Meghan Markle's first book penned when she was a young teen was about 'freckles'

A book written by Meghan Markle when she was a young teenager has been revealed as a story about "the wonder of freckles".

It has also emerged that the savvy Duchess of Sussex - then aged just 13 or 14 - apparently filed the book for copyright protection.

The Duchess of Sussex made waves earlier this month with the release of her first published children's book The Bench.

It features illustrations and a poem about the bond between dad and son - and was inspired by Prince Harry's first Father's Day with son Archie.

But it's not the first time the duchess has put pen to paper, it has now been revealed.

In eighth grade - the US equivalent of Year 9 - Meghan wrote a tale called "A Face without Freckles Is A Night Without Stars", the Daily Star reports.

She submitted it to the US Copyright Office on January 18, 1996 - a year or so after writing it at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, California.

The duchess penned her first book when she was 13 or 14 (AFP via Getty Images)

Beneath a school portrait of Meghan on the back of the book, it explains she wrote it as part of a project and expressed her "wishes to continue writing throughout high school".

An extract from the book reads: "Some people think freckles are strange, while I happen to disagree, because if I didn't have freckles, then I would not truly be me!!!"

A note of thanks was also added to the back of her teenage creation, MailOnline reports.

It says of Meghan: "She wants to take a moment to thank her 'mommy' and 'daddy' who gratefully spent their time and effort supporting her."

The book "extols the wonders of freckles" (Twitter)

The duchess would have been 13 or 14 at the time of writing (Twitter)

The book was revealed over Twitter on Tuesday, June 22, by Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress, who added that it had been submitted to the US Copyright Office.

Based in Washington DC, it is part of the Library of Congress and looks at hundreds of thousands of copyright claims each year, totaling over half a million registrations.

Ms Hayden tweeted: "Did you know Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, wrote a book in 8th grade titled, A Face without Freckles... Is a Night Without Stars.

Meghan writes that without freckles "I truly wouldn't be me" (Twitter)

"She extols the wonder of freckles with drawings and verse. Meghan submitted it to the @CopyrightOffice in 1996."

Royal Editor for Harpers Bizarre, Omid Scobie shared the tweet saying: "Fun fact: In eighth grade, Duchess Meghan wrote – and copyrighted – a children’s book dedicated to her freckles."

Last week, The Bench reached bestseller status for the New York Times.

The Bench was released earlier in June about "the special bond between father and son" (Twitter@Queenvic)

In a message of thanks to readers for the success of The Bench, Meghan said: "While this poem began as a love letter to my husband and son, I'm encouraged to see that its universal themes of love, representation and inclusivity are resonating with communities everywhere.

"In many ways, pursuing a more compassionate and equitable world begins with these core values.

"To depict another side of masculinity — one grounded in connection, emotion, and softness — is to model a world that so many would like to see for their sons and daughters alike."