10 ‘commoners’ who wed royals: Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton and 8 other princesses who once were actresses, journalists and even reality TV contestants

May 4 , 2021

From left, Meghan Markle, Charlene Wittstock and Kate Middleton are just three “commoners” who married into royalty. Photo: Bang Showbiz

Hollywood actress Grace Kelly wed Rainier III, Prince of Monaco in 1956 while their son, Prince Albert II, married Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock in 2011

Silvia Sommerlath was a hostess at the 1972 Olympics but four years later became queen of Sweden after marrying Prince Carl Gustaf

It’s safe to say we’re all obsessed with royal romances. Particularly the idea of mere mortals marrying into royal families and living happily ever after. So we’ve put together our favourite selection of regular folk who’ve lived out their very own Disney fairy-tale by marrying royalty. Here are 10 “commoners” who married into royal families …

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

Britain’s Prince Harry next to his wife Meghan Markle as they ride a horse-drawn carriage after their wedding ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018. Photo: Reuters

Meghan Markle is a real-life American fairy-tale. Harry reportedly developed a crush on the then-actress after seeing her on the TV series Suits two years before the two were introduced by a mutual friend in July 2016. After their engagement, Markle revealed that she would be “retiring” from her acting career. The couple married on the May 19, 2018 in a ceremony at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Since then, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they are officially known, have stepped back from their roles as senior members of the royal family and moved to America where the duke has found work in mental health and in fighting disinformation.

Prince Christian of Hanover and Alessandra De Osma

Prince Christian of Hanover met Alessandra De Osma when she served as his tour guide during one of his visits to her country of Peru in 2005. The lawyer and former model married her prince in an extravagant ceremony in the streets of Lima in 2018. On July 7, 2020, Alessandrade Osma gave birth to twins, one boy and one girl, in Madrid.

Prince Casimir zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn and Alana Bunte