Meghan Markle quickly jumped into her royal career after her wedding to Prince Harry on May 19, 2018, but she couldn't have done it without a little help.

Enter Samantha Cohen, a member of Her Majesty's personal team and the woman who has been guiding Markle as she transitions into her new life as a duchess. The royal advisor was present at Meghan's first event alone with Queen Elizabeth in Cheshire back in June, but you might've been too distracted by the royals to notice. Here's what you need to know about Markle's trusty guide.

Cohen (back left) joins the Duchess of Sussex and the Queen in Cheshire.

She's been with the royals for 17 years.

Cohen, 49, is originally from Australia and joined the Buckingham Palace press office in 2001, The Times reports. She worked in civil service and public relations prior to working with the royal family, according to the Daily Mail. She actually landed the palace job after answering a newspaper ad for a "media minder" during a trip to London almost two decades ago, per the Mail.

Cohen plans to leave when Meghan and Harry's baby arrives.

Always planned as an interim role while Meghan settled into royal life, Cohen will apparently leave her job as Meghan and Harry's Press Secretary when the royal baby arrives, per The Times. As it's believed that the Duke and Duchess' first child is due in the Spring of 2019, Cohen might be working with the royals for the next few months.

She's the Queen's former assistant private secretary.

Since joining Buckingham Palace 17 years ago, Cohen has moved up the ranks, landing deputy press secretary in 2003 and "getting the top job in 2007, becoming the first woman to be appointed in the role," the Mail reports. She was also named Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by the Queen in 2016.

She actually announced her resignation last year following Sir Lord Geidt, the Queen's private secretary to whom Cohen is very loyal, who resigned in July. However, she agreed to stick around with the younger generation of royals. Instead of leaving in the summer as planned, she decided to stay for six more months, according to The Sun, and acted as interim private secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

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She put Meghan through six months of "Duchess training."

Cohen acted as a guide for the new Duchess of Sussex as she got acclimated to royal life. "It will be six months of listening," a source previously told The Times. "She is seeking out advice on a range of people. She is going to proceed with humility. It is not going to be quiet, though. It's going to be a very busy office." Their schedule often includes traveling the country and meeting with charities, as royals usually do.

Markle apparently actually started meeting with Cohen after she and Prince Harry announced their engagement in November. The royal advisor "briefed her on the Commonwealth and the workings of the monarchy," The Times reports.

Cohen is in charge of helping Markle "carve out" her new role as a royal, a source told People. "She will make sure Meghan is as happy as she can be without ruffling feathers," the insider added. "She will represent her voice both internally and externally and fight her battles."

Cohen reportedly helped the Duchess of Sussex with her first post-wedding event, at the garden party honoring Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace, just three days after the royal wedding. Cohen is also believed to have joined the couple on their first royal tour abroad, which included a stop at her home country, Australia.

Harry and Meghan at a garden party in Buckingham Palace three days after their wedding

The royal family really likes her.

Prince William and Prince Harry are said to be "fond of" Cohen, The Times reports, and both the Queen and Prince Charles approved her decision to stay. The paper adds that she's "well-liked and unstuffy" and "viewed as a resourceful figure."

“There’s very little Samantha doesn’t know, and she’s very well liked and respected at the Palace," another source told Vanity Fair. "She’s the perfect aide to help guide Meghan in some of the complexities of protocol.”

She wasn't the only royal advisor at Meghan and the Queen's event today.

As Daily Mail's Rebecca English points out, Cohen was joined by Meghan’s assistant press secretary Amy Pickerill, the Queen’s press secretary Edward Young, and her new assistant press secretary Matthew Magee. It takes a village!

She was at the royal wedding.

Cohen was seen arriving at St. George's Chapel in a blush pink lace dress with the rest of Harry and Meghan's A-list guests. We wonder if she snuck any last-minute tips to the bride before she walked down the aisle.

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Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now. 

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