Buch, wie sehr Prinz Harry und Meghan sich lieben.

Dieses Buch bekommt von mir 4 Sterne.

[Carmen]

Not only did Tom spend every waking minute with his daughter, in his own quirky fashion he tried to impose a little discipline on the somewhat laissez-faire household in order to protect his little "Flower." Though he had always said to his son that if he and his friends wanted to smoke weed they should do so only in the house, this instruction changed on the arrival of the baby. On one occasion Tom Junior and his friends were smoking a spliff in the sitting room while Meghan was in the nursery crying. His father announced loudly that he was going upstairs to change her diaper. Shortly afterward he appeared in the sitting room carrying a full diaper. He joined the boys on the sofa, took a spoon out of his pocket and started eating the contents of the diaper. Grossed out, the boys fled the house. Only later did he reveal that he had earlier spooned chocolate pudding into a fresh diaper. It was his way of stopping the boys from smoking weed when Meghan was around.

o.O

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting information, but a bit too many sultry details.

[Freakajules · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meghan Markle ist mir seit der Serie "Suits" bekannt. Diese habe ich bei Erscheinen noch auf Englisch gesehen, später allerdings auf Deutsch weiterverfolgt (aktuell warte ich auf die siebte Staffel). Schon in dieser Serie ist mir Meghan aufgefallen. Nicht nur, weil sie eine tolle Schauspielerin ist, sondern auch aufgrund der tollen Spannung, die zwischen ihr und ihrem Schauspielkollegen Patrick J. Adams besteht. Als ich im November 2017 von ihrer Verlobung mit Prinz Harry erfuhr, war ich sehr überrascht, weil ich die Anfänge dieser Beziehung in keiner Weise mitbekommen hatte. Und weil ich wissen wollte, wer diese Meghan Markle überhaupt ist und aus welchen Gründen der Prinz auf sie aufmerksam geworden ist, habe ich beschlossen, dass die erste Biografie, die ich in meinem Leben lese, von der ehemaligen Schauspielerin und Duchess of Sussex handeln sollte.

Andrew Mortons behandelt dabei in seinem Buch "Meghan – Von Hollywood in den Buckingham-Palast. Ein modernes Märchen" die verschiedenen Stationen von Meghans Leben und das ihrer Vorfahren: der Stammbaum ihrer Familie, das Kennenlernen ihrer Eltern, ihre Geburt, ihre Kindheit und Jugend, ihr Studium, ihr ständiger Kampf, als Schauspielerin durchzustarten, kleine Rollen im Laufe der Jahre, Freundschaften, ihre erste Ehe, weitere Beziehungen und letztlich das Kennenlernen von Harry bis hin zur Verlobung. Da das Buch ein paar Tage vor der Hochzeit veröffentlicht wurde, werden die Hochzeitsvorbereitungen zwar angeschnitten, aber die Hochzeit selbst ist nicht enthalten. Geschmückt werden die inhaltlichen Erzählungen durch zwei größere Bildabschnitte (jeweils circa 15 Seiten), die Meghan an wichtigen Lebenspunkten zeigen und durch Bildunterschriften genauer beschrieben werden.

Eine Sache wurde mir beim Lesen dieses Buches immer drängender deutlich: Meghan ist eine unglaublich beeindruckende und faszinierende Frau. Sie hat so viel erlebt und erreicht, hat nie aufgegeben, für ihren Traum zu kämpfen und sich für die Unterdrückten einzusetzen, sie hat niemals das Handtuch geworfen. Sie ist ein typisches Beispiel dafür, dass Dinge, die im Leben nun mal nicht gelingen, die uns wehtun und uns zurückwerfen, letztlich nur stärker machen und uns die nötige Kraft geben, immer weiterzumachen. Auch wenn sie mir als der Mensch, den man durch Interviews, durch ihre Schauspielerei und durch ihre sonstigen medialen Auftritte kennenlernen konnte, schon sympathisch war, hat dieses Buch diesen Eindruck um ein Vielfaches verstärkt. Denn Meghan hatte es nicht immer leicht, ihr ist nichts in den Schoß gefallen, nichts wurde ihr geschenkt. Trotzdem hat sie ihren schauspielerischen Durchbruch erreicht, trotzdem war ihr Wohltätigkeit immer wichtig, trotzdem hat sie am Ende die größte Rolle ergattert, die man sich vorstellen kann.

