Before becoming the Duchess of Sussex and a global icon, Meghan Markle grappled with insecurities that many young people can relate to. Born to a Black mother and a white father in Los Angeles, Meghan often felt she didn’t quite fit in due to her mixed heritage and the assumptions strangers made about her family.
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Growing up, Meghan described herself as a “latchkey kid,” frequently eating microwave dinners while her parents worked. Her mother, Doria Ragland, was a makeup artist and her father, Thomas Markle Sr, worked in television. Though some aspects of Meghan’s childhood have been debated—her father claims he personally picked her up from school—her early life involved navigating cultural challenges, including instances where her mother was mistaken for her nanny.
Meghan’s adolescence was marked by feeling “not Black enough” or “not white enough” to fit typical roles, which made her teenage years especially tough. She channeled her intellect early on, challenging sexist TV commercials and working various jobs while nurturing a dream of acting.
Her breakthrough came with TV roles like Rachel Zane on Suits, followed by marrying Prince Harry in 2018 and becoming a mother of two. Yet, motherhood came with serious challenges, including a life-threatening postpartum preeclampsia diagnosis after giving birth, which she revealed in 2025.
Meghan’s story is one of resilience and self-discovery — from feeling invisible to embracing her identity and platform to inspire others.
