Kate Middleton’s wedding and children with William Duke of Cambridge were all over the United Kingdom news (particularly the tabloids) for the last few years, which shows that the members of the royal family truly have become the modern-day celebrities of the UK and beyond. This is especially true for the two princes who are the children of the beloved Princess Diana. There were even betting pools with regards to the gender of the children as well as their names (which are incidentally Prince George and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge). With that said, a paradigm shift has occurred when Prince Harry announced his engagement to American actress Meghan Markle. The media has shifted its focus from Kate to Meghan. Like a story straight out of Hollywood itself, a British prince has ended up falling in love with a divorced biracial Hollywood actress. There is a reason for this. Multiple reasons, actually. Meghan is in many ways better than Kate as a news item scoop, and public opinion reflects this. We’re not saying that Kate isn’t great—she definitely is. But she has certainly been overshadowed by Meghan in the last few months, and as you’ll learn here, Meghan deserves the attention.

15. Markle—First Biracial American Woman in the British Royal Family

The British royal family will accept Meghan Markle into its ranks once she marries Prince Harry, which is history-making in and of itself. After all, Meghan is the first biracial American woman in the royal family. She’ll be the first half-black, half-white American woman to become part of the centuries-old family. She has opened up about her own lineage in the past, discussing how her mother is African-American and her father is Caucasian in Elle Magazine a year ago. The dichotomy between being white and being black isn’t very clear. Like mixing black with white paint, it creates a gray area where biracial children like Miss Markle are able to blur the line between either ethnicity. She has found the whole experience, according to her, “staggering and illuminating.”

14. The UK Is Obsessed with Her

The United Kingdom can’t get enough of Meghan Markle. They used to be all about Kate Middleton and her babies with Prince William, but now they’re focused on the new hotness that is Meghan. Maybe it’s equal parts novelty and history at work here, but it seems like the UK is having Kate Fever all over again in the form of a new fiancée to one of their beloved princes. At any rate, Meghan Markle became the most Googled term in the UK. Prince Harry’s lady love and Suits actress certainly didn’t predict the level of interest that the Brits have in her relationship and life. She ended up surpassing other royals when it came to Internet popularity, including Kate Middleton, Prince William and Queen Elizabeth II, becoming 2017’s most searched name in the UK.

13. Prince Harry Thinks She Would’ve Been BFFs with Princess Diana

Yes, it’s true. Prince Harry believes his fiancée and Princess Diana would’ve been best friends or even best friends forever (BFFs). “Oh, they’d be thick as thieves, without question,” Harry said. Sure, Meghan Markle is more of a Belle type from Beauty and the Beast compared to Diana Spencer’s Ariel from The Little Mermaid but the prince himself believes they’d get along. More to the point, Markle was born in 1981 in Los Angeles with no foreshadowing towards her eventual involvement with royalty or a literal prince from one of the oldest existing royal families (they’re figureheads now, but still) in the world. Spencer was born to the Spencer Family, an aristocratic family with royal ancestry. However, both the princess’ and the actress’ parents split when they were young and both were thrust into the spotlight when their royal relationships were revealed.

12. Markle’s Fashion Tastes Are Trendier

Kate Middleton, also known as Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading on January 9, 1982 to an upper-middle-class family. This is reflected in her simple looks and nods to conservative British fashion traditions. Therefore, it’s kind of unfair to compare her fashion sense with a Hollywood actress. What’s more, Miss Middleton met Prince William when they were in their teens at St. Salvator’s Hall in the University of St. Andrews. In contrast, Miss Markle met Harry when she was 34-years-old. The biracial American has a fashion sense that’s been honed on the red carpet instead of royal weddings. Therefore, Meghan has a more well-developed, if mostly American, fashion sense that’s pure Hollywood and quite trendy. As beloved as Will’s bride is, Harry’s girl is set to be an even bigger fashion icon and trendsetter.

