Long Before the Crowns and Cameras, She Was Just a Girl with Questions and a Microwave Dinner
Before the royal spotlight, international headlines, and a fanbase in the millions, she was simply a young girl trying to figure out where she belonged — heating up frozen meals and navigating a world that didn’t quite make sense.
Born in Los Angeles to a Black mother and a white father, Meghan Markle didn’t see herself reflected in the people around her. She often felt out of place — in school hallways, in the mirror, and even in the assumptions others made about her identity.
“My mom is African American, and my dad is Caucasian. I’m biracial — half Black, half white,” she once explained.
Those early experiences shaped her deeply — from how she viewed herself to the resilience she would later need when all eyes turned her way.
Microwaved Meals and Big Questions
Growing up, Meghan often described herself as a “latchkey kid,” returning home to an empty house while her parents worked long hours. Her mother, Doria Ragland, worked as a makeup artist, and her father, Thomas Markle Sr., had a job in the television industry.
“I was raised on fast food and TV tray dinners,” she once said.
“I’d watch ‘Jeopardy!’ while eating frozen kids’ meals… that was just everyday life.”
Still, not everyone agrees on what that childhood looked like. Her father has publicly pushed back against Meghan’s memories — especially the parts about their family meals — suggesting his version of her upbringing doesn’t match the one she’s shared.
