Never-seen-before photos of Meghan Markle show the future through her formative years, from her childhood to her first wedding—with sweet snaps immortalizing her high school prom.
The actress and activist, now 36, can be seen in the photos posing with a bright smile on her face, donning a bedazzled white gown with her hair pulled into an updo fit for the occasion. Naturally, the Suits star is also wearing a flowery corsage, as per tradition.
Meghan, the daughter of a psychotherapist yoga instructor and of a lighting director, grew up in Hollywood and attended the Immaculate Heart High School, an all-girl Catholic establishment. The future royal, who was born Rachel Meghan Markle but now goes by her middle name, got to travel the world from a young age, as shown in some of the newly-released photos, taken during a European trip with a friend’s family.
In one of the vintage shots, a young Meghan poses happily in front of Buckingham Palace, sitting on a barrier, not privy yet to the fact that she would one day become related to Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, who reside inside.
The photos, which were shared by Meghan’s childhood friend, also see her celebrating her 2003 graduation from Northwestern University, where she studied theater and international studies. Meghan headed for a night out in Chicago in a pale blue shirt and matching skirt with a distressed hem, stopping by a drive-through for a bite to eat.
Going way back in time, the pictures also see Meghan as a five-year-old displaying an ease in the spotlight that foresaw her successful career as an actress, which culminated with her role as Rachel Zane over seven seasons of Suits. In 1986, Meghan sang The Wheels On The Bus at an end-of-year show hosted at Hollywood’s Little Red School House, where she began her private education.
The images take us all the way to Meghan’s first wedding, which took place in 2011. She can be seen during a four-day trip to Jamaica, smiling and posing in a bikini next to her friends and mother, Doria, in Ocho Rios.
Among the photos are also numerous candid shots taken during Meghan’s high school and college days, celebrating milestones such as birthday parties, graduation dinners, and memory-making trips.
Way back when: A newly released set of photos shows Meghan Markle throughout her formative years, including during her 1999 high school prom at the Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles
Trio: The actress and activist, then 17 years old, donned a bedazzled white gown and a traditional flowery corsage as she posed with her friend Ninaki Priddy (right) and another pal on the big night
Group’s all here! Meghan happily posed during a dinner with her friends on her high school prom night; she is pictured next to her prom date, her pal Gian Carlo, with whom she had a strictly platonic friendship
All lined up: Another group shot shows Meghan (seventh from left) posing in her floor-length white gown and holding a bouquet of flowers, with her hair in an updo fit for the occasion
Future royal: Prince Harry and Meghan announced engagement their engagement on Monday (left) and will marry in May at Windsor Castle; they made their first official appearance since revealing the news on Friday in Nottingham (right)
A star in the making: Little Meghan, then aged five, sang The Wheels On The Bus in 1986 during an end-of-year show at the private Little Red School House she attended during her childhood in Hollywood
Focused: The future actress looked intent on doing her best as she stood onstage next to her fellow students during the show
Ensemble: Meghan (pictured third from right) stood in formation with her classmates as they took to the stage together
Entertaining: A young Meghan got her face painted during a event at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Los Angeles around 1990
Back in the days: Meghan and Ninaki went roller skating together at the Moonlight Roller Rink in Los Angeles around 1994
Lost in thought: Meghan (right) and Ninaki looked pensive during Ninaki’s party in 1990—the first one when boys were invited
Cast: Meghan’s father, Tom, worked as a lighting director on the TV series Married… With Children, meaning Meghan and her friends, including Ninaki, got to meet some of the actors on the show, including Ted McGinley (pictured)
Famous friends: Ninaki, Meghan and another friend also posed with the actor David Faustino on the set of Married With Children back in 1991
Hollywood: Meghan and her friends also posed for a photo with the actress Amanda Bearse while visiting the set
Pop culture reference: Ninaki and Meghan, donning a Simpsons T-shirt, can be seen in a photo taken while they were hanging out at home in 1991