Hier und da gibt es in dem Buch einige Andeutungen, dass auch Meghan nicht fehlerfrei ist. Es wird zwar nicht besonders ins Detail gegangen – auch nicht bei der Scheidung von ihrem ersten Ehemann – aber Andrew Morton schreibt von Gerüchten und von Freundschaften, die trotz jahrelangem Zusammenhalt dadurch zerbrochen sind. Aber Meghan ist keine Romanfigur, sondern ein echter Mensch und jeder macht in seinem Leben Fehler. Nicht jeder ist immer ehrlich. Und vor allem kann man nicht in die Ehe zweier Menschen hineinsehen. Deshalb fiel es mir als Außenstehender auch sehr leicht, dies nicht zu bewerten und bei meiner Meinung über Meghan außenvorzulassen.

Der Aufbau der Biografie hat mir gut gefallen. Da ich bisher noch keine gelesen habe, fällt mir der Vergleich natürlich schwer, allerdings fand ich es toll, dass die verschiedenen Stationen in Meghans Leben nach Kapiteln unterteilt waren. Das ermöglicht dem Leser, verschiedene Passagen, die ihn nicht interessieren, einfach zu überspringen oder Stellen, die er später nochmal nachlesen möchte, leichter zu finden. Außerdem hat der Autor mich dadurch beeindruckt, dass er nicht nur Fakten genannt und eine stupide Abhandlung geschrieben hat, sondern auch Meinungen von Menschen hat einfließen lassen, die früher eine Rolle in Meghans Leben gespielt haben oder noch spielen. Für mich hatte die Biografie dadurch mehr Wahrheitsgehalt und war realer. Stellenweise wirkte das Buch ein bisschen langatmig und ich persönlich hätte auch nicht alle darin verarbeiteten Informationen gebraucht, aber ich bin mir sicher, dass viele Leser begeistert von dem Inhalt sind – oder so wie ich einfach darüber hinwegsehen können.

Fazit
"Meghan – Von Hollywood in den Buckingham-Palast. Ein modernes Märchen" ist eine sehr interessante Biografie über eine überaus faszinierende und vielschichtige Frau, die mit ihrem Charakter, ihrer Willensstärke und ihrer Durchsetzungskraft schlichtweg begeistert. Nachdem sie schon einigen Stolpersteinen in ihrem Leben ausweichen musste, wünsche ich ihr, dass sie ihr Glück nun gefunden hat. Ein empfehlenswertes Buch für alle Meghan-Fans.

[chucklesthescot · Rating 2 out of 5]

Andrew Morton was determined to get the first biography of Meghan Markle out on the bookshelves, in the same way that he quickly got a book out about the state of Diana's marriage after being asked to do so. I have no idea if this book was done with Meghan's permission or not but it was rushed out before the wedding had even taken place. In my personal view it might have been in his best interests to take a bit more time over it and get a more balanced biography, rather than this somewhat dull, lacklustre and gushing version.

It goes into Meghan's upbringing, as expected, looking at the lives of her parents Doria and Thomas and their brief marriage and divorce. Thomas is portrayed as the workaholic who didn't spend as much time with his family but was a skilled man who rose to the top of his industry. He used those skills to do the lighting on Meghan's school plays in spite of his busy schedule and taught her how to pose for cameras, which of course became useful in later life. He got her a walk on part in General Hospital. It also goes into the sometimes chaotic situation in the Markle household with his kid's from a previous marriage-Samantha and Thomas Jnr. This was ok to read but I would've liked more from Thomas and Samantha than was covered, and there was nothing about a big fall out between Meghan and Samantha to indicate why they were estranged.

It then followed Meghan's crusading schooldays, encouraged by her father, her school drama performances and how things changed when she went to college. It looked at her volunteer work and all of the things that the media have previously written about. However it also delved back generations of the family tree which really did bog down the book for me. If I'm reading a biography of someone, I want to read about that person rather than their great grandparents. This section felt more like an essay on genetics rather than entertaining prose and I started skimming through it until we got to Meghan and her parents, the relevant bit. I'm not a great fan of the childhood bits of any biography but it is relevant to the biography so it was right that it was there.

Next we got the ups and downs of Meghan's career-her appearances on Deal Or No Deal, the bit parts in films, the failed pilots that she had set her heart on. These details were interesting as were the few details we got about her marriage to Trevor. It seemed to go on about Meghan's disappointment that he wasn't pulling enough strings to further her career and perhaps wasn't ambitious enough for the life she wanted. Anyway, there is a short bit about her wedding and not much about what happened during the Suits years, which was pretty disappointing. Instead there is a huge focus on where she dined, her food and fashion choices and a ton of detail about everything she put on her lifestyle blog The Tig. It was too much Tig and not enough about her acting career. There was plenty about her celebrity friends, her relationship with a celebrity chef that she set out to hook, and it gives the impression that she just dumps anyone of no further use to her and moves on unaffected, but we only got the glowing pro-Meghan version from Morton.

