Queen Bee: In her insect-pattern T-shirt and jeans, the youngster bursts into delighted laughter as this picture is taken. Her uncle Joseph has spoken of how she 'was always a joker' and also 'a natural in front of the camera'. No wonder she ended up an actress before marrying Harry.
Collapsing into a fit of giggles, Meghan Markle shares a joke with a friend in a delightful glimpse of her happy childhood in Hollywood.
Wearing a T-shirt adorned with bees, centipedes and other bugs, and with a sweater casually wrapped around her hips, the joyous picture shows how, even as a young girl, Meghan brimmed with charm and charisma.
It is among a treasure trove of images revealed exclusively today as the 37-year-old duchess prepares to become a mother for the first time.
One adorable photograph shows Meghan dressed as a reindeer in a school play, complete with home-made antlers created from card, and a smudged red nose.
In other snaps that would take pride of place in any photo album, Meghan is shown playing with friends, including her best pal Ninaki Priddy.
Many of the pictures chart Meghan's time at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Hollywood, a prestigious primary school popular with several A-list celebrities.
In a video taken at the school, a young Meghan praises a friendly maths teacher who has helped her overcome her dislike of the subject.
'My biggest challenge? Probably math, you know,' she says. 'Because I really don't like that subject but our teacher's nice and she gets us to learn and she makes it fun.'
Star pupil: With the mother of Little Red Schoolhouse principal Debbie Wehbe, taken at a dinner to mark her graduation from the elementary school when she was 12. Ms Wehbe would later praise Meghan's parents Thomas and Doria for her upbringing, even though they divorced when she was six.
