An Argentinian wrinkle in Meghan Markle's story
- Will
- May 14, 2018
- 2 min read
Since actress Meghan Markle is tying the knot with Prince Harry later this week, I encountered an article today from La Capital, the Argentinian newspaper, which highlights the actress' experience in the country as an intern at the U.S. Embassy. The translation of a section of the article from Spanish follows.
Meghan Markle, the future British princess with a past in Argentina
The American actress, who on Saturday will become part of the royal family, lived in our country in 2002 when she worked at the U.S. Embassy.
Argentina and the U.K. will have a new point of contact next Saturday when Prince Harry marries American actress Meghan Markle, since the future princess spent part of her youth in Buenos Aires while working at the U.S. Embassy and remembers the times of “economic devaluation.”
Beyond the tension present in the bilateral link with regard to the demand for sovereignty for the Falkland Islands, despite the fact that President Mauricio Macri achieved a rapprochement with London in other respects, there will be a new wrinkle this week to add to the historical relationship between both nations.
Born in Los Angeles, Markle, who in a mere six days will form part of the British Royal Family, spent a short time in Argentina in 2002, after earning a double degree in International Relations and Theatre at the Northwestern School of Communication in Illinois.
Her university career completed, Markle, who at that time was 20 years old, applied for an internship at the U.S. State Department and obtained a job with the diplomatic delegation to Argentina.
“I ended up working at the Embassy in Buenos Aires for a few months. It was during their economic devaluation...” the actress once recalled in an interview.
She added: “... [O]ur Secretary of the Treasury at the time, Paul O’Neill, was there. So I’m 20 years old, in Buenos Aires, in a motorcade, doing that whole thing. I thought for sure I would still have a career in politics.”[1]
However, when she finished her internship, the young woman returned to the U.S. and contacted a TV producer there, which marked the beginning of her artistic background.
Meghan lived through the heated days of 2002 in which uncertainty and instability reigned, and in particular she remembers O’Neill’s visit. He had arrived in the country in the context of a tour through the region, which also included Brasil and Uruguay, in order to discuss “their economic direction and prospects.”[2]
“If she had stayed with the State Department she would have been an excellent addition to the US diplomatic corps. She had all that it takes to be a successful diplomat,” recalled Mark Krischik, the then advisor for Informative and Cultural Issues at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, in the biography “Meghan: A Hollywood Princess” by journalist Andrew Morton.
[1] Original quote found in the following Marie Claire article:
[2] From original U.S. State Department statement:
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