Meghan Markle Said She Was the "Ugly Duckling" in School
We all collectively refuse to believe this.


People—horribly—call Meghan Markle a lot of names, which incidentally inspired the premise of her new podcast, Archetypes. This series features a number of prominent female guests, who join the Duchess of Sussex in reframing the labels that are often unfairly plastered on women in our society.
But though people call the duchess a lot of names, one label that you would never expect to have been attached to her is "ugly duckling"—yet this is how she identified in school, she has revealed.
Speaking to her latest guest, Marie Claire cover star Mindy Kaling, Markle said, "If you're… not the pretty one growing up, you're just like, What can I learn? I want the A-plus."
A seemingly shocked Kaling rebutted, "Were you not the pretty one growing up?"
The duchess was like, "No. Oh god, no."
This went on for a few seconds until the Never Have I Ever creator expressed our collective sentiment by saying, "That is news to me."
"Ugly duckling," the podcast host answered.
Stay In The Know
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
She continued, "Yeah, yeah, yeah… Like tons. Look, maybe not conventional beauty as it… now, maybe that would be seen as beautiful but massive frizzy curly hair and a huge gap in my teeth that…um, I was the smart one. Forever and ever and ever and ever. And, and then just sort of grew up."
Kaling told her, "Hey, now I'm going to say this is a revelation to me because I went through life being like, OK, well, Meghan Markle was like that one nice hot girl who like has her head screwed on right cause her mom's probably like, really cool. But knowing that you were not that, is news to me, probably news to people listening to this."
Um, yes. Definitely.
Obviously, there are many ways in which the duchess isn't relatable—starting with her multimillion dollar home and royal title—but this is definitely something I, and I'm sure tons of others, can relate to.
She described her experience at school, and this will likely help many of us: "I never had anyone to sit with at lunch," she admitted.
"I was always a little bit of a loner and really shy and didn't know where I fit in. And, and so I just became, I was like, OK, well then I'll become the president of the Multicultural Club and the president of sophomore class and the president of this and French club. And by doing that, I had meetings at lunchtime."
Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.
-
Harry Was Allegedly Crushed When William Received "Special Treatment"
"Poor Harry's face across the table," Princess Diana's former butler recalled.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Prince Harry Wasn't Informed About King Charles's Hospitalization
"It looks like the duke only found out about his father's latest health update through the media."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Jennifer Lawrence Styles a $7,500 Outfit With $100 Sneakers
The actress paired Prada and Celine with her $100 footwear.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Meghan Markle and Her Makeup Artist Confirmed All Her Royal Wedding Beauty Products
And yes, you can shop them all here.
By Kayleigh Roberts Published
-
Meghan Markle and Gwyneth Paltrow Open Up About Their "Rift" Over Pie
Expect a Goop x As Ever collab in three… two..
By Lia Beck Published
-
Meghan Markle Confirms Skinny Jeans Are Back by Finally Revealing Her Favorite Frame Denim
It's never been easier to dress like a duchess.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
New Prince Archie Photo Proves He Takes After Dad Prince Harry in Two Very Important Ways
Father and son have much more in common than their vibrant red hair.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Meghan Markle Shared a Rare Video Filmed by Prince Harry on Instagram
And she used her nickname for him in the shoutout she wrote in the video's caption.
By Kayleigh Roberts Published
-
Meghan Markle Sent a Handwritten Note to a Podcaster Who Said She Was "Scared" for the Royal Before Her Netflix Show Premiered
Mailing a handwritten note to reply to an Instagram comment might be the most Meghan Markle thing of all time.
By Kayleigh Roberts Published
-
Why Gwyneth Paltrow Supports Meghan Markle's Goop-style Reinvention Despite Not Knowing Her Personally
Book her for season 2 of 'With Love, Meghan' right now.
By Lia Beck Published
-
Did Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Just Make an Adorable Waffle Version of Queen Elizabeth's Face?
The Duchess of Sussex shared a fun St. Patrick's Day video that had fans making queenly connections.
By Kristin Contino Published