11. The Sparks between Her and Prince Harry Are More Real

Not to throw any shade in regards to the genuineness of the Prince William and Kate Middleton romance, but in fairness to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the circumstances behind them becoming a couple are a lot more adult. They didn’t meet when they were teenagers. They didn’t have a prim and proper romance that follows the old traditions to the letter. They’re instead breaking new ground, with the maturity of adulthood yet with the impulsive passion of teenagers. They’re also so madly in love that they’re willing to let the whole world see it. Harry is much bolder when it comes to showing PDA like holding Meghan’s hand in public even though it’s against royal protocol. While William and Kate’s romance was more by the book, there’s a sense of rebelliousness present with Meghan and Harry, including the fact that Meghan herself is cut from a different cloth compared to royal brides-to-be of the past.

10. The Royal Family’s Already Including Her in Their Holiday Traditions

Meghan isn’t only breaking new grounds and setting multiple milestones as the first American, first biracial and first African-American woman to be engaged to a prince from the British royal family. She’s also inspiring the royals themselves to buck tradition. When she and Harry attended the Christmas church service of the royal family, it was the first time the Royals had included someone who’s not yet part of their family in their holiday tradition, according to reports by Huffington Post and the BBC. Sure, this commoner is Harry’s fiancée and a Hollywood celebrity in her own right, but it was still a milestone regardless. The American actress and her princely fiancé excited the crowds outside the Christmas church service of the royal family at the Norfolk country estate of the Queen. Queen Elizabeth II herself said that she’s looking forward to meeting new family members, even unofficial ones.

9. She’s Been Doing Philanthropic Work Even Before Meeting the Prince

Unlike the Disney princesses of the past like Snow White who was more of an unwitting victim of circumstances than a proactive heroine of sorts, Meghan is more of the modern Disney heroine of sorts cut from the same cloth as the heroines of Mulan and Moana. More to the point, before marrying or even meeting her Prince Charming, Meghan has already been acting princess-like. Before her engagement to Prince Harry, the fifth in line to the British throne, she’s been engaging in advocacy for women’s rights and charitable work. After her engagement, she pledged to pursue more humanitarian work as a future royal and announced her retirement from acting. It helps that she’s an actress and celebrity in Hollywood for quite a while. She’s in Suits, a legal drama, as Rachel Zane from 2011-2017. She also has film credits that include Horrible Bosses and Remember Me.

8. She’s Not Afraid to Speak Out on Important Issues

Meghan has been using her platform as an actress to make the world a better place for equality and women’s rights advocacy from day 1. She’s made a career out of being in the spotlight and being heard way before “When Harry Met Meghan”. She believes her more prominent voice first as an actress then as a future royal offers a great opportunity for her to bring attention to movements and issues close to her heart. She believes that as a celebrity or famous person, people are likelier to listen to you, so you should take this great power as a great responsibility. Those who have a voice, she believes, should say something valuable, which is why she’d rather talk about her work with UN Women, humanitarian trips, World Vision and women’s rights advocacy instead of just talking about shallowness and the like.

7. Her Pets Are Both Rescue Dogs

Meghan’s love for animals is quite in line with her humanitarian efforts. The future royal is a friend to all living things, it seems. This is evidenced by her love of dogs and taking in rescue dogs as her pets instead of buying a purebred puppy or something. She has a Labrador-German-Shepherd mix breed named Bogart and a beagle named Guy. She has become even more like a Disney-princess-to-be in that regard, even though she’s already so accomplished as an individual that she doesn’t need a “I want” song to accompany her. At any rate, this should also leave her in good graces with the Queen because Queen Elizabeth II is herself known for her love for canines. In the Queen’s lifetime, she has owned more than 30 corgis. They can bond over their puppy love, since they’re both all about doggies.

6. Markle Allows the Public to Get to Know Her on IG and Twitter

Compared to the more conservative, prim-and-proper Kate Middleton, Meghan allows the public to get to know her on Instagram and Twitter like your typical Millennial. This is curious since Kate and Meghan are only a year apart in age. Then again, Miss Markle is a Hollywood actress in her own right, so having an online presence to promote herself and her brand is only normal. Although the lack of social media accounts from Kate hasn’t stopped the media from keeping up with her, they can’t get a more personal look into her private life. In contrast, like many other netizens who are active on social media, Meghan is able to share more about herself, her opinions and her personal encounters through her tweets and Instagram snaps. Not only does Harry’s fiancée post snaps with her friends, she also uses social media platforms as her digital P.R. in order to discuss her activism and charitable causes.

