“I Left My Identity Blank”: The Secret 12-Yr-Old Struggle of Meghan Markle That Made Her Who She Is Today

By the looks of her fairy-tale wedding and winning smile, the elegant Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, appears to be a woman who lived a relatively charmed life… but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Growing up biracial (with a mom who was black and a dad who was white), Markle struggled immensely with identity issues that would follow her into adulthood.

From people asking if her mom was her nanny to not knowing what box to check on a mandatory school census, the pain of being torn between two cultures continued.

At the age of twelve, Markle was told she had to check just one box at school to mark her identity.

She was given the option to mark white, black, Hispanic, or Asian.

Once again, she was torn between two ethnicities and two people, her mama and daddy, who she loved very much.

So what did Markle do?

She left the box blank.

“I left my identity blank – a question mark, an absolute incomplete – much like how I felt.”

When she told the story to her father that night, he didn’t get angry, but he did leave her with the most memorable piece of advice she’s ever been given.

He said, “If that happens again, draw your own box, and always be true to yourself.”

And that’s exactly what she’s done ever since by remaining true to her ethnically diverse background and refusing to be forced into a cookie-cutter mold.

She is now the first biracial person who was welcomed into the British Royal Family. By staying true to herself and fighting past a troubling childhood, she encourages the world to do the same on a platform that most will only ever dream of.

“Reflecting on where I came from helps me appreciate what I have now,” she shared.

Watch the rest of Meghan Markle’s inspiring “be true to yourself” story in the Goalcast video below: