Meghan Markle Throwback Pic Proves She's Always Been Gorgeous

Long before she was a duchess or even a television star, Meghan Markle appeared on Nickelodeon to talk about gender equality. Even though the future-A-lister was just twelve years old at the time, her lovely features are instantly recognizable. It's true that growing up has added some polish to Markle's look; she's a royal, after all. But the throwback photo reveals the same delicate nose and glowing skin. Her youthful freckles are particularly noticeable. Markle has revealed she feels a deep sense of pride about them and hates to see them airbrushed away, perhaps because of the process it took to embrace them. "For all my freckle-faced friends out there, I will share with you something my dad told me when I was younger: 'A face without freckles is a night without stars,'" she told Allure in 2017.

That love of her freckles is part of the reason Markle prefers to keep her beauty routine light and minimal, easy to do since Markle looks stunning going make-up free. And, while Markle has undergone a gorgeous hair transformation over the years, rocking everything from a lob to bombshell curls, this old photo provides a glimpse of her natural curly hair. She's not glammed up for the segment, which makes sense since her 12-year-old focus was on social justice. Still, there's no denying how graceful a young Markle was.

Did you know a young Meghan Markle appeared on Nick News? Watch her in action: https://t.co/12Ls4wOrEn 👑 pic.twitter.com/0GVAB8Wqn4

— Nickelodeon (@Nickelodeon) May 19, 2018

Growing up biracial, Meghan Markle struggled to find beauty figures with whom she could identify. The sense of uncertainty became more pronounced when she entered acting. "There couldn't possibly be a more label-driven industry than acting ... I wasn't black enough for the black roles and I wasn't white enough for the white ones, leaving me somewhere in the middle as the ethnic chameleon who couldn't book a job," she wrote for Elle in 2016. The result? Markle carved out a new path, becoming the role model she lacked as a child. As Rachel Zane, the primary love interest on the television show "Suits," Markle got to redefine the image of the "dream girl." "In making a choice like that, the 'Suits' producers helped shift the way pop culture defines beauty," she explained.

She redefined the dream girl again, in real life, when she married a prince of England. Sure, there might be some weird things about Markle and Prince Harry's marriage that we can't ignore. But, in some ways, that makes living well a political act for Markle. She's living proof that beautiful, happy lives are possible for anyone — regardless of skin color.