You’re going to have to brush up on your Britishisms now you're dating a Prince, Meghan! Harry’s American sweetheart takes the test and it doesn’t go well
- American actress Meghan Markle is rumoured to be dating Prince Harry
- The star, 35, was given a test on 'Britishisms' but scored just four out of 15
- Said Vegemite trumped Marmite and didn't know the word for 'sidewalk'
- Video re-emerged as it was revealed Harry has spent the week in Canada
American actress Meghan Markle is rumoured to have won Prince Harry's heart and royal insiders suggest the relationship is so serious the pair could soon be engaged.
But the 35-year-old divorcee will have to brush up on her knowledge of British culture if she hopes to one day make the UK her permanent home.
Miss Markle floundered when she was quizzed on 'Britishisms' earlier this year, answering just four out of 15 questions correctly.
After the test the star said: 'I think I lost. I think I was the worst at this game.'
American actress Meghan Markle, left, is said to be dating Prince Harry, right, but she will have to brush up on her knowledge of British culture if she wants to make the UK her home
The Toronto-based actress, best known for her role in US legal drama Suits, is said to have met Harry this summer while he was in the city promoting the Invictus Games.
Harry flew to Africa for the summer but since he returned she has visited London twice, in September and October.
The prince, 32, is said to be 'besotted' with his new love and one royal source said he is 'happier than he has been for many years'.
It is understood that divorcee Meghan Markle enjoyed a ‘low key’ meeting with Prince Charles when in London a few weeks ago.
She has also met Harry's cousin Princess Eugenie – who introduced Harry to his previous girlfriend Cressida Bonas, whom he dated for two years until 2014.
There is no indication that Harry has any immediate plans to introduce his new girlfriend to the Queen, which would only occur if the relationship was sure to end in marriage.
Quizzed: The actress was perplexed when asked about Cockney rhyming slang in the test
Charmed: Learning the translation, the 35-year-old star promised she would 'use that later'
Time to brush up: The actress also couldn't name the national animals of England or Scotland, even though they both appear on the Royal coat of arms. Pictured, on the TV quiz
And this video shows Miss Markle has some work to do before she is fluent in the Queen's English.
The clip was filmed for TV channel Dave while Miss Markle was in Britain promoting Suits earlier this year.
The test started on a positive note with the actress correctly picking out the name of an obscure real ale - but went downhill soon after.
Miss Markle wrongly chose Vegemite over Marmite and couldn't translate 'apples and pears' from Cockney rhyming slang.
The actress also couldn't name the national animal of England, even though the lion appears on the royal coat of arms.
On learning the unicorn is the national animal of Scotland, Miss Markle declared 'we should all move' north of the border.
Asked to give the British versions of Americanisms, Miss Markle said she didn't know another word for 'sidewalk' or 'highway' - but she did know that 'pants' are known as 'trousers' on this side of the Atlantic.
The video re-emerged online just hours after Miss Markle said she was the 'luckiest girl in the world' in her first interview after the alleged relationship broke.
The star has also posted a number of romantic Instagram posts over the last few days, including on of two loved-up bananas 'spooning' with the caption: 'Sleep tight'.
The cryptic post sparked instant speculation that Meghan was referring to the prince.
One of her followers wrote: 'Goodnight Harry. Good night Megan' while another said: 'Is that message for your red haired prince?'
Markle also shared an image of a cup of tea in a cup and saucer all next to an elephant-shaped teapot.
Intriguingly, Harry, who publicly professes to hate social media, is one of her million followers and she also follows him.
The revelation is telling because the prince has a private account and only 'follows' a few close friends and charities, suggesting the pair know each other fairly well.
Miss Markle, a prolific user of social media, recently starting following Eugenie’s boyfriend Jack Brooksbank on the picture-sharing site Instagram.
