She might be a well-known actress, philanthropist, activist and currently dating a prince, but Suits star Meghan Markle doesn't want you thinking she's always lived a life of privilege.
In an interview with Pride magazine in 2015, the 36-year-old – who is thought to have just celebrated her birthday with Prince Harry and her mother in London – opened up about her 'ethnically ambiguous' childhood and her experiences confronting racist jokes over the years.
In the interview, Markle – who also penned a piece exclusively for ELLE UK the same year titled 'I'm More Than An Other' – recalls the time her African-American mother Doria was called racial slurs, and admits she feels an 'obligation' to speak out about her half-black identity.
'I don't care if I'm fair-skinned and I don't care what it is, that's who I am and that's my family.
'My hope is for the world to get to a place where it's colour blind,' she admitted.
Discussing the 'countless black jokes people have shared in front of me, not realising I am mixed', the Toronto-based star revealed she feels compelled to 'talk about discrimination... or even to talk about the fact that most people can't tell that I'm half black'.
The Californian beauty's quotes came the same year she bravely opened up about her biracial identity to ELLE UK readers, writing:
'While my mixed heritage may have created a grey area surrounding my self-identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that.
'To say who I am, to share where I'm from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman,' she admitted.
According to the Daily Mail, the actress is continuing her birthday celebrations this week with a trip to Botswana, South Africa with her royal beau.
We're glad to see Meghan speaking up about issues close to her heart and ours.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
