Meghan Markle's ancestor may have been a maid at Windsor Castle

Meghan Markle has a unique connection to the royal family. (Photo: Getty Images)
Meghan Markle has a unique connection to the royal family. (Photo: Getty Images)

Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle made their first public appearance at the Invictus Games in Toronto, making a proposal seem imminent for the couple.

Interestingly, the Daily Mail discovered that the actress already has a connection to the royal family. Her relatives, who are researching their family tree, have found that her great-great-great-grandmother, Mary Bird, was a member of the royal household staff.

The name M. Bird is in the Windsor Castle Weekly Disbursement Book in 1856, which fits with the time that Mary would have been there.

The Irish born maid, according to the publication, married English soldier Thomas Bird, and was subsequently disowned by her family. The couple had three daughters, including Meghan’s great-great-grandmother, also named Mary, who was born in Malta in 1862.

U.S. Air Force Colonel Ken Barbi discovered Markle’s British roots — his wife, Susan, is a second cousin of Markle’s father, Thomas.

Barbi told the Daily Mail, “It is extraordinary to think that one of Mary’s descendants looks likely to marry Prince Harry.”

As their relationship has progressed, the couple have attended more events together. Markle attended Pippa Middleton’s wedding reception earlier this year. In a cover story interview with Vanity Fair, the actress spoke about the attention that is focused on the couple. “It has its challenges, and it comes in waves—some days it can feel more challenging than others,” she says. “And right out of the gate it was surprising the way things changed. But I still have this support system all around me, and, of course, my boyfriend’s support.”

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