For the past six years, Doria Ragland has been a steady source of comfort for the Sussex family — not only Meghan’s mother, but a trusted presence and fellow Californian close to their daily lives.
As she prepares to turn 70 next week, that closeness could soon be tested by distance, with her daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren reportedly set to relocate across the Atlantic.
Ragland has remained a consistent figure in Meghan and Harry’s world since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from royal duties and moved to the United States in 2020.
She is based in a bungalow in an affluent residential area outside central Los Angeles, less than a two-hour drive from the couple’s Montecito home.
But with the Sussexes said to be planning a move to the UK and to enroll Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, in English schools from September, their devoted grandmother may find herself making regular trips while keeping her West Coast home, where she has a close circle of friends.
Ragland is also understood to have access to a “granny flat” at the Montecito mansion, and TMZ insiders have claimed she will remain close to the couple’s US base.
Her relationship with Meghan and Harry has appeared notably strong against the backdrop of wider family tensions, including Harry’s estrangement from Prince William and Meghan’s lack of contact with her father, Thomas Markle.
Her support has been hands-on from the start: Harry revealed in his memoir Spare that Ragland stayed with the Sussexes at Frogmore Cottage for more than a month after Archie’s birth.
And the dedicated mother has been described as a ‘rock’ for Meghan and Harry during the difficult months when they departed as working royals and moved to California.
Doria Ragland, Prince Harry and Meghan at the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards in 2023
A former confidant of Doria told the Mail on Sunday: ‘She is like the Queen – she never complains and never explains.’
Doria even made a brief appearance in the first season of Meghan’s Netflix show, joining in Meghan’s ‘celebration brunch’ with other members of her inner circle.
Wearing a tan halter neck top and flowing orange trousers, Doria arrived to the sun-soaked brunch party as Meghan could be heard gushing: ‘Oh, Mommy’s here!’
While admiring the spread of champagne, mimosas, quiche, bacon, pancakes and salad, Doria asked: ‘Are the greens from the garden?’ to which the Duchess replied: ‘Yes, greens are from the garden.’
Doria said: ‘It’s lovely. Nice job!’
Harry and his mother-in-law Doria were seen looking on and raising a glass as the Duchess thanked those in attendance for ‘loving her so much and celebrating with her’.
Harry has also formed a close relationship with Doria in the years since leaving the royal family – with a royal source revealing that the Duke of Sussex has grown incredibly close to Doria, who has been a ‘tower of strength’ for the couple.
A source told The Sun previously: ‘Harry obviously doesn’t have a mum whom he can turn to for advice, but he has always been incredibly close to Doria and never more so than now.’
He previously described his future mother-in-law as ‘amazing’ in a BBC interview to coincide with his engagement.
Doria was the only member of Meghan’s side of the family to attend the royal wedding and was described as an ‘oasis of calm’ during the early months of Megxit, stoic and with an unwavering loyalty towards her daughter and son-in-law.
‘I remember when I first met him,’ Doria recalled in Harry and Meghan’s 2022 documentary.
Doria, a social worker and yoga instructor, has generally avoided the spotlight since attending the royal wedding at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Picutred with Meghan in May
She sat by herself in a pew at the wedding which was not attended by Meghan’s father Thomas Markle, whom she married in 1979 but divorced in 1987
‘A 6’1 handsome man with red hair, really great manners. It was just really nice and they looked really happy together, like he was the one.
‘Once it was announced that they were together it seemed kind of like a novelty.’
And Meghan has had plenty of positive things to say about her mother, who she describes as a ‘free spirit’.
’I find inspiration in the strong women around me. Of course, my mother being one of them,’ Meghan told an Afro Women and Power Forum during a visit to Colombia.
‘So much of how I approach things is less about the fight and more about how do we show up in a space and wash things over with love and kindness and generosity.’
Doria also had an important role to play at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022, as she was in Montecito caring for Archie, then three, and Lilibet, then one.
The Sussexes were already in the UK at the time – after travelling to Manchester for a summit, then Dusseldorf for an Invictus event and then back to London.
They ended up having to extend their stay when Harry’s grandmother died on September 8, remaining to make various public appearances including greeting mourners outside Windsor Castle and attending the funeral on September 19.
The duchess later revealed on her Netflix show With Love, Meghan that the three-week period was the longest she had ever gone without seeing her children, leaving her feeling ‘not well’.
Doria, a social worker and yoga instructor, has generally avoided the spotlight since attending the royal wedding at Windsor Castle in May 2018.
She sat by herself in a pew at the wedding which was not attended by Meghan’s father Thomas Markle, whom she married in 1979 but divorced in 1987.
But Doria does sometimes appear in photos and videos shared by her daughter – including in May during a Mother’s Day trip to Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
She joined Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lilibet for the outing, with the duchess later sharing an image of her mother on Instagram accompanied by a red heart.
Doria was also seen enjoying time with Lilibet in the family’s swimming pool in the California sunshine in footage shared by Meghan in January.