Shortly after news of their blossoming romance broke, Meghan posted a picture of two loved-up bananas 'spooning' on Instagram, with the caption 'Sleep tight'
Risque: The actress strips down to her underwear in a steamy scene from US drama Suits
Prince Harry 'has spent the last WEEK in Canada at house of his new girlfriend Meghan Markle'
By Rebecca English and Emine Sinmaz in London and Claire Ellicott in Toronto for the Daily Mail
Prince Harry has spent the last week with new girlfriend Meghan Markle after jetting off to Canada in secret, it emerged last night.
Sources said that contrary to claims that Harry, 32, had cancelled a planned trip to Toronto, where actress Miss Markle lives and works, he was already there when news of their relationship broke at the weekend.
He apparently flew out to visit his 'secret' love last Thursday, hours after undertaking a series of official engagements in Nottingham.
Prince Harry, right, has reportedly spent the last week holed up with new girlfriend Meghan Markle, left, in her Toronto home. The prince is said to have arrived in the city last Friday
According to Canadian gossip columnist Shinan Govani, the couple stepped out together in public over the weekend, attending a Halloween party at Soho House private members club in Toronto on Saturday night.
Harry and his girlfriend, 35, are said to have spent the past few days 'hanging out' at her apartment and playing with her rescue dogs, Bogart and Guy.
Residents in the upmarket Toronto suburb where divorcee Miss Markle lives said they had seen black SUVs in the area on several occasions.
Karen Henry told the Mail: 'One guy got out from the back of the car and you could see he had an earpiece.'
Healthy living: Meghan Markle holds a yoga pose in a stunning picture from her Instagram
Us Weekly claimed Harry flew into Toronto Pearson Airport on a commercial flight on October 28 and was whisked to Miss Markle's home in a waiting car.
Los Angeles-born Miss Markle lives in the city while filming US legal drama Suits.
Earlier reports suggested the prince had been scheduled to arrive in Toronto on a British Airways flight on October 30 but was a 'no show'.
The prince is still believed to be in Canada.
Despite being a full-time working royal since quitting his Army job last year, Harry has no public engagements in his diary until next Thursday.
Kensington Palace again refused to comment yesterday on the prince’s whereabouts and when he will return to public duties.
EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry's love interest's mother is all smiles and laughter as she is asked about the romance with her actress daughter
Ruth Styles in Los Angeles for DailyMail.com
Smiling as she left her Crenshaw home, Meghan Markle's mother today refused to comment on her daughter's rumored relationship with Prince Harry.
Social worker and yoga therapist Doria Ragland, 60, said she had 'no comment to make, none at all' when approached by DailyMail.com.
When told her daughter would make history if she did marry Prince Harry - becoming the first mixed race woman ever to join the Royal Family, Ragland chuckled but added: 'No. Look, I really can't say anything.'
Discreet: Meghan Markle's mom Doria Ragland smiled and laughed when asked about her daughter's romance but said: 'I really can't say anything.'
Home sweet home? Prince Harry's new girl, Meghan Markle, grew up in this house in Crenshaw, Los Angeles, a troubled area that had 47 crimes in the past week - including murder
Mother: Doria Ragland is a social worker and yoga instructor. She continues to live in a tough area of Los Angeles - and is close to her daughter (inset, right)
The romance between her daughter, the Suits actress, and the prince, has not been publicly confirmed by either party.
But Markle - a 35-year-old divorcee - has said she is 'the luckiest girl in the world'.
She also described herself as a 'brash American' with strong opinions in her first interview since her affair with Harry emerged.
Markle remains close to her mother, who divorced her father Thomas, 72, when she was six, and is often seen with her on the red carpet.
Thomas, a lighting director, is currently thought to be in Mexico and recently filed for bankruptcy after racking up debts of $30,000 (£24,000).
Close bond: Meghan Markle and her mother remain close and the actress has written about her pride in being mixed race. Her African-American mother's own ancestry includes slaves
Love story: Meghan Markle has written of her parents: 'I like to think he was drawn to her sweet eyes and her Afro, plus their shared love of antiques. Whatever it was, they married and had me.'
Family: Markle and her father when she was a child. His marriage to her mother ended early in her childhood
Doria, who also filed for bankruptcy herself in 2002 over a $52,750 credit-card bill, appears to be the one of the defining influences in her daughter’s life.