The few bits about Meghan and Harry were interesting, especially when it talked about the Royals exchanging funny Christmas gifts. I would've loved to be there the year that Harry gave the Queen a shower cap with 'Life's A Bitch!' written on it! Another gift from Harry to the Queen was that cool singing fish Big Mouth Billy Bass. I always wanted one of them! It might have given the idea for Meghan to present the Queen with a singing hamster, which the corgis took an unhealthy interest in...I'd have liked more about her meetings with the Royals as this was lacking in the book.

Where this book fails is that it doesn't go into the details that people want to know about Meghan's pre-Royal life. Why were Samantha and Thomas Jnr not at her wedding? Why did she actually leave her husband and why exactly did he react badly to anyone mentioning her name after that? Why did her childhood friend break all contact with Meghan after that marriage split? What happened to end her relationship with the chef? How was the blind date with Harry set up and by who? It also lacked in any detail that we didn't already know about Meghan and Harry. It is also gushing in how much the author seems to adore Meghan, a style that I found quite annoying. It seemed that he was reluctant to say anything negative about her life or choices and instead just didn't much mention these things. Oh and I'd like to tell Morton that the film 'Deep Blue Sea' was about mako, NOT great white sharks so maybe he should've checked his facts.

There is no doubt in my mind that Morton wanted to get the first pro-Meghan book out there to cash in on the new interest in her with the Royal engagement. It did have known facts about her early life but had little in the areas that I was looking for. Most of the first half of the book was full of stuff I could've read on the internet myself, and very little of real interest from the Suits era and beyond. I hope that more interesting and detailed books will follow covering that part of her life, especially now that Megxit has happened.

2 star/2.5 in places.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to Meghan Markle. I did not know much about her life or career before reading this book. If you are already a fan of Meghan or know a lot about her, this book will probably cover things you already know. I was impressed by her commitment to feminism and the causes she supports. I was surprised that she gave up her website The Tig so quickly since it was something very important to her. I wonder how she will fare in the long term now that she has joined the royal family. It sounds like it would be a stifling environment to live in for someone who is a feminist and used to having the freedom to do what she wants with her life.

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This biography of Meghan Markle, clearly written in anticipation of the royal wedding, contains some interesting facts. Meghan, now Duchess of Sussex, one took part in a USO holiday tour and appeared in a school play with Scarlett Johansson. The tone of the book is sometimes judgmental though, with references to Meghan having a love of selfies or having a reputation as a "thirsty socialite." There are interviews with people who only knew Meghan in passing (Deal or No Deal co-stars) or clearly have an axe to grind (such as Thomas Markle Jr.). The book was clearly written in haste and the photographs are out of order (later photos precede earlier ones). Didn't meet my expectations.

[farmwifetwo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just what's been covered in the news.

[Ja'Nean Palacios · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I much preferred the Lifetime movie, “Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance.”

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars for Meghan: An American Princess by Andrew Morton. Since he boasts a lengthy list of having written other biographies of the royals, I had high hopes for this one. Interestingly, he included bits in which she was portrayed wonderfully (mainly in keeping with her empathic and compassionate nature, her humanitarian work) but also elements in which she was definitely portrayed as not-so-perfect (ditching friends as she got more famous, leaving her ex-husband callously). It's almost shocking to read her biography and see her portrayed not as a villain, but not perfectly either. He gave her a 3-dimensional real human side there. That said, I'm sure her take on leaving her ex-husband is different than how it was portrayed, and given that this was her bio, it would have been nice to read it from her perspective.

[Caity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meghan Markle is a controversial figure. She has received criticism for her ethnicity, career choices and previous failed relationship. She is not perfect. Yet who is? Morton does a beautiful job of eloquently describing events throughout Meghan’s life. I was invested in the story and inspired by Markle’s determination to succeed and make a difference with her new found celebrity status. Nobody can help who they fall in love with or the timing of love. Meghan and Harry seem very happy together and I am happy for them.
This book was well sequenced and fascinating. The information of Markle’s feminist nature was by far my favourite chapter, very inspiring. Personally, this book just wasn’t anything reMARKLEable.

[Yusuf Nasrullah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Highly waffle-oriented book. Makes the subject far more interesting than she really is. Liked Morton's earlier books on Princess Diana and Tom Cruise, but this one is a half-hearted 'paid commission' undertaking. Meghan is neither beautiful nor gloriously nor particularly accomplished, and very few people have seen Suits or care about her career. This is an overwritten bag of air, the two stars are only for the delicious and tangential social commentary I enjoyed.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing groundbreaking, but a good enough audiobook to pass the time on my commute. I've liked her since the beginning of Suits, and Harry was my first ginger crush, so why not!

