This Surprising Skill Perfectly Prepped Meghan Markle to Be a Royal

(Image credit: WPA Pool)

published 9 August 2019

Whoa. Apparently Meghan Markle's beautiful handwriting isn't done for her. She apparently writes beautiful thank you notes herself—according to royal correspondent Angela Mollard, Meghan was hired to a calligraphy shop in Los Angeles when she was younger. I feel like there's not one single thing she can't do, but this surprising skill is a particularly lovely one. It's absolutely a useful one, now that she's a royal—although, now that I think about it, it was probably helpful when she was signing autographs as a celebrity actress, too.

Apparently she writes all her letters like that, including the really stressful ones, according to the correspondent. "She learnt to write like that. You know the letter she wrote to Thomas Markle, that whole five pages that we talked about a few months ago, it was all written as beautifully as that. I mean, gorgeous, lovely skill." The host added that it was a "lost art." Maybe the Duchess Effect will happen here too and hundreds of kids will all of a sudden take up calligraphy? Doubtful, but I happen to think calligraphy is gorgeous, so fingers crossed.

Here's an example of Meghan's craft as she pens a thank you note to Luminary Bakery for being a part of the British Vogue project. The letter reads, in part, "When I knew I would be secretly guest editing the September issue of British Vogue, including Luminary Bakery was a non-negotiable. The work you do, what you represent to the community, the spirit of the women there—you all embody what it means to be ‘forces for change’. Thank you for being a part of this special project."

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And here's how she signed her name at New Zealand House:

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Sign A Book Of Condolence At New Zealand House

Honestly, it's gorgeous and my chicken scratch attempt at cursive (thank you, five years of Catholic school that I did not enjoy!) will never ever compare.

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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.