Meghan Markle shares throwback photo from her school days that brought 'the biggest smile to' her face

Meghan Markle took a stroll down memory lane. The Duchess of Sussex shared a throwback photo of herself from her days as a student at Immaculate Heart. The picture shows a young Meghan with her hands clasped together, while standing next to a statue of the Virgin Mary. The image was first shared on March 18 by Immaculate Heart, a Catholic, all-girls college preparatory school in Los Angeles.

"Congratulations to IH alumna Meghan Markle (’99) on the renewal of her Netflix series and launch of her new podcast!" the caption alongside the photo reads, referencing With Love, Meghan and the Duchess' upcoming podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder. "We’re delighted to share a special throwback photo from her time at Immaculate Heart, honoring our cherished tradition of Mary’s Day, a reflection of our legacy of sisterhood, support, and Panda spirit. As we begin preparations for this year’s Mary’s Day celebration, we proudly carry forward the traditions that make our school community so special! 💙🐼."

Hours later, the Duchess posted the picture on her personal Instagram account, writing: "When your dear friend from middle school/high school sends you something from your alma mater and it brings the biggest smile to your face. Go Pandas 🐼 @ihpandasThanks Sush xo❤️." Meghan also added an update, thanking her alma mater for their "very sweet caption."

Meghan graduated from the school in 1999. For a 2022 episode of her Archetypes podcast, the Duchess visited Immaculate Heart. "Walking through those halls… just so many memories came flooding right back to me," she said.

© Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

During her visit, Meghan swung by a volleyball practice and went into one of her old classrooms. "You’ve heard me talk about Immaculate Heart on the series before and the influence it’s had on my life," she said in the episode. "And look I was there from ages, about 12 to 17 which are really formative years in your life – they certainly were for me. And let me just say, being back there, the energy, it was, it was palpable. I was happy to be back there and it was also really fun especially when I made a surprise visit and I popped into some of the young ladies in volleyball practice."

© Samir Hussein/WireImage

The Duchess pointed out that when "you come back into this environment, it feels so small. But when you're in high school, this campus was so big." Meghan said, "It’s true. Because back then, that campus did seem to be a lot bigger. But, then again… so did everything in life. Just think about it… middle school and high school, this is a really big time for anyone in their life. You’re so young, you’re so impressionable, and you also think…you know everything when you’re a teenager! But for young women especially, this is the time period in which you sorta start to look around – at the culture, at society, at the messages you’re receiving – and you ask yourself, constantly, how am I supposed to be? At least, that was very much my experience of adolescence. And maybe… maybe things have changed."

The Duchess' page on the Sussexes' website notes that Meghan continues to support Immaculate Heart as an alumna.