Meghan Markle’s uncle has released rare unseen pictures of Meghan as a child

Excitedly opening her birthday present at an alfresco family party, the pretty little girl is a study of anticipation. It is so hot that she is barefoot and wears only a pair of shorts.

And here she is on another golden day in the park, giggling impishly as she totters around in her striped summer frock; then squatting down on the grass to feed the pigeons under the protective gaze of her mother.

These delightful new photographs capture the infant One rare photo, taken at a celebratory family meal, is particularly revealing. Cradled in her father Thomas’s bear-like arms — he is looking at her adoringly — her half-siblings Tom Junior and Samantha, then wholesome-looking teenagers, are seen seated further down the table.

As the adults laugh and joke at a table laden with her mother Doria’s home-cooked dishes, and drink wine from glass goblets, infant Meghan, a string of beads draped over her tousled hair, radiates contentment and security The truth, as these photos show, appears very different.

They depict a family seemingly at ease and united in their adoration for their newest addition. There is no hint of the unedifying rancour and feuding that frequently embarrasses her today.

According to Meghan’s uncle, the camera doesn’t lie.

‘She was always a special child, and so happy. She had a lovely and sunny disposition,’ said Mr Johnson, 69, who is Doria’s half-brother.