Meghan Markle’s Unglamorous First Job

Meghan Markle may be a Duchess now, but her very first job was likely just as unglamorous as plenty of other people’s.

The royal revealed how she first earned a paycheck during her visit to Macarthur Girls High School in Australia on Friday, sharing that her first job helped her become who she is today.

“My first job [was] when I was 14,” the Duchess said, according to The Daily Telegraph‘s Hannah Furness. “I remember taking out the trash, all sorts. It give you a good work ethic, right?”

Markle also told the girls about her own time in school, with the former actress having also attended an all-girls school, Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles.

“I went to an all girls school which was incredibly diverse as well. I think being around such empowered young women, it becomes something that you all just grasp onto to understand your world. It’s made you confident, well-spoken,” she reportedly said. “You have an intention set to really do something to change the world, and you have to keep it up. It makes me so emotional. You’re doing really, really good work and I’m so happy that we’re here. We give you our full support.”

Prince Harry also spoke to the girls at the school, noting that men should step up to help in the fight for gender equality.

“Men can help as well by getting involved, we have to,” he said. “We need to get men’s voices involved as soon as possible.”

The couple’s visit was a surprise to the students, one of whom told Ten News, “They didn’t tell us the royals were coming. If I knew, I would’ve looked nicer.”

Another shared, “Meghan was waving at us, and we got a glimpse of Harry as well, so it was a really good atmosphere, to be honest. She was very elegant when she spoke. Very pretty as well.”

On the fourth day of their royal tour of the Commonwealth, Markle and Harry also climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge, where Harry raised the flag for the Invictus Games, and took part in a OneWave FluroFriday session at Bondi Beach, engaging in an “anti-bad vibes circle” and discussing the importance of being candid about mental health.

During the FluroFriday session, Markle opened up about her pregnancy, revealing that she had been up since 4:30 in the morning that day.

“Meghan told me that pregnancy was like having jet lag,” local Charlotte Connell told Sky News. “She said she was up at 4:30 a.m. this morning doing yoga in her room as she couldn’t sleep.”

After their time in Australia, Markle and Harry will visit Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand to complete their tour.

Photo Credit: Getty / Chris Jackson