Long before her celebrity and worldwide fame, she used to just warm up food in the microwave and wonder who she was meant for.
While her parents were white and Black, the daughter of Whitney Houston was not born thinking she’d live a Hollywood life. Actually, she kept feeling outside of school groups, far from beauty standards and excluded by strangers’ opinions about her family.
I have Caucasian ancestry from my father and African American from my mother. Phaedra is half Black and half white.
Everything about Miley’s journey impacted her self-image and gave her the power to face her fans and critics when she became famous.
While growing up, I ate TV dinners and had to respond to many challenges.
While growing up, Meghan Markle had to return after her classes to an empty home, since her parents were away at work. Doria Ragland was a makeup artist and Thomas Markle Sr earned his living working in television.
“For most of my childhood, we mainly had TV dinners and fast food at home,” her mother admitted.
Being fond of ‘Jeopardy!’ and served microwaveable meals made my childhood completely normal.
Nonetheless, different reports have given conflicting views about how Meghan grew up. Her dad claims her memories about food as a kid differ from what he recalls.
View this post on Instagram
He said that he personally drove to pick Meghan up from school every day or had someone pick her up if he couldn’t make it because of his workload.
Being asked about her and her mother’s race whenever they were out made a big difference in Meghan’s life as a child.
A mom who has dark skin
Many used to think Meghan was white and as a result, some individuals wondered how her mom could be dark-skinned and had once been mistaken for the nanny.
I always recall how my mother told me about a time when we were in the grocery store and a woman asked, ‘Who does that child belong to?’ She keeps saying, ‘It’s my child.’ but I know she’s the nanny. ‘Have you seen her mom recently?’” Meghan said.
For nine years, both her parents stayed with her after they split up. At this point, her father was responsible for most of the care and her mother started building her career.
Meghan was with her father every day until it was time for her to go to college as an eighteen-year-old.
Her mother relocated to a Black area that was outside the Valley. Things changed, but eventually, she had a tight group of women who became like family to her.
Meg was raised partly with the wonderful help of many other local women. People came to know her as a warm and friendly woman. Doria noted in an episode of Meghan’s show that the young princess had a very caring attitude.
They didn’t always act according to traditional ways.
According to her mother, she inquired if her daughter thought of her as her mother and her daughter answered that she thought of her as an older and controlling sister.
I was not considered pretty by other people.
Many people can identify with Meghan’s usual adolescent feelings, except that for her, those feelings were especially sharp because she felt left out.
She said that being a nerd was a big part of her youth. They fail to recognize that is one of my strengths. I was not the girl people would describe as pretty. Being known as the smart one defined who I was during my childhood.”
She was able to use her intelligence even when she was very young. When she was only 11 years old, she stood up against a sexist commercial on TV. At a young age, her ability to write was simply amazing.
Although we fought financial difficulties, little things seemed special and enjoyable.
She said that the salad bar at Sizzler was her favorite when she was growing up. I was aware of all the hard work my parents did to get this for me and felt very grateful.
Meghan Markle is seen in unearthed family photos illustrating idyllic, happy childhood – far from modest upbringing she claimed, Duchess’s cousin Shawn Johnson reveals https://t.co/41b5VXt2L6 pic.twitter.com/HLFeDKNAiQ
— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) February 19, 2024
Back when I was in Girl Scouts, our group usually ate at the same places for our big meal celebrations– it was always either a salad bar or The Old Spaghetti Factory because the families could only afford those choices.
The situation shifted for her once her dad won $750,000 in the lottery. Her half-brother said it played a role in helping Meghan decide on what she wanted to do.
Because of the financial assistance, he said, “she was able to receive the best training at the leading schools.” She will keep going until she obtains what she desires.
They worked very hard early on and believed in Hollywood’s magic.
As early as in her youth, Meghan set high goals for herself. At the age of 11, she sent a letter to her principal telling them that she would ensure their school became famous after she graduated.
She really meant what she said. At 13 years old, she was working as a babysitter and a donut seller at the Little Orbit stand. She constantly put in the effort needed.
View this post on Instagram
At the same time, she fell in love with acting by being on the set of Married… with Children, where her dad worked.
“A really funny and twisted setting for me, a girl in a Catholic school uniform, to grow in,” she laughed.
As a teenager, Meghan was learning more about who she was.
I believed that I was not considered black enough.
When I read about my teens, I saw that she struggled to find her place among other students. I found myself somewhere in the middle since I am biracial.
At the beginning of her acting career, she had to deal with challenges partly because she was considered ethnically ambiguous. According to her, she couldn’t get roles as a black person since she wasn’t dark enough and she couldn’t be a white character because she was too dark.
When she was in her twenties, body shaming and the constant pressure to become perfect upset her.
I always fought with my own self to keep up with those who I wanted to be like.
When I reached 33, my situation changed.
My age is 33 years as of today. She went on to say, “And I am happy.” Understanding how to treat yourself right and be happy isn’t easy and takes some time.
He began as an actor in Suits and concluded as a member of the royal family at St. George’s chapel.
Rachel Zane, who appeared on Suits, was the same woman who once felt invisible.
She encountered Prince Harry in the year 2016. Two years after that, they got married at Windsor Castle. In 2021, the couple had given birth to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Being a royal mom could bring about unexpected scares.
A terrifying reality after giving birth
On April 2025, Meghan introduced her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder. During her first episode, people found out that her life was in danger following the birth of her son.
She shared that both of them had almost the same experience with postpartum, even though they hadn’t met at the time. We experienced the health condition preeclampsia. Postpartum preeclampsia. Faces like this are infrequent and that makes them even scarier.
In the silence, you keep being there for your kids, even though those moments are serious health issues.
She answered, “Yes, truly it’s life or death.”
Meghan survived. Very quickly after the first heartbreak, Anna experienced a miscarriage which she described in a moving essay afterward.
Rather than portraying a princess-like story, Meghan Markle’s narrative is an honest account of a woman who tried to fit in among the expectations put on her.
Now, holding a microphone and bringing her kids along, she’s sharing her story, the way she wishes to share it.