Meghan wrote of her childhood and her mum and dad's mixed-race marriage on her website: 'I like to think he was drawn to her sweet eyes and her Afro, plus their shared love of antiques,' she writes. 'Whatever it was, they married and had me.
'They moved into a house in The Valley in LA to a neighborhood that was leafy and affordable. What it was not, however, was diverse. And there was my mom, caramel in complexion with her light-skinned baby in tow, being asked where my mother was since they assumed she was the nanny.'
And she has spoken of how her mother's great-great grandfather was born into slavery and freed at the end of the Civil War.
EXCLUSIVE: Harry's girl is (almost) straight outta Compton: Gang-scarred home of her mother revealed - so will he be dropping by for tea?
By Ruth Styles in Los Angeles for DailyMail.com and Shekhar Bhatia in Long Island, New York for DailyMail.com
Plagued by crime and riddled with street gangs, the troubled Los Angeles neighborhood that Doria Ragland, 60, calls home couldn’t be more different to London’s leafy Kensington.
But social worker Ragland might now find herself welcoming a royal guest to downtrodden Crenshaw after Prince Harry was revealed to be dating her daughter - Suits actress Meghan Markle.
Markle, 35, is now based in Toronto, Canada, but her mother remains in LA and moved to her modest green-painted home five years ago after the death of her own father, Alvin, in 2011.
Run-down: Neighboring Crenshaw is the crime-ridden neighborhood of Inglewood (pictured), which was namechecked in Dr Dre's The Next Episode
Markle was brought up in a large yellow-colored detached home in central Los Angeles, while her rumored royal boyfriend spent much of his childhood between Kensington Palace and Prince Charles’ Gloucestershire mansion, Highgrove.
But Harry’s literally palatial homes couldn’t be more different from the tatty one-storey homes that dominate much of Crenshaw.
And while there have been a total of 21 crimes in the immediate area around Highgrove over the past 12 months, 47 have taken place in Crenshaw in the last week alone - including murder and robbery.
Still there: Markle's mom still lives in Crenshaw, although she hasn't been seen since news of her daughter's relationship with Prince Harry went public
Other crimes noted over the past seven days include multiple drug-related misdemeanors, vehicle thefts, vandalism and disturbing the peace.
Local gangs include Crenshaw Mafia Gangster, which has been plaguing the area since 1981, and Bloods affiliates Center Park Blood.
Operating close by are the Westside Rollin' 60's Neighborhood Crips, one of the largest street crime collectives in Los Angeles, and branches of the Compton-based Piru gang.
Nevertheless - and in spite of the gangs - parts of Crenshaw are considered to be improving, among them the aptly named Windsor Hills.
Neighbor Michael McWilliams, 49, said he had not seen Doria since news of her daughter’s alleged dalliance with Prince Harry broke but described her as ‘a nice woman’.
‘I’ve never seen the little girl [Meghan] though,’ added McWilliams. ‘She [Doria] has been living here since her daddy [Alvin] died.’
Crenshaw is one of a cluster of Los Angeles boroughs famous for gangs - along with Compton, Long Beach, South Central and Inglewood.
The latter, which borders Crenshaw to the south, is also home to another member of Meghan’s family - her maternal aunt, Ava Burrow, 63.
Burrow, who was not at home when DailyMail.com visited, lives on an Inglewood street with the dubious distinction of having its own branch of the Bloods crime gang in situ.
Known as the Queen Street Bloods, famous former members include rapper Mack-10 and Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Marqise Lee.
Indeed, so famous is the area for gang crime, it was name-checked in Dr Dre’s 1999 rap hit The Next Episode along with Compton and Long Beach.
The crime-plagued neighborhoods of Markle’s mother and aunt are a far cry from the leafy part of Long Island where her former husband, Trevor Engleson, 40, grew up.
The Hollywood producer now lives in Los Angeles but was brought up in an affluent suburb of Long Island close to the New York City limits.
His parents declined to comment at their detached home.
