Meghan Markle Shared a Rare Photo From Her Pre-Royal Life to Mark Remembrance and Veterans Day

Over the weekend, the British royal family commemorated Remembrance Sunday, with Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, attending a service at London's Cenotaph alongside Prince Harry, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Queen Elizabeth II, and a series of other senior royals.

Monday, meanwhile, was Remembrance Day, or Armistice Day, in the U.K., a century after the introduction of a two-minute silence to remember those killed in World War I, as well as Veterans Day in the U.S. To mark the occasion, a rare photo of Meghan Markle—before she became the Duchess of Sussex—was shared on the official Sussex Royal Instagram account.

Back in 2014, Meghan went on tour with the United Service Organizations (USO), a non-profit that supports U.S. service members and their families, alongside Glee's Dianna Agron, country singer Kellie Pickler, songwriter Kyle Jacobs, former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, and baseball star Doug Fister. The group visited military personnel as well as their families in Spain, Afghanistan, Turkey, the U.K., and Italy.

Meghan Markle, Dianna Agron and Kellie Pickler on 2014 Chairman's USO Holiday Tour - YouTube

Watch On

@sussexroyal shared a photo from the trip on Instagram, captioning it with a quote from Meghan during the tour. "I have always had such a profound respect for our nation’s troops and military families. I cannot thank them enough for everything they do for us," she said.

In fact, support for the USO is something Meghan and Harry had in common years before they met. As the USO website notes, Harry attended the Warrior Games, co-sponsored by the USO, in 2013, while he was still serving in the British military—inspiring him to found the international Invictus Games, a similar event for injured service members. And in 2015, Harry visited the USO Warrior and Family Center on Fort Belvoir, Virginia, alongside then First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden.

Fittingly, Meghan and Harry made their first public appearance at Toronto's 2017 Invictus Games, only a few months before they announced their engagement.

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

subscribe here