Meghan Markle became Duchess of Sussex when she said "I do" to Prince Harry at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle Saturday, but it wasn't the first time she walked down the aisle. Markle used to be married to film producer Trevor Engelson. The two said their nuptials on the beach in Jamaica in 2011 after dating for seven years.
Her first wedding dress was much different than the gown Givenchy's creative director Clare Waight Keller designed for her. Markle wore a strapless white dress with a V-shaped cutout on the neckline. It was adorned with a bejeweled belt around her waist. In the image obtained by Cosmopolitan, she didn't wear a veil or tiara.
Markle and Engelson, who is best known for his work on Robert Pattinson's movie Remember Me, split in 2013. They cited "irreconcilable differences" in the divorce papers.
Five years later, Markle's royal wedding dress had a 16-foot veil that was decorated with flowers to represent the 53 countries in the Commonwealth. She wore Queen Mary's diamond bandeau tiara, which was borrowed from Queen Elizabeth. As for her Givenchy dress, it had long sleeves and a bateau neck.
Though Markle and Prince Harry had a fairytale wedding, there was plenty of drama leading up to their special day. Markle's estranged family members did not stop talking to the media in the days leading up to the wedding, with her father ultimately dropping out because he had to have surgery on his heart. Instead of her father, Prince Charles walked Markle down the aisle.
Now that the wedding is over, Thomas Markle Sr. would like his family to keep quiet about his daughter and stay out of the media. "…I pray that Harry and Meghan can go on a nice honeymoon and rest and relax, and all of my relatives will just shut up about everything," he told TMZ Sunday.
Thomas Markle Sr. watched the ceremony from home, where he was recovering from surgery. He regretted not being there to hold Markle's hand. "My baby girl is a duchess and I love her so much," he said. "When you watch your child get married, every thought goes through your mind, every memory from the first day she was born, the first time I held her."
Markle and Prince Harry delayed their honeymoon to start their official engagements, the Telegraph reported. The Duchess of Sussex plans to fight for feminism with her new platform. Her quote on the monarchy's official website says, "I am proud to be a woman and a feminist." The site added that Markle has a "lifelong commitment" to promote "social justice and women's empowerment."
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