From Outsider to Duchess: Meghan Markle’s Journey

Before the royal titles and global spotlight, Meghan Markle was a biracial girl growing up in Los Angeles, often feeling like she didn’t belong. Raised by a Black mother and white father, Meghan described herself as a “latchkey kid,” eating microwave dinners while her parents worked.

Though her father disputes parts of her childhood memories, Meghan has spoken openly about the stares and questions she and her mother faced in public. After her parents divorced, Meghan lived with her dad full-time from age nine until college. Her mom found support in a tight-knit community of women, and while their relationship was strong, Meghan once described it as feeling more like having a “controlling older sister.”

As a teen, Meghan struggled with her identity, saying she wasn’t “Black enough” or “white enough” and never felt like the pretty one. Instead, she focused on being smart, even challenging a sexist ad at age 11. Her dad’s $750,000 lottery win helped fund better schooling and acting opportunities. By 13, she was already working jobs, and her love of acting grew on the set of Married… with Children, where her dad worked.

Her early career was shaped by being “ethnically ambiguous,” often not fitting traditional roles. By 33, she finally began embracing who she was. She found success on Suits, and her life changed forever after meeting Prince Harry in 2016. The couple married in 2018 and now have two children: Archie and Lilibet.

In 2025, Meghan launched her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, where she revealed a life-threatening postpartum preeclampsia experience after giving birth. She also spoke about the emotional pain of suffering a miscarriage.

From fast food dinners to royal duties, Meghan’s story is not a fairy tale—it’s a real and powerful journey of finding her voice, her identity, and her purpose.