Before being introduced to Prince Harry by mutual friends, Markle was an American actress on the cable legal drama “Suits.” Born and raised in Los Angeles, the graduate of Northwestern University shares a passion for philanthropy with her prince. She was an advocate for United Nations Women and a “global ambassador” for the charity World Vision before giving up those roles in order to start her royal life with a “clean slate,” according to Kensington Palace. She also deleted her social media accounts and shut down her lifestyle blog.

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, met her prince charming as a student at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Kate was the first woman without aristocratic lineage to marry a future king in over 350 years when she married Prince William at Westminster Abbey in April 2011. The mother of three is a supporter of a number of charities that address mental health awareness, children and addiction.

For years Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, was scorned by the British public as a home-wrecker who Princess Diana once called the “third person” in her marriage to Prince Charles. The pair reportedly met in 1970 at a polo game and had a close relationship for several years, but Camilla married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973 and had two children. However, Charles and Camilla’s relationship never really died, and cast a shadow over the prince’s fairy tale marriage to Diana. In 1994, Charles admitted adultery on national TV. The couple married in 2005, despite public opposition in the polls. In the years since, Camilla has earned a measure of respect from the British public, although her popularity ratings are among the lowest in the royal family. She is given credit for fulfilling her royal obligations with a smile and for with making Charles a happy man.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, is the wife of Prince Edward, the youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. Before marrying Edward, Sophie worked in public relations. The couple have two children, Louise and James. Sophie is a full time royal and is involved with charities supporting people with disabilities, preventing blindness and promoting agriculture. She reportedly has a close relationship with her mother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth. Sophie and Edward’s marriage is the only one of the queen’s children not to have ended.

When the fun-loving red-head married Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, in 1986 it seemed like a match made in heaven. Alas, it didn’t last. The couple had two daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, but there was trouble on the horizon. They separated in 1992 and finally divorced four years later. Sarah, who retains her title as Duchess of York, is frequently portrayed in the British tabloids as a fumbling, financially-strapped ex-royal. The former Weight Watchers spokeswoman and reality TV star has had some major missteps – like getting caught on camera offering access to Prince Andrew for half a million pounds – which seemed to finalize her excommunication from the royal family.

When the stylish socialite photographer Antony Armstrong Jones married Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, in 1960, he was the first British commoner in 400 years to marry a king’s daughter. A Cambridge drop-out, Lord Snowdon, was a favorite photographer of royals and celebrities alike; his pictures were widely published and hang in museums around the world. The couple had two children, but after a tumultuous 18-year marriage they divorced in 1978. He died at 86 years old in 2017.

When King Edward VIII decided to marry the twice divorced American Wallis Simpson it sparked a constitutional crisis that led to Edward abdicating the throne in December 1936. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor married in 1937 and lived out their lives exiled from the British royal family as socialites and celebrities in Europe. She and Edward were finally welcomed back in the U.K. after their deaths. They were both granted funerals at St. George’s Chapel and are buried next to each other in the Royal Burial Ground near Frogmore House on the grounds of Windsor Castle.