Meghan Markle's sweetest photographs from her childhood growing up in California

Meghan Markle was born in 1981 and in this sweet photo the young girl curls up on her mum's chest as she has a small nap.

Although Thomas Markle and Meghan now have a strained relationship, the pair looked so close as Thomas cradled his young girl.

Meghan looks so sweet in this photo where the toddler blows bubbles while in a pretty blue dress.

Meghan and Doria definitely have the best bond and the mum-of-one can be seen playing with her young girl and some soft toys.

In this adorable image, a baby Meghan is seen playing with mum Doria as she reaches out to touch her mum's hair.

Thomas appears to be a hands-on dad in this photo with his young daughter, as the pair are seen playing together with a dollhouse.

After Doria and Thomas split when Meghan was six, the youngster mostly lived with her mother. Doria was supported through the divorce by her own mother, and in this cute photo, Meghan sits on the knee of her grandmother.

Meghan had a fairly normal childhood, and here she is enjoying her birthday with a group of friends. We wonder what's inside the blue box!

What sass! Meghan had a command over fashion from an early age. We love this pose in the pink woolly jumper and jeans!

Meghan and Doria's bond only strengthened as the young actress grew older. Living in California, the pair often enjoyed hiking together, like in this mother-daughter photo.

Meghan had a Christmas to remember in this sweet photo, as she enjoyed the celebrations with a large group of friends.

Meghan always loves a switch-up with her style, and the youngster rocked a unique hairstyle in this rare childhood photo.

Meghan and Doria must have had an exhausting day before this photo was grabbed, as the pair curled up on a sofa with a blanket thrown over them.

It appears that Meghan had a natural affinity with Canada, the country where she'd make her big break, as she's seen playing with Play-doh in a shirt emblazoned with the Canadian flag.

Meghan would sometimes enjoy holidays with her family, and in this nifty photo, the youngster is seen in a pair of glasses while riding in a buggy.

Just look at those curls! A young Meghan is seen here posing for a photo in a sleek Hollywood shirt, but we just can't take our eyes off of her curly locks.

Meghan and Doria look so alike in this gorgeous photo of the pair together. Meghan has gone for a pom-pom style with her hair, while Doria also enjoys a more casual 'do.

While Meghan and Doria enjoyed a low-key time in the photo above, the duo proved they totally know how to glam up, with the pair seen here enjoying a fancy dinner out.

Meghan has long been a feminist and her foray into activism started when she was a teenager. After watching a dishwashing liquid commercial that only featured women, that sparked sexist chants from her classmates, the 11-year-old Meghan wrote to the company.

Meghan quickly made friends when she entered school, and here she is as a young girl with a group of friends as they play together.

Meghan is seen in this school photo on the far-left in the centre row. Meghan attended the Hollywood Schoolhouse, which is a private school.

Meghan is so smiley in this solo school photo. The young girl loved experimenting with her hairstyle and she has opted for a bun when it comes to this particular snap.

Meghan looks so much like a princess in this school photo as she lets her gorgeous black locks flows down the back of her shoulders and she looks so refined.

The young Meghan excelled in her academic studies and in this yearbook photo, she is proudly the president of her school's debate group.

While in the UK we're used to black graduation gowns, when it came to Meghan's graduation, this was entirely different, with the future royal bedecked in white for her big day.

During her childhood and teenage years, Meghan still spent time with her father, and in this photo, the duo are seen together.

Meghan is seen here in another photo with her now-estranged father as they pose for a beautiful outside photo.

Meghan is a natural in front of the camera and she has the confidence of a model in this photo as she poses outside in a pair of jeans.

Meghan starred in several school productions when she was growing up, and she's seen here in a starring role during a stage production. Meghan also starred as Red Riding Hood in a school production.

Meghan studied at Northwestern University and just like any uni student, here is the teenager posing in a messy kitchen!

Meghan's acting career didn't initially take off, with the star securing bit parts in shows like CSI: Miami, Without a Trace and Knight Rider, but all that was about to change…

Meghan's breakthrough role came in 2011 when the future-Duchess of Sussex started playing ambitious paralegal Rachel Zane in Suits. Meghan was in the show for seven seasons and clocked up 108 episodes on the hit legal show.