From suitcase to sophistication. One click of the save button sent Meghan Markle from “fashion model and spokesmodel” to “activist and humanitarian.”
Journalist Jemma Carr took a deep dive into Meghan Markle’s Wikipedia edit history and found what appears to be subtle preparation for the (mega) exposure that comes with dating a royal.
Weeks before the story broke that actress Meghan Markle was dating Prince Harry, her Wikipedia page was updated. Several items were changed to lift her “social status.” For instance, the mention of her gig as a Deal or No Deal “briefcase girl” was removed. (Hey! Chrissy Teigen loved her time as a briefcase girl! #25 Represent!)
Prior to the updates made at 10:48pm on October 9, 2016 the Wikipedia page read…
Meghan Markle (born August 4, 1981 in Los Angeles, California) is an American fashion model, spokesmodel, and actress.
‘She is best known for her role as Rachel Zane on the USA legal drama Suits.
‘She was the model who held case #24 on the US version of the television game show Deal or No Deal (season one) and also played Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent Amy Jessup in Fox’s sci-fi thriller Fringe.’
But the future duchess was more than just a pretty face. Late night changes to her Wikipedia page included…
Meghan Markle (born August 4, 1981 in Los Angeles, California) is an Actress, activist, and humanitarian.
The unknown wiki editor also created a humanitarian category…
‘Markle is actively involved in the socio-political arena and in 2016 she became Global Ambassador for World Vision Canada, traveling to Rwanda for the Clean Water Campaign.
‘She has also worked with The United Nations Women, where, as an Advocate, she presented at UN Headquarters for the HeforShe Gender Equality Campaign in September 2014.
‘Meghan has also been a panelist on the esteemed list of speakers for One Young World (Dublin, 2014), and has travelled to Afghanistan with the Joint Chief of Staff on a USO tour December 2014.’
The Daily Mail reveals that the final save was made at 10:51pm as they edited her occupation in a box appearing on the right-hand side of the page.
Controlling the narrative seems important to the Sussexes, yet Carr discovered that the IP address belonging to the user that updated the page is associated with a Los Angeles based PR firm that claims no official relationship with Markle.
The Daily Mail says, “The edits have raised questions about whether a friend of the Duchess of Sussex could have made the changes knowing she would be thrust into the public eye once the news about their relationship broke.”
…especially after Carolyn Durand and Omid Scobie’s Finding Freedom revealed that Meghan leaked stories about herself, as well as staged paparazzi photos, while on USA’s Suits. (According to “friends.”)
It’s widely known that Wikipedia has a policy against editing your own Wiki page. It’s referred to as the Wikipedia conflict of interest. It reads, “You are discouraged from writing articles about yourself or organizations (including their campaigns, clients, products and services) in which you hold a vested interest.”
It is not out of the ordinary for an entertainer or entrepreneur to ask a friend of a friend to make edits for them to avoid being penalized.
Were the 2016 Wikipedia updates a strategic move or just an overdue face lift?
Kinsey Schofield is the Editor-in-Chief of To Di For Daily and you can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.