Meghan Markle says that she was much more of a “loner” growing up than people would think.
On an episode of her “Archetypes” podcast Tuesday, the Duchess of Sussex remarked that she was an “ugly duckling” with “massive frizzy, curly hair and a huge gap” in her teeth when she was younger.
“Were you not the pretty one growing up?” actor Mindy Kaling asked the royal, who answered with an emphatic “No ― oh God, no!”
“I never had anyone to sit with at lunch,” Meghan said, adding that she “was always a little bit of a loner and really shy and didn’t know where I fit in.”
The royal said that her lunch situation pushed her to become president of various school clubs, which held meetings at mealtime.
“So I didn’t have to worry about who I would sit with or what I would do because I was always so busy,” Meghan told the “Mindy Project” star.
“That makes me very emotional and I’m happy that people know that,” Kaling said. “I think people see you and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh — like, the wedding [to Prince Harry], the couture fittings for that, and this and that.’ And I think that I certainly didn’t know that about you, and that’s nice to know.”
Kaling is the third guest so far on Meghan’s new Spotify and Archewell Audio show, which has also featured tennis icon Serena Williams and proud “diva” Mariah Carey.
Meghan and Harry — who reside in California — are currently on a European tour of sorts, after the two publicly ventured back across the pond together for the first time since celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in June.
The couple attended the One Young World Summit on Monday, with Meghan delivering the youth leadership event’s keynote address.
“It is very nice to be back in the UK,” she said during her speech.
“Oftentimes we speak to young adults about the years ahead, about what you’ll do, what you’ll have to adopt to fix from previous generations and also what legacy you will leave.
“But too often in that, we neglect the point that you’re doing it now. You ― here, in this present moment ― this is where it’s all beginning.”
After the couple’s stop in the UK, they headed to Germany to mark the one-year countdown to the next Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style event for military veterans that was founded by Harry.
On Thursday, the Sussexes are set to attend the 2022 WellChild Awards, another charity event.
