Meghan Markle sits down with Ellen for an interview and recalls her days as a struggling actress 

Meghan Markle has made a surprise appearance on the Ellen show in the former actress’ first major TV interview since her notorious Oprah interview with Prince Harry in March where they dropped their notorious ‘truth bombs’ about the Royal Family.

In a clip released ahead of the broadcast in the US tomorrow, the Duchess of Sussex reminisced about being a struggling actress who would arrive for auditions in a bashed up second hand car.

Meghan, wearing a white £1,991 Oscar De La Renta blouse and black trousers,  said the Ford Explorer had ‘a life of its own’ and broken front doors that she couldn’t afford to fix so she had to climb ‘out of the trunk’.

Her new TV appearance came as a shock today. It was long rumoured that the Duchess would give her first interview to Ellen after she and Harry emigrated in January 2020. But in the end the Sussexes chose their neighbour in Montecito, Oprah Winfrey. 

The clip will raise fears in Buckingham Palace that she may be about launch a fresh attack on the royals, who the Sussexes have previously accused of racism towards Archie and allegations they ignored Meghan when she claimed to be suicidal while pregnant and living in London. 

Ellen, who is ending her show after 19 seasons amid plunging ratings after being accused of running a toxic workplace last year, is close friends with Meghan having bonded at a LA dog shelter where the talk show host encouraged Meghan to adopt her first dog Bogart. The women have stayed in touch ever since.

In the 120-second clip, the Duchess of Sussex, 40, who is currently living in her $14million mansion in California having quit with Harry as a frontline royal, talked about how she used to audition for acting roles on the lot where they she was being interviewed by her friend.  

During her appearance today, the Duchess spoke about her Hollywood auditions, and said: ‘So I had this very old Ford Explore Sport and at a certain point the key stopped working on the driver’s side, so you couldn’t get yourself in through the door so after auditions I would park at the back of the parking lot and I would open the trunk and climb in, pull the door shut behind me and crawl all over my seats to get out. That’s how I would come to and fro.’ 

Meghan told the host: ‘I would park on gate three and I would scoot on over and the security guards here would always say “break a leg, I hope you get it”. So driving today was very different.’ 

Teasing the full interview, Ellen tweeted the clip and said: ‘A lot has changed since the last time Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, was on the Warner Brothers lot. Don’t miss the rest of our interview tomorrow.’   

Meghan Markle, 40, reminisces about being an actress during an appearance on the Ellen show which is set to air tomorrow

The discussion marks the second high profile interview the Duchess has given in recent months, and comes after her bombshell interview with Oprah in March. 

Meghan’s description of her lack of cash while starting out as an actress came weeks after she said she ‘grew up on the $4.99 salad bar at Sizzler’ in a letter to US politicians asking them to vote for Joe Biden’s plans for better maternity and paternity pay.

Royals experts questioned whether Americans would be impressed ‘by her account of how she had to struggle’ when her estranged father Thomas put her through private school from kindergarten and she now lives in a $14million LA mansion while sitting on a $100million fortune. 

Her claims also faced serious questions after it emerged she previously bragged that as a schoolgirl her estranged father Thomas Markle regularly took her to one of LA’s most famous restaurants where celebrities gobble up $55 steaks.

A 2013 post from Meghan’s Instagram account, deleted when she started dating Prince Harry, reveals that the Duchess told her 3million followers of ‘happy’ times at the Musso and Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard – and hinted she ate there regularly after dance lessons.

Ms Markle shared a picture of its famous sign above a vintage Mercedes with the caption: ‘I used to have lunch with my dad here after every tap & ballet class. Happy. Thank you. More please #mussos #hollywood’.

The restaurant, opened in 1919 and famed for its grilled meat and fish, is a world away from the cheap Sizzler salad Meghan claims to have been brought up on and is loved by Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt and Keith Richards. 

One critic told MailOnline: ‘She has receipts all over her Instagram contradicting her poverty letter’. Another wrote: ‘She went to one of the most expensive schools in Los Angeles – but they couldn’t afford to spend more than $5 on a weekend dinner. I mean, during this time, Thomas was working on a hit TV show and had won an Emmy. WTH is she talking about?’ 

During the Ellen appearance, the mother-of-two wore her hair in soft waves which cascaded down her shoulders.

Meanwhile she opted for her usual sweep of eyeliner and a touch of blush for the TV appearance. 

The Duchess is known for her love of designer brands, with Oscar de la Renta being one of her favourites.  

The royal rarely wears the same outfits twice, selecting new outfits from favourite designers such as Givenchy and Victoria Beckham on almost every appearance.

During her time as a senior royal, the mother-of-one wore a parade of designer outfits from brands such as Dior, Prada and Chanel and an array of expensive accessories. 

In the clip which was shared today, the mother-of-two can be seen wearing a white blouse and black trousers as she joins the famous chat show host on-stage

In the clip which was shared today, the mother-of-two can be seen wearing a white blouse and black trousers as she joins the famous chat show host on-stage

A Hollywood friendship: How Meghan Markle befriended Ellen Degeneres after meeting at a dog shelter when she was a struggling actress

Ellen and Meghan met by chance years ago at a dog shelter in Los Angeles where Ellen encouraged Meghan to adopt her first dog Bogart, and the women have stayed in touch.

