Meghan Markle recalls her early gardening days and the rituals she upholds even as an established business owner managing her As Ever brand. Since launching her Lemonada Media podcast in April, the Duchess of Sussex has hosted successful female entrepreneurs from various walks of life. Viewers have watched these female founders share their personal and professional experiences while discussing how they’ve navigated the business world as women. On this week’s episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan Markle hosted Wisconsin native, Cassandra Morales Thurswell, who founded the viral beauty brand Kitsch at the age of 25.
During the episode, the seventh released so far, Meghan and Cassandra delved into the essentials for transforming an idea into a thriving global business, even with a humble start. Cassandra recalled kicking off her business years back with $30,000 of her life savings, pouring her passion and efforts into it, and growing it into the multi-million dollar company it is today, valued at $87 million. Meghan Markle acknowledged her friend’s success, pointing out that the secret to attaining such height also boiled down to “the core of what you have always liked doing.”
Meghan Makle Recalls Her Humble Beginnings Before As Ever
Meghan Markle proceeded to recount her more unusual success story, which eventually led to the birth of her lifestyle business, As Ever. The duchess explained how, for her, that evolution took root in her love for gardening and giving out fruit baskets. She recounted the humble days before marrying into the British royal family, and how she still managed to show up for people even with the limited resources at her disposal. Going further, she shared a rare insight into her post-royal home, fondly recalling owning a lemon tree in the garden of the cozy abode. Meghan divulged,
“For me, I have been making preserves, I’ve been giving fruit baskets, I’ve loved to garden. Before I had a house and a garden like this, in my bungalow, I had a lemon tree. In a way, all [of] these years later, because that’s been the undercurrent of how I like to show up for people [and] to have that still be ingrained in how I show up through the business…”
Coincidentally, both Meghan Markle and Cassandra Morales first crossed paths during the early years of their careers, and have seen each other grow in their respective fields. The 43-year-old recalled meeting the Kitsch founder years back when she was just getting started on her legal drama, Suits. At the time, she’d asked a friend called Heather for some style tips, and the friend directed her to Cassandra, her cousin, who showed up at her home and helped out with her wardrobe choices, thus kicking off their friendship. Meghan Markle then shared details about the “little house,” which Cassandra rightfully called a bungalow. The Duchess agreed, saying,
“It was a bungalow, and you had to walk through my bedroom, past my bed, past the shower and the sink, which we had right there and the toilet, and then right across from that was the door that opened into my very small closet.”
While the duo has no doubt grown remarkably from those early career days, the idea that Meghan Markle came from humble beginnings has been widely disputed.
A Look At Meghan’s Former Homes
Born and raised in Hollywood, Los Angeles, the star grew up with her parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, who continued to co-parent her even after their split. As a child, she split her time between her dad’s Hollywood apartment and her mom’s two-bedroom home in Mid Wilshire until she jetted off to college in 1999.
Following her graduation from Northwestern University, Meghan Markle kicked off her career in showbiz, ending a role as a briefcase girl on Deal or No Deal. She eventually snagged the breakthrough role of Rachel Zane in Suits, which skyrocketed her to stardom. This also gave the actress a chance to upgrade to a more modest home in Toronto, Canada, splitting her time between Toronto and Los Angeles while filming Suits.
Meghan Markle eventually crossed paths with Prince Harry, uprooted her life from Canada, and moved to the UK, where she had her royal wedding, becoming a member of the British royal family. As a royal, she resided with Harry in Frogmore Cottage, a small residence within the royal estate, which she had to bid farewell to following her and Harry’s controversial exit in 2020.
These days, Meghan Markle, now a business owner, has adopted a more lavish life, residing in their $14 million mansion in the extravagant Montecito neighborhood. The luxurious pad features seven bedrooms, thirteen and a half bathrooms, as well as a home office, a gym, and a breathtaking garden expanse sufficient to put her passion for gardening to good use. Surely, her cozy bungalow in Toronto is indeed a “humble start” compared to such luxury.
