Meghan Markle refers to herself as a ‘female founder’ in her new podcast. 

But long before her lucrative Netflix deal and As Ever brand, she relied on a physical CV to land jobs. 

The Duchess has worn a number of hats over the years, beginning as an actress before transitioning to a wife, mother and businesswoman.  

In an interview given to coincide with the final episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, the Duchess spoke about balancing motherhood with being a busy businesswoman. 

She said: ‘If I had to write a résumé, I don’t know what I would call myself.

‘I think it speaks to this chapter many of us find ourselves in, where none of us are one note. But I believe all the notes I am playing are part of the same song.’

The Duchess hinted at a future step into the fashion industry, but said for now she is planning to launch a new range of merchandise in early 2026.

‘The category of fashion is something I will explore at a later date, because I do think that’s an interesting space for me,’ she said.

Her previous store sold out in 45 minutes and contained homely items as well as her long-awaited pots of jam.

Addressing her first online shop, Meghan said Netflix agreed that rather than market her products under their brand, it would make sense for her to have her own store.

Netflix already has its own online shop selling brand-related products such as Stranger Things bomber jackets and Squid Game merchandise.

Meghan added that the ‘mom moments’ push her to success in the business world, with plans in the future ranging from home goods to fashion.

Revealing her son Archie has begun to lose his teeth, she described becoming the tooth fairy and leaving coins and a little dinosaur underneath his pillow.

She said: ‘I had a lot of business meetings the next morning, but I still chose to cuddle with him the rest of the night. Those mom moments energise me to be a better founder, a better employer, a better boss.’

Meghan welcomed the final guest to speak on her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, who has a staggering £1.3 billion net worth.

Sara Blakely, the founder of the shapewear giant Spanx, joined the Duchess of Sussex to discuss the need ‘get real about bet on yourself’.

Meghan’s CV from before her marriage to Harry was shared online, which included her eye colour, height and weight, as well as a black and white headshot.

It is unknown when the CV was first used, as it has no date on it, but it appears to be before her stint as a suitcase model on Deal or No Deal, which she first appeared on in 2006.

The last role listed was her first professional film role where she played the part of ‘Natalie Hot Chick’ in Ashton Kutcher’s 2005 romantic comedy A Lot Like Love. 

At the time the document was printed, Meghan only had a few roles on TV, including a two-episode appearance on General Hospital in 2001, where she played a nurse named Jill, and a role in CBS’s sci-fi legal drama, Century City, in 2004 where she played a party guest named Natasha. 

There was also a section on the CV that listed theatre roles, which included playing roles in Annie, Into The Woods and Stepping Out, the 1984 play that was written by British writer Richard Harris in 1984.

Meghan would have been around the age of 24 when she wrote this CV.

It also included the intensive training she had undergone, including a number of professionals in various disciplines from ‘TV/Film’ to ‘Musical Comedy’ and ‘Voice for Performance’.

Other skills include her proficiency in speaking fluently in French and Spanish, her dancing and kickboxing skills.

Before marrying into the Royal Family, growing up in Los Angeles, Meghan dreamed of one day being a global superstar and had a privileged upbringing, attending a private school just around the corner from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

She participated in high school theatrical productions over the following years and school reports mentioned her starring role in a three-day sell-out of Athenian tragedy Oedipus Rex and great applause in Annie, Damn Yankees and Into the Woods.

But one downside of Meghan’s success at her school productions was the ‘intense jealousy’ she felt if someone else took the limelight, according to a book.

Meghan became particularly irritated after one girl at her school got a job as an actress and two other girls auditioned for the 1992 thriller film Trace of Red, biographer Tom Bower claimed in his book Revenge.

Her father, Thomas Markle, who has been estranged from his daughter after he didn’t attend her May 2018 wedding, told Bower: ‘She wants to be the star of the stage and the star in life.’

Bower claims Meghan loved glamour and celebrity, using her father’s connections in Hollywood to launch her teenage career.

It is understood she asked her father to pay a professional photographer to take a ‘headshot’ of her and send it to studios. He did so but she received no replies.

‘I want to be an actress’, she kept saying, according to the book.

Thomas even took Meghan to the Emmy awards ceremony when he was nominated for best lighting director.

After they walked down the red carpet, the 17-year-old said: ‘Daddy I want to be famous just like you one day.’ Thomas nodded and went on to do anything to help make that dream come true, according to Bower.

Over the years, the actress began to slowly build on her experience, including playing the role of Cori in an episode of the Shannon Elizabeth series Cuts in 2005.

Later that year she played the role of Teresa in an episode of the Busy Phillips show Love, Inc.

By 2006 she had booked more small roles in TV, appearing in an episode of The War at Home (which starred Michael Rapaport), the TV movie Deceit (starring Emmanuelle Chriqui and Matt Long), and an episode of CSI: NY.

