Meghan Markle Turns 43 After A Year Of Philanthropic Highs & Critical Blows About Her Looks

Aug 02, 2024

Every so often, the public is treated to an inside view of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's private lives. The royal couple stays relatively quiet outside of carefully curated press releases and rare public appearances. Although the Duchess of Sussex was somewhat used to the spotlight as a former actress, being reintroduced as a member of the British royal family was vastly different and very challenging.

However, after Meghan and Harry announced their royal departure in 2020 and acted on that the following year, the family unit stayed very strong and has even grown in size. Meghan and Harry are proud parents of two: Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Lilibet “Lili” Mountbatten-Windsor. They currently reside in Montecito, California.

Mere days after giving birth to their daughter, the Duchess of Sussex released her very first children's book titled "The Bench." The story began as a poem that Meghan wrote to Harry one Father's Day before it was turned into a book with gorgeous illustrations by Christian Robinson. Released in June 2021, it didn't take long for "The Bench" to become a No. 1 New York Times bestseller, proving that Meghan’s talents lie in much more than just acting.

The mom of two spent her 40th birthday with the launch of the women’s work initiative 40x40. She celebrated her 41st birthday privately with family and close friends. 

In 2024, the Duchess turns 43 after another year of highlights and notable public appearances that caught the eye of fans worldwide and even raised some health suspicions. Read on to learn more about the Duchess of Sussex and her impact on the world.

The year 2018 saw Meghan celebrate her first birthday as a member of the royal family. According to Vogue, Meghan and Harry attended the wedding of Harry’s childhood friend Charlie van Straubenzee. Meghan showed off her “refined and polished” style as she celebrated the newlyweds on the same day as her 37th birthday.

In the years that followed, Meghan continued to make an impact on the world. The years 2020 and 2021 were very eventful for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Harry and Meghan disentangled further from the royal family and truly began living their newfound independent lives. In March 2021, they released their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, which bared all about their time as working royals and revealed the mistreatment Meghan faced.

Then came Harry’s television series with Winfrey, "The Me You Can't See," which took an open approach to mental health. After the birth of Lilibet in June 2021, Meghan had her media release with "The Bench." After hitting the No. 1 New York Times bestseller list, Meghan personally thanked her fans via the couple's Archewell website. 

While Meghan also had a Netflix series with the working title “Pearl” in the works, Deadline reported that it was canceled in 2022.

However, for her big 40th birthday, Meghan showed no signs of slowing down and revealed another project. Meghan filmed a home video with actress Melissa McCarthy, in which McCarthy came up with several outrageous ideas on how Meghan could celebrate her 40th birthday and jokingly suggested a "Suits" reunion, as well as a yacht party. After McCarthy’s antics, Meghan revealed that she celebrated her 40th by launching the 40x40 project.

In the video, Meghan said many women were “shouldering the brunt of the crisis” of the pandemic regarding “unpaid labor, including schooling and caring for family members.” Meghan chose to team up with 40 "friends, activists, athletes, artists, and world leaders," to kick off a global effort for people to offer 40 minutes of mentorship to women reentering the workforce. 

Meghan said:

"With this time, I hope they each help someone advance a professional life on her own terms, and, I hope that they inspire countless others to give 40 minutes of their time as well.”

While she took the initiative seriously, Meghan’s husband proved to still have some silly antics up his sleeves. Town & Country reported that Harry showed off his juggling skills in the video prior to Meghan’s informative speech about the 40x40 project.

For Meghan’s 41st birthday, she celebrated with “family and close friends,” according to Elle. Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, as well as King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla, wished the Duchess of Sussex a very happy birthday on their respective social media platforms.

PEOPLE reported that August 4th was already an important day in the royal family’s life before Meghan as it was the birthday of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s mother — the Queen Mother. Although Meghan only knew Elizabeth for a few years, they seemingly shared a special bond as the queen, at times, reminded Meghan of her own grandmother. Meghan once told Winfrey:

"The queen has always been wonderful to me. I've loved being in her company. She's always been warm, welcoming, and inviting."

Despite being a busy woman, Meghan always seems to make time for her beautiful family. Body language expert Judi James spoke about the similarities between Meghan and Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, regarding the Sussex family’s holiday photo from 2021.

“The body language that Meghan uses with her baby here is an almost direct and perfect copy of a pose adopted by Diana with her own baby many years before,” James said, as per Express.

James added, “Both women define themselves as loving, doting mothers with this pose and both allow their babies to be seen in a playful mood as they laugh and smile down at them … The joy and delight on both women’s faces is tangible and it is also mirrored by their children’s facial expressions.”

On her Archewell website, Meghan has continued to update her followers on important events, including International Women’s Day, Mental Health Awareness Month and the Diana Award recipients.

In August 2022, Meghan debuted her podcast, “Archetypes,” which featured interviews with celebrities, historians and experts about the typical stereotypes that are used against women. However, the podcast was canceled the following year.

In December 2022, Harry and Meghan released a Netflix documentary series appropriately titled “Harry & Meghan.” The series highlighted their relationship over the years up to their royal departure, as well as interviews from historians, journalists and the couple’s family and friends.

The Duchess of Sussex has left a wonderful impact on the world already, and she still has so much more to offer. Read on to see what Meghan’s year looked like a year before her 43rd birthday.

Meghan has been quite active with a variety of projects and initiatives in 2024. Alongside Prince Harry, she has continued her philanthropic efforts, including a notable trip to Nigeria to support mental health initiatives and promote the Invictus Games​​. Meghan also unveiled a new lifestyle brand called American Riviera Orchard, marking her return to social media on the fourth anniversary of their move from Canada to California​.

Meghan also made the news inadvertently in May 2024, after Welsh artist Dan Llywelyn Hall chose her as one of the subjects of his latest paintings. His portrait of Meghan showed her as Dame Elizabeth Grey, also known as Elizabeth Woodville, who married into the British royal family and became Queen of England in 1464. Some took issue with the comparison and said, “Quite terrible, poor Elizabeth Woodville will be turning in her grave,” and “It’s an insult to Elizabeth Woodville. … Markle is nothing like Elizabeth.”

Eagle-eyed royal watchers also took note of an interesting change to the official website of the royal family. In March 2024, Harry and Meghan’s formerly separate biographies were combined into one link to a joint biography. Users also have to scroll past eight other members of the royal family for their link at the very bottom of the page. What’s worse, the link is situated directly under the scandal-ridden Prince Andrew.

However, Meghan’s appearance at the ESPY Awards on July 11, 2024, incited the most buzz, this time about her looks. Fans voiced concern for Meghan after she arrived looking more slender than usual in a backless white halter dress. 

Users remarked that the duchess was “not looking healthy,” was “way too thin” and that her “arms look sickly skinny.” Some accused the duchess of using Ozempic to slim down her frame, and said “The Ozempic skeletal look is strong,” and that she “has Ozempic face.” 

As Meghan celebrates her 43rd birthday on Aug. 4, 2024, she’ll no doubt have a lot to cherish and reflect on that occurred over the past year.

What do you think about Meghan Markle’s efforts to help others? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends, too.