'I Wanna Marry Harry' winner says it's 'ironic' Prince Harry chose Meghan Markle because the show's critics thought he'd never date a 'nobody actress'

• "I Wanna Marry 'Harry'" winner Kimberly Birch liked seeing Prince Harry actually marry an actor.
• Prince Harry got engaged to actress Meghan Markle in 2017 and Birch called it "life imitating art."

When 24-year-old aspiring actor Kimberly Birch won "I Wanna Marry 'Harry,'" the 2014 dating show that tricked women into believing they were dating Prince Harry, she knew she'd face criticism.

But Birch's perspective changed once the real Prince Harry got engaged to American "Suits" actor Meghan Markle in 2017.

Reflecting on her experiences in a phone interview with Insider, Birch said she now feels "vindicated" after critics questioned her intelligence for believing the Duke of Sussex would ever marry an American actor like herself.

"At the time, it was just something that seemed so far-fetched for people," she said. "There were a lot of comments like, 'Did you really think that Prince Harry would ever actually date some nobody actress in America?'"

"Then I remember hearing about the backlash that Meghan Markle got," Birch continued. "She was just this B-list actress. She was a nobody, and now she's married to Prince Harry. For me, it's just so ironic. It was life imitating art."

Fox's "I Wanna Marry 'Harry'" attempted to fool 12 contestants into believing they were dating Prince Harry when they were actually pursuing bachelor Matt Hicks, a Prince Harry lookalike.

To do so, producers housed the ladies in a luxurious English estate that looked like a castle and staged a series of incidents — including fake paparazzi attacks and security threats — that could make it seem like they were dating the real royal. The show was pulled off the air after four episodes following low ratings and viewership.

Although Birch said she went back and forth on believing Hicks was Prince Harry, she knew he wasn't really the royal by the time she won.

Birch gives Markle credit for having to deal with so much scrutiny — and admires Harry for stepping away from royal life

When asked now if she'd still like to live up to the show's premise and marry Harry, Birch was adamant: "Absolutely not. Hell no."

"I give Meghan Markle so much credit," she explained. "I, personally, wouldn't be able to handle being under a microscope like that. When I was younger, being famous was something that seemed so enticing, and I've grown to feel the complete opposite of that. I don't want all that pressure."

Though Birch has never met the real Prince Harry, she said she's proud of the steps he's taken to separate himself from the "outdated" royal family. She said he "mirrors" his mom, Princess Diana, who separated from King Charles III in 1992 after their marital difficulties became public knowledge.

"She tried to break away from stereotypes and she was a free spirit, and it's kind of like watching her come back to life," Birch said. "He's really taking a leap and finding happiness, so I think it's beautiful."

In recent weeks, Harry continued to break the royal mold with his bombshell memoir "Spare," which, among other things, details the rift between himself and his father, King Charles, and brother, Prince William.

After seeing some of the noteworthy revelations in "Spare" — such as Harry taking ayahuasca and losing his virginity in a field — Birch wonders if "I Wanna Marry 'Harry'" isn't as audacious as detractors once thought.

"With all this that has come out, if they did do a show like this now, would it be more believable?" she said. "If he and Meghan didn't work out, would a show like this make sense?"