Family ties: Markle's aunt, Ava Burrow (pictured with her son Joffrey Ragland), lives in Inglewood, which has long been affected by gang violence
One family friend, who declined to be named, said that the family had not spoken to Markle since the divorce.
Her ex-husband told relatives that he had learned of the actress's new romance at the weekend but was reticent to discuss it further.
Their divorce was in Los Angeles, where Markle legally resides although she spends much of her time in Toronto.
It was a 'quickie' divorce which used a legal procedure which limits the information the couple have to disclose - including their marital assets.
The papers associated with it show that both parties agreed to the split and that any financial settlement was entirely confidential.
Markle also gave up using her ex-husband's surname, the papers said.
He continues to run his production company from an office in Los Angeles and was not available for comment.
Prince Harry's American sweetheart speaks for the first time since news of their long distance love emerged and says 'I'm the luckiest girl in the world'
It has emerged that Meghan may have still been with her ex-boyfriend of two years, Canadian chef Cory Vitiello (pictured) when she first met Harry and he began pursuing her
By Martin Robinson, Chief Reporter for MailOnline
Prince Harry 's new American girlfriend Meghan Markle has said she is 'the luckiest girl in the world' - but admitted she is worried by the 'sexiness factor' of her Suits character.
Miss Markle, 35, also admitted she is a 'brash American' with strong opinions in her first interview since her affair with Harry emerged.
The actress has become concerned about the number of Suits sex scenes she has starred in and says she avoids skimpy clothes because her mother warned her to 'never give the milk away for free'.
It came as her half-sister Samantha claimed Harry 'would be appalled' if he knew about the 'narcissistic and selfish' actress' treatment of her father, who is now bankrupt.
But in her first interview since then she told the Toronto Sun: 'My cup runneth over and I’m the luckiest girl in the world'.
On her Suits outfits she said: 'Yes, those pencil skirts on the show are fit within an exhale, but I fight to get that paired with a men's oversized shirt for balance.'
She has launched her own fashion range where nothing costs more than $70 (£60) and said: 'I was not a girl who grew up buying $100 candles. I was the girl who ran out of gas on her way to an audition.
'I'm deeply and passionately involved in the design process. I'm a brash American and if my name is going to be on something, I'm going to have my say'.
Cancelled: Prince Harry was reportedly planning to fly to Toronto to see actress Meghan Markle, pictured during a modelling session, but he was a 'no show', a source claimed
A 'besotted' Harry, 32, met the actress at a charity event and sent her messages until she said she would meet up with him - and, following a number of dates the pair are now said to be 'serious' about one another.
But it has emerged that Meghan may have still been with her ex-boyfriend of two years, Canadian chef Cory Vitiello, when she first met Harry and he began pursuing her.
A friend said: 'They are the real deal. He definitely pursued her and besieged her with texts until she agreed to a date.'
'He is very full-on but she was going through quite a tough time with her previous boyfriend and she was very flattered.
'He's head over heels and she feels the same.'
The Telegraph reports Meghan and her chef boyfriend broke up in May - the same month she met the young Prince at a charity event, where is understood to have asked for her number.
The source told The Sun the pair went to London's Soho House in early July with a group of friends and then had two more dates by themselves where the young royal 'swept her off her feet.'
Watch out Harry! Meghan Markle's half-sister claims prince 'would be appalled' if he knew about 'narcissistic and selfish' actress' treatment of her father - and how she has 'a soft spot for gingers'
By Rebecca English and Emine Sinmaz in London and Claire Ellicott in Toronto for the Daily Mail
The American actress being romanced by Prince Harry was last night at the centre of an extraordinarily bitter family rift.
Divorcee Meghan Markle, 35, was accused by her half-sister, Samantha Grant, of failing to support her family.
Miss Grant said the Queen's grandson would be 'appalled by what she's done'.
Divorcee Meghan Markle, 35, was accused by her half-sister, Samantha Grant (pictured), of failing to support her family
She also claimed her sister was a ‘shallow social climber’ who would watch programmes showing the Royal Family as a child and had a ‘soft spot for gingers’.