Beloved students: Both Meghan (right) and Ninaki (left) posed with a teacher at Little Red Schoolhouse for a picture in 1992
Teacher’s pets? The girls appear in a snap with another teacher from the school, taken on the same day as the previous one
Outdoors: Meghan and two of her friends posed for a photo in Meghan’s mother’s garden in Los Angeles around 1993
Having fun: The actress shared a joyful moment with her friends at the Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles
Foreshadowing: Ninaki and Meghan went on a trip to Europe together when Meghan was 15; both of them are pictured in front of Buckingham Palace, the residence of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh
Traveling: Meghan also got to visit Paris and stopped to rest at a fountain outside of the Louvre museum in the French capital
Duo: The actress, then a young girl, posed with her friend for a symmetrical snap during one of their outings
Hide and seek: Meghan and her pal hid behind pillars for this shot taken during a trip to the historical city of Bath in the UK
Adventure: Meghan and her friend were keen to explore their surroundings and to make the most of their trip to Bath
Buddies: Ninaki and Meghan’s friendship is evident in many of the photos they took together throughout the years
Rehearsing for the big day: During their European tour Meghan (left) and Ninaki visited a diamond house and took that as a chance to try on some precious rings
Group: Meghan had no problem cultivating friendships and often posed with pals for cozy photos such as this one, which shows her with Ninaki and two other friends
Who is he? Meghan celebrated her graduation from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, during a night out in Chicago. It was during the outing that she posed with this mystery man, believed to be the maitre d’ of a bar
Stopping for a snack: The actress was happy to stop at a drive-through to grab a bite to eat during the night out, which marked the end of her studies at Northwestern, where she majored in theater and international studies
Style: Meghan headed for the night out, which took place in 2003, in a pale blue shirt and matching skirt with a heavily distressed hem paired with a tiny black purse and high-heeled nude-colored sandals
Buddies: Ninaki (pictured with Meghan) partied with the actress during their graduation celebration and posed next to her; the friend took some of the snaps over the course of the night out
Cause for celebration: The party came after Meghan earned her Bachelor of Arts and before she continued her career as a budding actress, at one point also working as a freelance calligrapher
Carefree: Meghan and her friends can be seen flashing bright smiles at the camera in all the shots from the party, which appears to have been a thoroughly joyful occasion
Making memories: The pals made sure to capture their evening in plenty of fun shots, posing together in various settings
Crafty! During her college years, Meghan painted the walls of her rented apartment in bright colors, and had to return them to their original white when it became time for her to move out
Partying: Ninaki (left) and Meghan went on a road trip from Chicago to Los Angeles in 2003; they are pictured during a stop in Las Vegas, where they enjoyed a night out
Traveling the world: Meghan and her friend posed for a shot in front of the Eiffel Tower replica in Las Vegas during their trip
Chilling: Ninaki and Meghan enjoyed a bit of sunshine poolside at their Las Vegas hotel during a road trip from LA to Chicago
Long drive home: The two friends (pictured together in Colorado) drove back to California after graduating from Northwestern in Illinois
Brunch time! Meghan, Ninaki and another friend shared a meal in Los Angeles at Toast about nine years ago
Trend setters: Ninaki and Meghan took a selfie before they were all the rage during their road trip back in 2003
Fun stop: Meghan posed for a snap with this large sign welcoming her to Keenesburg in Colorado during the journey
Instant shot: The actress and her friend had fun at the photo booth located inside the Soho House club in LA in 2010
Oops: Not all the shots were successful, as indicated by this one, in which Meghan and her friend are barely visible
Catching up: In 2011, which is the year Suits premiered, Meghan chatted with a friend on Google Plus along with Ninaki and Meghan’s fellow Suits star Rick Hoffman
Laughing: The conversation took an animated turn and Meghan’s friend couldn’t help but laugh at the trio’s antics
Important occasion: Meghan was joined by her friend Ninaki (left) and her college friend Lindsay (center) during her four-day wedding bash in Jamaica back in 2011
Family: Doria, Meghan’s mother, posed with her daughter during the celebration in Ocho Rios, Jamaica