Meghan Markle at 40: ‘Her masterplan is to be the next Oprah!’

She became one of the most famous women in the world when she got engaged to Prince Harry in 2017, and their whirlwind romance, followed by their lavish wedding in May 2018, completely changed Meghan Markle’s life.

Now, after a dramatic two years inside the Palace, followed by the “Megxit” controversy as she and Harry stepped down from Royal life last year, the former actress is gearing up to mark another milestone as she turns 40 this week, celebrating with her husband and their two children at the family’s plush Californian mansion.

Harry, 36, and Meghan, who left the Palace in January last year, have since revealed her struggle with her mental health while she was pregnant with their son Archie, now two. They also spoke about the alleged refusal by the family and palace officials to help her, which drove them to leave the UK, on their sensational TV interview with chat show legend Oprah Winfrey in March.

They’re now living in an £11m home with A-list neighbours including Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres and Gwyneth Paltrow, and have secured huge deals with the likes of Netflix, Spotify and Apple TV. Their first Netflix offering, Pearl, an animated series about a 12-year-old girl who meets important women throughout history, was revealed last month.

Harry and Meghan have also signed a deal with Spotify, worth a reported £30m, under the couple’s own brand Archewell Audio, and Harry has produced a series for Apple TV revolving around mental health, The Me You Can’t See, alongside Oprah.

Despite being criticised for the lack of content they’ve produced so far, the business-minded couple have also branched into the literary world, with Meghan releasing children’s book The Bench in June and Harry dropping bombshell news that his memoir will be out in 2022 – part of the couple’s reported £18m deal to release four books, including one on “leadership and philanthropy” and one on wellness.

Now, legendary talent manager Professor Jonathan Shalit OBE, who has worked with the couple’s pal Sir Elton John as well as a host of other A-listers, tells Closer that her 40th will see the start of Meghan creating an “empire”.

He says, “Meghan’s 40th will be the beginning of a huge decade for her – it’ll be the start of building her business empire.

“Within five years, I see Meghan as one of the most important and in-demand people in Hollywood.

“She’ll have a raft of international awards for her filmmaking, humanitarian work and perhaps even Emmys or Oscars.

“When viewed holistically, Harry and Meghan are in a really exciting position right now. Their business portfolio from the last year is astonishing. What they’ve managed to do since leaving the royal family is incredible, in terms of deals with brands such as Netflix and Spotify. They’re on track to achieve big things.

“Remember, how the Brits see them is not how the Americans see them. They are two of the most in-demand people in the Hollywood community. They have built up a close-knit circle of friends and a substantial team that will work with them to help them achieve what they set out to do. There’s no limit!”

Meanwhile, PR expert and founder of 10 Yetis, Andy Barr – who has worked with brands in the US – says this is just the tip of the iceberg of what he believes we’ll see from Meghan in the next 12 months.

And Andy says he believes her strong sense of ambition is the drive behind the couple’s career choices and future goals.

He says, “Meghan is 100 per cent the driving force behind this power couple – she has a lot of ambition and a lot she wants to achieve. I fully expect them to have their own production company within five years and to be bigger than their A-list peers who are floating around Hollywood right now. I believe she’s looking to take Oprah’s crown – which is ironic, considering she’s given them a foothold in America.

“I really would not be surprised if, ultimately, Meghan has her sights set on bigger things, such as political ambitions – even running for President. That would obviously have serious connotations for any British government in the future.”

Andy adds, “With restrictions easing and things slowly getting back to normal, I suspect Harry and Meghan will take this year by storm. They’ve had their second child – and always said they’d only have two – so now, it’s all systems go. I think we’ll see a really heavy focus on their masterplan – solidifying their position as America’s ‘royal family’ – so there will definitely be more TV appearances.

“It’s not inconceivable that they’ll have a joint TV show together – that’s a rumour I’ve heard. I’m not talking as cringe as the Royal It’s A Knockout of the ’80s – it’ll be more about raising awareness around humanitarian issues, Hollywood-style. The US will be their core focus, not only because it’s where the money is, but also because they can’t compete with the royal PR machine here in the UK.”

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Inside her A-list 40th Birthday Bash

She turns 40 this week – exactly two months after giving birth to her daughter Lilibet.

And after moving back to her native California last year with Prince Harry and their two-year-old son, Archie, insiders say Meghan Markle will celebrate her milestone birthday in true Hollywood style with a lavish star-studded bash at their Montecito mansion.

A source says, “Harry’s planned a big party for Meghan with invites going out to the likes of Amal and George Clooney, David Foster and Katherine McPhee, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi, James Corden, and a host of high-profile Hollywood executives too.

“Harry’s hired a top event planner to ensure everything goes smoothly and they’re having it outside in their beautiful grounds – with lots of fine wines from their local vineyard, signature cocktails including Meghan’s own creation – gin with Maraschino cherry liquor – and huge grazing tables filled with local produce.

“He’s also hired Meghan’s favourite LA bakery to make her birthday cake, which will be topped with pictures of the kids.”

Insiders reveal that Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, 64, is also expected to make a speech at the celebration alongside her son-in-law.

The source adds, “Doria’s not usually one for public speaking, but she’s planned a surprise toast to mark the occasion.”