Later that year she gained a steadier gig as a briefcase girl on the game show Deal or Deal.

She starred in 34 episodes in total from 2006 and 2007, beginning with briefcases 11 and 12 before matching with briefcase number 24.

In 2013, Meghan reflected on the role, telling Esquire that it had been a way to pay the bills as she looked for a more enjoyable role.

She said: ‘Definitely working on Deal or No Deal was a learning experience, and it helped me to understand what I would rather be doing.’

‘It was ‘in the category of things I was doing while I was auditioning to try to make ends meet’, she added.

After leaving the show in 2007, she entered more traditional acting roles, including having a minor role on the 90210 reboot in 2008, where she played the role of Wendy, and one-episode with ‘Til Death.

In that year she also gained roles in two more films, including The Apostles and Good Behaviour, the latter of which also starred her Suits co-star Patrick J. Adams.

By 2009, at 27 years old, Meghan nabbed a starring role in a Tostitos commercial, which resurfaced soon after her engagement to the Duke of Sussex was announced.

Over the next three years, before landing her major starring role on Suits, she kept busy with a bunch of minor TV roles, including Knight Rider, Without a Trace, Fringe, The League, and CSI: Miami.

She started picking up more movie roles, too, appearing in Remember Me and Horrible Bosses.

Finally in 2011 her big break came, and she was offered the chance to play the role of Rachel Zane on Suits.

She appeared in 108 episodes of the series that ran until 2018.

While playing the popular role, she also starred in other films including Random Encounters and Anti-Social, started her blog The Tig, and used her growing fame to add some brand partnerships with Birchbox, Reitmans, and Bobbi Brown.

Following the announcement of her  engagement to Harry, however, she announced she would be stepping down from acting to start her new life as a working royal in the UK.

The Queen had told Meghan before joining the royal family that she could carry on acting if she wanted to, Princess Diana’s biographer Andrew Morton claimed.

He said that both Harry and Meghan were given the opportunity ‘to go wherever they pleased’.

In her joint BBC interview with Prince Harry following their engagement, she explained she was happy to end her acting career.

She said: ‘What’s been really exciting, as we talk about this as the transition out of my career is that the causes that have been very important to me, I can focus even more energy on.

‘You realise that as you have access, or a voice that people are willing to listen to, [it comes with] a lot of responsibility, which I take seriously.

‘I don’t see it as giving anything up. I just see it as a change. It’s a new chapter. And keep in mind I’ve been working on my show for seven years. We were very fortunate to have that sort of longevity on a series.

‘For me, once we hit the 100-episode marker, I thought, I have ticked this box and I feel really proud of the work we’ve done there and now it’s time to work as a team with Harry.’

One of the reasons Meghan and Harry parted ways with the Royal Family was the monarchy’s refusal to accept commercial endorsements by the couple.

In 2023 Meghan featured as a background extra in a bizarre Instagram advert for a coffee company she holds shares in.

The Duchess of Sussex was seen in Clevr Blends’ commercial as an intern stacking boxes, making hot drinks and working on a computer in the digital department.

She comically fails to fist bump another member of the team in the final shot as she walks off camera, leading to everyone bursting out laughing before the video ends.

Meghan, who has been an investor in the trendy oat latte brand since 2020, is an extra throughout the ad whilst CEO and co-founder Hannah Mendoza walks around the company’s HQ and thanks the team for all their hard work in 2023.

The Duchess confirmed in December 2020 that she had invested an undisclosed sum in Clevr Brands, which has a range of lattes that come in powder form.

The Sussexes signed a £80million five-year Netflix deal in 2021.

In the same year Meghan tried her hand at writing and published her children’s book, The Bench. 

Her recent Netflix show was panned by critics, but the Duchess of Sussex is still confident that people want a slice of what she is selling.

Meghan has shown an entrepreneurial launching an Instagram shop selling clothing and accessories that she had ‘hand-picked’, earning commission on each item sold.

The ShopMy site featured 32 items ‘curated’ by the Duchess with affiliated links to the brands’ websites.

Meghan’s Instagram site was launched at the start of the year in advance of her With Love, Meghan lifestyle programme and As Ever of merchandise.

Under the terms of Harry and Meghan’s agreement with Buckingham Palace when they acrimoniously quit royal duties, there is nothing to stop her selling products as long as she doesn’t nakedly cash in on her royal links. 

Throughout her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, the Duchess was seen wearing a number of hats including beekeeper, baker and homemaker.

Meghan has spread herself across many jobs in her life, stretching from actress to mother, author, podcast host and entrepreneur. 

Despite alleging not to know what she would put on her CV now, it would certainly be a challenge to fit it into one A4 side of paper.