Ellen and her wife Portia de Rossi even took a trip to London to visit Prince Harry and Meghan after the birth of Archie over the summer, remarking on her talk show: ‘I see them get attacked and it’s not fair. They are two of the most down-to-earth compassionate people, they’re doing so much good for the world.’

She also revealed how she held and fed Archie on a summer trip to Britain. 

DeGeneres said the boy ‘looks like Harry’ and described Prince Harry and Meghan, who live at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, as ‘the cutest couple’.

Ellen hinted at how close they were back in November, revealing she had invited a pair of dancers onto her show after Meghan sent her a text about the ‘great’ duo.

She also said that while spending time with Meghan and Harry in London, they talked about their work on wildlife conservation, something both couples share a passion for.

The insider added: ‘Meghan adores Ellen and loves the fact that she and Portia are huge animal lovers.

‘She said they have stayed in touch since meeting in person and have become close.

‘She said they actually have a lot in common and that Ellen has been a huge support, especially since moving to Canada.’

The two were so close that it was long rumoured that Ellen would get the first interview after Megxit.

In January, a friend told DailyMail.com: ‘[Meghan] said Ellen understands her pain and suffering. That she epitomizes authenticity. [Meghan] feels like they are kindred spirits.’ 

And the friends are now also neighbours after Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi reportedly snapped up a $49million estate in Montecito, California.

It was long rumoured that the Duchess would give her first post-royal interview to Ellen, however Oprah ended up landing the job.

However the two are known to be close friends. They met by chance years ago at a dog shelter in Los Angeles where Ellen encouraged Meghan to adopt her first dog Bogart, and the women have stayed in touch.

Ellen and her wife Portia de Rossi even took a trip to London to visit Prince Harry and Meghan after the birth of Archie over the summer, remarking on her talk show: ‘I see them get attacked and it’s not fair. They are two of the most down-to-earth compassionate people, they’re doing so much good for the world.’

Ellen hinted at how close they were back in November last year, revealing she had invited a pair of dancers onto her show after Meghan sent her a text about the ‘great’ duo.

She also said that while spending time with Meghan and Harry in London, they talked about their work on wildlife conservation, something both couples share a passion for.

An insider previously said: ‘Meghan adores Ellen and loves the fact that she and Portia are huge animal lovers.

‘She said they have stayed in touch since meeting in person and have become close.

‘She said they actually have a lot in common and that Ellen has been a huge support, especially since moving to Canada’. 

The appearance comes days after the Duke and Duchess attended a glamorous gala in New York City to celebrate the military on the eve of Veterans Day in the US and Armistice Day in Britain.

Meghan cut a stylish figure at the ‘Salute to Freedom’ event in a show-stopping red gown by Carolina Herrera, featuring a deep neckline, pleated skirt and thigh-high split. She completed her glamorous ensemble with a pair of matching £696 slingback heels by Giuseppe Zanotti featuring crystal-embellished buckle detail. 

Asked on the red carpet whether Meghan was proud of her husband, she replied: ‘I’m always proud of him.’

Harry, who served in the British Army for ten years, handed out medals for the Intrepid Valor Awards to five service members, veterans and military families who are living with the ‘invisible wounds of war’.

Harry is banned from wearing military uniform after he was stripped of his honorary military titles following him stepping down as a senior royal last year, but was allowed to pin his medals on his black tie suit at last night’s event.

Despite his decade of Army service, the Duke lost his titles of Captain General Royal Marines; Honorary Air Commandant, RAF Honington; and Commodore-in-Chief, Small Ships and Diving, Royal Naval Command. 

Harry received the Golden Jubilee medal in 2002, the Operational Service medal for Afghanistan in 2018 after his frontline service in Helmand province and the received the Diamond Jubilee medal in 2012. 

The two met by chance years ago at a dog shelter in Los Angeles where Ellen encouraged Meghan to adopt her first dog Bogart (right), and the women have stayed in touch

The two met by chance years ago at a dog shelter in Los Angeles where Ellen encouraged Meghan to adopt her first dog Bogart (right), and the women have stayed in touch

DeGeneres held Archie on a summer trip to the UK, telling her studio audience how she fed him

Ellen also said that while spending time with Meghan and Harry in London, they talked about their work on wildlife conservation

DeGeneres held Archie on a summer trip to the UK, previously telling her studio audience how she fed him. Ellen also said that while spending time with Meghan and Harry in London, they talked about their work on wildlife conservation

In April, all the Royal Family wore morning coats with medals or day dress, rather than military uniforms, for Prince Philip’s funeral at Windsor Castle amid concerns from Buckingham Palace that Harry would be the only senior male royal dressed differently.

It comes after Meghan apologised to the Court of Appeal in London last week for failing to remember she told a royal aide to brief the authors of the Finding Freedom biography.

The Duchess, who previously insisted she and Harry did not co-operate with the two writers of the gushing book, said she had ‘forgotten’ providing the aide details of what to reveal ‘when you sit down with them’.

The Mail on Sunday is seeking to defend itself against Meghan’s claims that it unlawfully breached her privacy by publishing extracts of a letter to her father Thomas Markle.

The discussion marks the second high profile interview the Duchess has given in recent months, and comes after her bombshell interview with Oprah in March

The discussion marks the second high profile interview the Duchess has given in recent months, and comes after her bombshell interview with Oprah in March

source: dailymail.co.uk