Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been the center of media attention since they started dating in 2016. Markle, an American outsider, represented a unique force who wasn't afraid to challenge the British royal family and live her life the way she saw fit. Turns out, Markle inherited that independent spirit from her mother, Doria Ragland. Unlike her daughter, however, Ragland has been able to steer clear of the spotlight, and she lives a pretty private and grounded life. Of course, that life is anything but boring. Here's how the truth about Meghan Markle's mother will leave you stunned.
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00:00Maintaining a private and grounded life when your daughter is one of the most recognized
00:04faces on the planet is a tall order, but Meghan Markle's mother achieves it with grace and
00:09dignity. From her creative career path to how she met Meghan's dad, here's the truth about
00:14Doria Ragland. Doria Ragland first met her ex, Thomas Markle, in a place of high drama.
00:20While she was filling in as a makeup artist on the set of the long-running soap opera
00:24General Hospital, she encountered a lighting director who was 12 years older than her,
00:28according to the Daily Mail.
00:30Just when things couldn't seem bleaker, another miracle happened. My client found love.
00:36Along with their age difference, Markle was also divorced with two children from
00:40a previous marriage. The couple began dating and were engaged to be married shortly after.
00:44While Ragland moved on from daytime TV, Markle continued to work as a lighting director on
00:49General Hospital, for which he won a Daytime Emmy and worked on other shows like Married
00:53with Children. Ragland and Markle tied the knot in 1979 at a self-realization fellowship temple
01:00founded by an Indian yogi dedicated to spiritual discovery through yoga and meditation.
01:05Ragland eventually divorced Markle when Meghan was just six, but they stayed amicable and raised
01:10her together. Meghan quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in her now-defunct website, The Tig,
01:15as she reflected on her parents' union during an era when interracial marriages were far less
01:20common, saying,
01:21"'To my mom and dad for choosing each other, not for the color of their skin,
01:24but the content of their character. To all of you champions of change, thank you.'"
01:30If her bohemian wedding didn't clue you in, Doria Ragland is a bit of a hippie. Her daughter
01:34happily fleshed out this image in a post she penned about her mother on The Tig in 2014, saying,
01:40"'Dreadlocks, nose ring, yoga instructor, social worker, free spirit,
01:43lover of potato chips and lemon tarts. And if the DJ cues Al Green's soul classic,
01:48call me, just forget it.'"
01:50Ragland co-parented with Thomas Markle following their divorce. Her bond with her daughter grew,
01:55and Meghan considers their relationship closer than a typical mother-daughter bond.
01:59"'Now behind me is the home where Meghan Markle grew up with her mom,
02:02and so many people are talking about the special relationship they have and feeling the love.'"
02:08Meghan wrote for Glamour,
02:10"'We can just have so much fun together, and yet I'll still find so much solace in her support.
02:14That duality coexists the same way it would in a best friend.'"
02:18According to People, Ragland still lives a very similar lifestyle,
02:21as a dedicated yogi with an affinity for nature and her pets. A neighbor shared,
02:26"'She walks her dogs multiple times a day, or takes them hiking. She is often
02:29spotted heading out with her yoga mat.'"
02:31Such a contrast to the more buttoned-up royal family, Ragland is fascinating.
02:35But to the disappointment of tabloids everywhere, she keeps things low-key and private.
02:40Coming from a family that's steeped in tradition, it's probably not surprising Prince Harry decided
02:45to go through all the proper channels before popping the question to Meghan Markle. But it's
02:49still pretty romantic. According to Us Weekly, Ragland was present when the young couple made
02:54their first joint appearance together at the Invictus Games in Toronto. He didn't squander
02:58the opportunity, according to a source, and asked Ragland's permission to marry her daughter.
03:03With Ragland's blessings locked in, the Duke of Sussex proposed to Meghan Markle two months later.
03:08Though he's said to have also asked Markle's father, Thomas, before proposing,
03:11the two have never met in person. But Harry's relationship with Ragland seems to be ideal.
03:16"...and my mom, who we've spent a lot of time with, who's so much fun."
03:20"'Your mom's amazing.'"
03:22To put it lightly, royal weddings are kind of a big deal in the UK. Add in the dynamics of race,
03:27a slight age difference, and Meghan Markle's previous marriage, and it's enough for tabloids
03:31to constantly churn out stories. So when Doria Ragland's American daughter was preparing for
03:36the entire world to watch her wed, she leaned on her mother for support. Harper's Bazaar reported
03:41that it was thought Ragland would step in and walk Markle down the aisle. In the end,
03:45Markle walked down the aisle alone most of the way until Prince Charles took her arm for the
03:50final steps. The suggestion to include Prince Charles was reportedly made by Harry, giving
03:54Charles' longtime ceremonial experience as a royal. A source explained,
03:59"...there are few people on the planet who are more experienced than Prince Charles when it
04:03comes to set-piece events like this. In contrast, if her mother was by her side,
04:07it would have been down to Meghan to perform that calming role."
