This Actress Joined The British Royal Family 10 Years Before Meghan Markle Did

Before Meghan Markle, there was another actress who married into the British royal family – Sophie Winkleman.

If you’re unfamiliar with Sophie, you might remember her from her starring role on Two and A Half Men as Zoey, the love interest to Ashton Kutcher‘s character for four seasons.

Sophie is also known for her appearances in The Chronicles of Narnia, Sanditon, The Palace and Peep Show.

Almost 10 years before Meghan married Prince Harry, Sophie married Frederick Windsor of Kent, who is the son of Queen Elizabeth‘s cousin, Prince Michael.

After their 2009 wedding, Sophie and Frederick moved to Los Angeles where she expanded her career in Hollywood.

“People in my business in America didn’t know anything about it, because they’d just see ‘Sophie Winkleman’ on the sheet and I’d go and do the audition and then get the job or not,” she shared in a recent interview with Insider. “And they didn’t find anything out about me. They just knew me from my acting, which was quite important to me.”

Sophie, who is known as Lady Frederick of Windsor in her royal duties, did speak of her own experience with “The Firm”, which Meghan spoke about during her interview with Oprah Winfrey.

“I can only speak from personal experience, but when I first went to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen for the Christmas lunch, she was incredibly welcoming and kind,” she shared. “I’ve only had positive, caring, warmth from all of them.”

She and Frederick call London home with their two daughters, Maud, 7, and Isabella, 5.

Maud was even a bridesmaid in Princess Eugenie‘s wedding in 2018 to Jack Brooksbank.