And the mother-of-three, 51, claimed Meghan always wanted to be a princess and said she was ‘narcissistic and selfish’. Harry has already introduced Miss Markle to Prince Charles, it was reported.
The 51-year-old has the same father as the television star. Thomas Markle, it can be revealed, was declared bankrupt only weeks ago. Once one of Hollywood's most successful lighting directors, he filed for bankruptcy with debts of $30,000 (£24,600), in what appears to have been a dramatic fall from grace.
The 72-year-old has since decamped to Mexico without leaving a forwarding address or telephone number.
Meghan posted a picture of herself with her father on Instagram with the caption #throwbackthursday
Meghan posted a picture of herself with her father on Instagram with the caption #throwbackthursday
Meghan Markle (pictured at High School) always wanted to be a princess, according to her sister
Meghan's mother, Doria, who divorced Mr Markle when their daughter was six, also separately declared bankruptcy several years ago with credit card debts of $52,750.
Mr Markle has another son, from before his marriage to Doria, who has also recently declared himself bankrupt.
Miss Markle's extraordinary family background emerged as she was busy declaring herself 'the luckiest girl in the world'.
Miss Grant, a writer from Florida, said she had brought up the actress for 12 years when she lived in California and declared: 'The Royal Family would be appalled by what she's done to her own family. The truth would kill her relationship with Prince Harry, he wouldn't want to date her any more because it puts her in a bad public light.
'I certainly don't think Harry or his family would want to associate with her afterwards.' According to a report on the US website Radar Online, both Miss Grant and her father have been hurt by Miss Markle's 'lack of emotional and financial support' since she became famous.
The website also claimed that the actress was 'overwhelmed' by the interest in her blossoming royal romance and is 'barely sleeping'. An insider was quoted as saying: 'She is desperate for the relationship to work.'
Meghan Markle pictured during her Senior Year of Immaculate Heart High School
None of this, however, was apparently stopping the ambitious Miss Markle from either publicising her new clothing range, which goes on sale today, or her glossy 'life and style' website.
In an interview, she told a Vancouver newspaper: 'My cup runneth over and I'm the luckiest girl in the world!'
Describing her style as 'aspirational girl-next-door', she also admitted that she was a 'brash American' who liked to have her say, but said her mother, a yoga instructor, always cautioned her to dress less sexily as she should 'never give the milk away for free'.
Miss Grant also revealed that her half-sister has always wanted to be a princess and that she has a penchant for red-headed men.
'Hollywood has changed her. I think her ambition is to become a princess,' she told the Sun.
Miss Markle was described as a 'classy girl' in her High School year book
'It was something she dreamed of as a girl when we watched the royals on TV.
'She always preferred Harry — she has a soft spot for gingers.'
Despite refusing to comment on the stories about her royal romance, there was still time for Miss Markle to post a picture of a cup of tea and a jigsaw to publicise her website, The Tig, on the picture-sharing site Instagram.
Miss Markle's Instagram feed also boasts several teasing posts, including one from a visit to London in early July when she is believed to have met Harry for the first time, which showed a picture of a sweet bearing the caption 'KISS ME' and the words 'Lovehearts in London'.
Harry, meanwhile, has remained tight-lipped on the rumours. The prince has no public engagements in his diary this week and Kensington Palace has refused to confirm whether he is even in the country.
SAME TIME, SAME PLACE... NOW THERE'S A COINCIDENCE
MAY: The Prince, pictured meeting well-wishers in Toronto, charmed the Canadian public and it appears he had the same effect on the Suits actress, right at the Toronto Eaton Centre
JUNE: Meghan spent periods in London and made several visits to Wimbledon, left in the Royal Box on June 28 . On the same day Harry appeared on stage with Coldplay at a charity gig next to his Kensington Palace home
OCTOBER: Just last week Meghan donned a panda mask in Sainsbury's, believed to be in London. Harry was also in London, right, and was seen at a Metropolitan Police Service of Remembrance in Hendon