5. The Masses Can Relate to Her More Due to Her Middle-Class Upbringing

Kate Middleton can never be duplicated the same way Princess Diana couldn’t. Kate became part of the tabloid news cycle for the longest time mainly because of how different the Duchess of Cambridge was from the Princess of Wales. Her wedding and the birth of her children renewed interest in the royal family because Princess Di’s little boys are all grown up. However, Kate wasn’t particularly interesting although she was unique in her own right. She’s not as middle-class as someone like Meghan Markle, who was part of the American middle-class before she ended up becoming a Hollywood star. Markle is viewed more as middle-class than Middleton, who was previously proclaimed by British newspapers as possibly UK’s first middle-class queen since Anne Boleyn. Curiously, the actress who’s used to being a celebrity is viewed by the public as more relatable and down-to-earth than Kate who, despite having blue blood, was a middle-class woman who was thrust into the royal spotlight.

4. She Exudes More Self-Confidence

The appeal of Meghan Markle goes deeper than being a zebra to Kate Middleton’s thoroughbred horse. It’s more than being a biracial American actress who’s a women’s rights activist, animal lover, philanthropist and humanitarian. Even without all of those labels, traits, beliefs and jobs, the woman has more self-confidence and charm in her pinky finger than Kate has in her whole body. It’s harsh but true, in our opinion. It can be seen by the way she poses in front of the camera, the way she talks and the way she carries herself. The actress is a natural royal-to-be since in America, actresses like herself are considered American royalty. She has had her training in the realm of celebrity, and she isn’t one of those vapid ones either.

3. She Enjoys Interacting with the Public More than Middleton

Unlike Kate, Meghan enjoys interacting with the public more. On one hand, she’s used to the limelight and dealing with fans as a recognizable actress from a decent show for many seasons and as a well-known figure in terms of women’s rights activism. On the other hand, not only is she trained to deal well with attention, she arguably thrives in such situations. In fact, during the Nottingham walkabout, Miss Markle proved herself to be a box-office royal. Like something out of Disney’s Princess Diaries, she was out there relaxed, happy, hugging and even giving high-fives to the people in the crowd in true-blue laid-back American fashion. Uptight, she was not. Kate positively looks like Mother Theresa in terms of being formal compared to the more free-spirited air that Meghan has that’s reminiscent of a royal rock star. Meghan Mania is indeed running wild all over the UK.

2. Markle Worked Hard to Get to Where She Is Without Insider Help

Meghan Markle embodies the trope of “independent woman who needs no man” literally and wholeheartedly. Or rather, she needs no help from connections or privilege in order to garner success. She’s the kind of woman who’s hard-working and wants to lift herself up by her bootstraps. This All-American attitude towards working hard enough to be someone fascinates many a Brit from across the pond. She made her way towards the top as a Hollywood actress the old-fashioned way – by working side jobs and waiting for her big break by attending endless casting calls and auditions. She survived rejection and perfected her craft in order to get a career on her own merits and without insider help. She’s a goal-oriented kind of woman who even understands the kind of responsibility being a celebrity entails. No wonder Prince Harry is so enamored with her, and so is the rest of Harry’s royal family!

1. She Is and Will Stay True to Herself Even After Marrying Prince Harry

Meghan is about to undergo a transformative experience by becoming the wife of the fifth in line prince to the royal throne. But she was already somebody even before she met and got engaged to Prince Harry, and she wants to keep it that way. She’s a self-made woman in every sense of the term. She doesn’t need to become royalty in order to define herself. If anything, becoming part of the British royal family is nothing more than just another feather on her cap that includes becoming an actress and a leading voice in women’s rights activism. Even when she becomes a princess like Kate and Diana before her, she intends to remain a California girl. She won’t be defined by her relationship or upcoming royal title. She’s a role model to many girls out there, especially African-American and biracial girls. She’s like Barbie or a Renaissance woman in the sense that she’s been everything and got most every dream job a girl could ever have, including becoming a princess!