04:11According to CNN, Meghan Markle made history as the only royal bride to walk down the aisle
04:15unescorted, symbolically establishing herself as, quote,
04:19"...a strong, independent woman who is prepared to challenge royal norms."
04:23In other words, she was following in her free-spirited mother's footsteps.
04:28Doria Ragland has constantly redefined herself professionally. While she has made some boss
04:32moves in her career, now she's quite literally the boss as CEO of the senior care management
04:38company Loving Kindness in Beverly Hills, the Daily Mail reports. Per its website,
04:42Loving Kindness uses a holistic approach, balancing mind, body, and spirit in their care.
04:48Prior to her current job, Ragland worked at a mental health clinic,
04:51but ended up leaving when the media stormed her life during royal wedding season.
04:55An insider told Us Weekly that Ragland was overwhelmed by the attention, saying,
04:59"...Doria made the very difficult decision to leave her job at the clinic because there had
05:03been a lot of calls from the media asking to speak with her because her daughter was
05:07marrying Prince Harry." The insider added that she considered a shorter leave of absence,
05:11but ultimately realized that the interest in her daughter, and by extension,
05:15her, wasn't going to wane just because the wedding ended.
05:19If having a princess for a daughter isn't wild enough,
05:21Doria Ragland can also call the queen of television her personal friend.
05:25Oprah Winfrey cozied up to Ragland prior to the royal wedding, inviting her to an intimate lunch
05:30at her home. Per ET, the new friends did yoga on Winfrey's lawn during the relaxing afternoon
05:35together. Of course, the press went wild over the pair meeting up, and rumors spread that Ragland
05:40left Winfrey's home carrying gifts that were meant to bribe her into a juicy exclusive interview,
05:45according to Express. But Winfrey put an end to the rumors during an interview by
05:49revealing the kind of details about their date that the press was all too hungry for.
05:53She said that Ragland was just carrying her yoga mat and a basket of Ragland's favorite fruit
05:57from one of Winfrey's trees.
05:59I'm giving her gifts. I'm trying to bribe her for an interview. They were
06:03kumquats. If kumquats can get you an interview, I'm all for it."
06:07Winfrey attended the royal wedding weeks later, an event she described as a, quote,
06:12cultural moment.
06:14In 2019, Doria Ragland became a grandmother when Meghan Markle gave birth to a sweet little son
06:19with a very big name. Per Royal.UK, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor is seventh in
06:24line for the throne. Us Weekly reports that Ragland spent several weeks with her daughter
06:28and son-in-law to help them care for her infant grandson before she returned home to California.
06:33Luckily for Ragland, her daughter is much closer to home these days.
06:37Following the birth of Lilibet in 2021, Ragland gifted Meghan and Harry with her time,
06:42becoming a hands-on grandmother to help out the young parents. A source told Us Weekly,
06:46"[Meghan's so grateful to have her mom to lean on, and Harry just adores her.]
06:51Doria Ragland's daughter has had quite the fairy tale romance,
06:54what with the actual prince husband and all. But you might be surprised that it wasn't Meghan
06:58but Doria Ragland who inspired a romance novel. We know what you're thinking."
07:03"'How am I ever gonna turn this into a book?'
07:06Well, after Queen Elizabeth invited Ragland to Christmas with the royal family,
07:10a librarian tweeted some possibilities the scenario had as a romance novel, saying,
07:15"'Having read this news, I need a charming romance about the single mother of a new
07:19duchess falling in love with an appropriately aged royal retainer
07:22while spending Christmas at Sandringham.'"
07:24This kind of royal fan fiction resonated across the Twitterverse,
07:28reaching all the way to best-selling author Jasmine Guillory, who tweeted,
07:32"'I volunteer as tribute.'"
07:33Not only did Guillory volunteer, she came through with the novel Royal Holiday
07:37that was published in 2019.
07:40When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were making the decision to resign from their royal duties,
07:44Doria Ragland was allegedly all for her daughter taking the huge step.
07:48According to the Mirror, Ragland was a rock to the couple,
07:51bridging the distance by traveling, quote,
07:53"'back and forth' for the last few weeks."
07:55And it's not hard to see why Ragland would be on Team Megxit. Along with the tabloid frenzy
08:00that followed Markle even when she was hidden behind closed doors, the institution's handling
08:05of the American princess has come under scrutiny. Harper's Bazaar reports that Markle couldn't seek
08:09treatment for severe depression, and that Ragland was especially distraught by the
08:13imposed isolation her daughter faced.
08:16When the perception and the reality are two very different things,
08:19and you're being judged on the perception but you're living the reality of it,
08:23there's a complete misalignment."
08:25Per the Daily Mail, an insider claimed that Ragland was, quote,
08:28"'worried' about Meghan and is relieved that her daughter is putting her mental health
08:32and well-being first."