[Lucy-May · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt this was a very balanced insight into Meghan's life before Harry, & a very positive look at how their relationship first blossomed. Some people think Meghan isn't fit to be royalty, but in my opinion she's everything I would want a princess to be. I throughly enjoyed this book & recommend it to anyone interested in Meghan.

Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-2zM

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Insipid

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as ghastly as I expected, but definitely bad.

[Fefyy Antela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this interesting but a little decaffeinated 🤭

I wanted more...

[Coco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Für mich persönlich ein wenig zu langatmig

[ilo.reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meghan’s life before Henry. Love this book

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Andrew Morton is usually the go to author on all things royal and he delivers a decent biography of Prince Harry's fiance, now new bride, Meghan Markle. Most of the information you can get on the internet but if you need it all fast in one read, here it is.

Meghan is definitely a 21rst century Princess and an interesting person. The product of an African American mother and white father who met on the set of "General Hospital," Meghan was adored by her father who seemingly spent most of his money educating the daughter of his second marriage. She attended private schools her whole live and majored in political science and theatre at Northwestern University. She is not a bit stupid and knows it. She worked her way to make it as an actress, (oh, excuse me, the book repeatedly points out she is a feminist, and thus calls her an actor.) and despite her father's connection in Hollywood, made it without a lot of help from anyone.

From Hollywood standards, she was not much of a standout actress. Groomed and polished, she looked somewhat attractive, but she did not carry the looks and glam of an A list actress. She waffled around for many years not really cutting into the meat of the trade until she landed a role on "Suits."

Suits producers asked cast members to start promoting the show on social media and she began to learn how to brand and promote herself online. She became so successful at this she had her own lifestyle blog called, "The Tig" and eventually was handled by a branding managing company. She could charge $20,000 an appearance and was by now also trying to make a name for herself in the humanitarian trade. Morton says the UN called Meghan but I have heard from her in an interview that she emailed them and asked to intern with them. She became the ambassador for women's rights and equality and Morton claims that after her big speech at the UN, she didn't do much for them as far as projects went. A few photo ops and that's it. She had better luck being hands on in projects after becoming a spokeswoman for "World Vision Canada."

After reading about Meghan and listening to her in interviews, it is of no surprise that she is a mover and shaker in the media scene. She is fun, fresh, very intelligent and friendly. She has goals and knows what she wants. Unfortunately her relationships including a marriage suffered from her desire to purse her career goals.

The self proclaimed feminist then met Prince Harry in a set up date and her future seemed sealed. Her marriage to Prince Henry will open a whole new world of opportunities to work in the humanitarian sphere plus be very very famous and live a jet setting life.

I find it curious that such a self made woman would choose to marry into a family with known racism, sexism and is basically a system for controlling and protecting larges sums of money and great power. (Just read Morton's book on her mother in law, Diana, The Princess of Wales.) She will basically become a role that she can never have much influence over and never leave the family firm. Well, she can, but look what happened to Princess Diana and poor Fergie, who wandered into the church on their wedding alone and dazed by it all.

She has surrendered her independence, citizenship, freedom and ability to be and do all to a man and his family. In return she receives his protection, money, power and must tow the line of a monarchy that does little but dress up in unflattering clothes and shake hands with commoners.

I am curious to see how this will all turn out.

[Just Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do yourself a favor and read any puff magazine article instead of this book called Meghan: A Hollywood Princess. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 2 1/2 years; you already know everything about her and her story. It's a shallow book of collected facts - including paragraphs detailing her habit of putting her hair behind her ear.

I am sure that she is a lovely woman who is faced with the unique problems of being a newlywed and a new member of the Royal Family. Like other people, her life is messy. Meghan is plagued by familial jealousy and envy. If she weren't now a member of the Royal Family; I dare say that her biological family would not have been eager to reconnect with her. Like dust on the bottom of her shoes; she needs to brush off the old and put her efforts and time into her new role as mother and wife. Good luck to her.

Nonetheless, skip this boring book.

[Darlene Foster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andrew Morton gives us an often contradictory sometimes confusing profile of the now Duchess of Sussex. On one hand Morton describes her as a philanthropist concerned about women's rights and the plight of the poor while on the other hand she's a cold calculating social climber. A portrait of this dichotomy leaves the reader with a sense that with Meghan it's all in the perspective of the person interviewed. Those left behind bitter about their experiences or those still in her good graces with only praises to sing. A woman who throws herself wholeheartedly into a cause, job, or friendship and then able to casually move on to the next rung on the ladder without one look back. While people by our very nature are complex creatures with layers like an onion Morton gives us no layers to peel back. Selfless or self serving, take your pick.