Meghan Markle worked as a calligrapher before breaking into the spotlight as a royal and before her appearance on Suits.

Yes, before her acting career took off, the multi-talented actress was putting pen to paper in between auditions. She also offered calligraphy lessons, so she must have been really skilled at it.

Paper Source CEO Winnie Park told People, “It was her part-time job as she was going through auditions. She taught calligraphy and hosted a group of customers and instructed them during a two-hour class on how to do calligraphy.”

She worked as a freelance calligrapher in addition to her position at Paper Source, creating the invitations for Robin Thicke and Paula Patton’s wedding in 2005.

Markle spoke to Good Housekeeping in May 2017 about her love of calligraphy and devotion to the handwritten note. “I used to be a calligrapher for weddings and events — that was my side job while I was auditioning,” she explained. “I think handwritten notes are a lost art form. When I booked my first [TV] pilot, my dad wrote me a letter that I still have. The idea of someone taking the time to put pen to paper is really special.”

Paper Source wedding invitation sample | CREDIT: PAPER SOURCE

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Markle was hired because of her creativity and sense of style: “She’s someone who really enjoys the creative aspects of the job, who enjoys helping people and also someone who enjoys making creative projects come to life,” Park said. “Our sales associates are screened for their creativity.”

She goes on to say, “She would have advised customers on projects — from wedding invitations to creating personalized stationary to gift-wrapping. She has talked about being a big fan of custom stationary and think it’s the best gift to give a friend.”

Since she and Prince Harry just sent out their royal wedding invites, which were designed by Barnard and Westwood, her skill is sure to come in handy. Markle is expected to revive her love of the arts by hand-crafting unique wedding invitations for close relatives and friends, according to Park.

“They are a couple who would send a personal touch to close friends and family,” Park added. “My guess is they will likely have a very personal invitation going out specifically for events before or after the formal ceremony.”

The history of calligraphy is rather interesting. According to Calligraphy.co.uk, though it stretches back to the Old and New Roman eras, it wasn’t properly recognized as an art until the heydays of the early English monks, who used meticulous, clear letters to better preserve their manuscripts and volumes of psalms and poems. Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, who liked literature and found calligraphy simple to read, was a fan of the elaborate script style. Lettering continued to change as more (handwritten) books and Bibles were created, with writing standing straight up instead of slanting to the side, and letters becoming curlier and more noticeable.