'What I've Learned About Marriage Second Time Around'

The engagement of Meghan Markle to Prince Harry is a watershed moment for the monarchy but, as fellow divorcee Sarah Ivens explains, it’s extra poignant for every second-time bride

- Sarah Ivens

As an obviously jubilant Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made their first appearance in public together after the announcement of their engagement, in the gardens of Kensington Palace back in November last year, there were a number of reasons to rejoice. Here was a very successful 36-year old mixed-race feminist with her own kick-ass career who had won the heart of a prince over the parade of privileged aristo-clones he’d dated in the decades before.

But it wasn’t just these things, or her humanitarian work, or even her wicked sense of humour, that had me excitedly poring over every snippet of news about the wedding as well as commending her achievements with my colleagues. Meghan’s engagement represented a watershed moment for women or, more pertinently, for divorced women like me. I know firsthand the journey she must have gone through to get to the place she was that day. Her inclusion into our stuffy monarchy highlights just how much times have now changed for female divorcees, who even a decade ago would be regarded as soiled goods to be left on the shelf.

Although marriages after a divorce are common in the UK, and despite some statistics telling us that second marriages are more likely to be successful, a second-time bride has always carried a stigma.