Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
Hollywood is full of princesses.
But now we've got the dreamy story of a real, flesh-and-blood one. Actress Meghan Markle and Prince Harry just got engaged. And Markle is our own: She was born and raised in LA.
Once they wed, the union will break new ground for a few reasons:
1. Markle is a woman of color, her mom is black and her dad is white.
2. She was raised a Catholic, which as of a few years ago would have forbidden under royal succession rules.
3. Markle would become the first American to be given the title of Her Royal Highness.
"She's known to have a humanitarian bent," explained BBC reporter Regan Morris, "so I think she will fit into the royal family in that way."
Despite this, the British tabloids have not always being kind to her.
"Because her mother is African American, there's been some coverage like she's 'straight out of Compton,' as if she grew up rough," Morris went on. "But she had a good life in LA. A lot of people were upset about the racist coverage of her in the British tabloid media.
Still, according to Morris, times are a-changing for the British monarchy: "It's a much more accepting and modern institution now. I think they have more choices than their predecessors did."
So there you have it, LA's first real-life princess.