The Duchess of Sussex has revealed that she “read a lot of Archie comic books” when she was growing up, but insisted this did not influence her decision to name her first child Archie.
In the third episode of her Archetypes podcast, which was released on Spotify earlier today (6 September), Meghan Markle opened up about her childhood reading habits, her teenage wedding fantasies, and how she felt like an “ugly duckling” growing up.
In a conversation with the writer, actor and producer, Mindy Kaling, Meghan said: “I was alone so much as a kid, and also a latch-key kid and – gosh, I read a lot of Archie comic books, ironically.”
She quickly added: “My son is not named after Archie comic books, but I loved them.”
When Meghan asked Kaling what her favourite book was growing up, she replied, “Harriet the Spy”, which the Duchess said she also “loved” as a child.
The Archie comics concern a teenage boy named Archie Andrews and the exploits of him and his school friends, including his friend, Jughead, and the love-triangle he has with two girls named Veronica and Betty.
The first Archie comic was published in 1941 and the series has sold billions of comics around the world.
Entitled The Stigma of the Singleton with Mindy Kaling, the third episode of Archetypes also featured Meghan opening up about how she had been awarded an ‘A’ grade at school for planning her “dream wedding”.
The 41-year-old offered a glimpse into the specific details dreamt up by the teenage Meghan, down to her wedding dress and venue.
She said: “I remember every little thing about it. I wanted it to be at the Bel-Air Hotel.
“There was a swan lake and I wanted the cake to be from Hansen’s Bakery and the dress… oh my goodness. The dress was strapless, pouffy and I’d seen it in a bridal magazine.”
The Duchess revealed that her wedding planning actually formed part of a school project in her school, for which she was awarded an “A” grade.
Meghan questioned the decision to even assign such a “traditional” project, stating that the underlying “message” that a woman must marry if she is to be happy is one “that kids all over the world are still receiving.”
She goes on to chat with the writer, actor and producer Mindy Kaling, who speaks candidly about the joys, challenges and stigmas of her life as a single, unmarried woman - plus her decision to start a family on her own.
Meghan also revealed that she “always wanted a cookie-cutter perfect life”.
The full episode is available to stream now.
