Here’s Doria Ragland’s Nickname for Meghan Markle (and a Buncha Other Fun Facts You Didn’t Know)
Meghan Markle’s mom, Doria Ragland, keeps a pretty low profile, considering her daughter is one of the most famous people in the world. But based on everything the internet knows about her—which is kind of a lot due to the internet being nosy, not to mention her brief appearance on Harry & Meghan on Netflix—she is quite literally the best. Doria is a hugely important figure in Meghan’s life—especially now that the duchess is living back in her home state of California with Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Sooo let’s get to know Doria, shall we? Just gonna hit you with a buncha facts:
Doria Lives Close to Meghan and Harry
So, back in 2020, an Us Weekly source reported that “Doria Ragland continues to live with Meghan, Harry, and Archie” and that “this has been the most time she has spent with her grandson since he was born.” And having Doria around all the time to chill with Archie during those early days was obviously a huge help to Meghan and Harry because she would “get up in the morning and read to him” and make him “all-organic” food. Aww.
However! It looks like Doria is now back in her own home in Los Angeles, about a two-hour drive from the Sussexes’ place in Montecito. Meghan revealed this herself during an episode of her podcast Archetypes (via Hello), saying, “Anytime we go to that part of town where my mum now lives, I’m like, ‘Ooh, pink boxes, let’s get a bean pie.’ They are so good!”
She’s Supported Meghan Both Privately and Publicly
During Meghan and Harry’s tell-all interview with Oprah, Meghan talked about her rocky relationship with her father, Thomas Markle, and her half-sister, Samantha Markle. While discussing the betrayal she feels over Thomas’ contact with the British press, she pointed to Doria as an example of true support for shunning tabloids asking her for interviews.
“You’ve never heard her say a word [to the press]. She remained in silent dignity for four years watching me go through this,” Meghan said.
Doria also spoke about Thomas’s willingness to speak to tabloids on Harry & Meghan, saying, “I was absolutely stunned that Tom would become part of this circus. I felt sad that the media would run with this…that he would capitalize, certainly as a parent. No. That’s not what you do. That’s not parenting.”
Doria Was Interviewed on Meghan and Harry’s Doc
“The last five years have been challenging,” she said, via CNN. “I’m ready to have my voice heard, that’s for sure. A little bit of my experience, you know, as her mom.” Doria went on to say that Harry made a great first impression on her, noting, “He was just really nice. And they looked really happy together. Yeah, like he was The One.”
She also spoke about the racism Meghan has faced since joining the royal family, saying, “As a parent, in hindsight, I would absolutely like to go back and have that very real conversation about how the world sees you.”
Additionally, Doria touched on paparazzi intrusion she faced, saying, “I felt unsafe a lot. I couldn’t just walk my dog, I couldn’t just go to work. There was always someone there waiting for me, following me to work. I felt I was being stalked by the paparazzi.”
Doria Went With Meghan to Introduce Archie to the Queen
Doria traveled with Meghan and Harry to Windsor Castle when they first introduced their son to the late Queen and Prince Philip, and she even appeared in official royal portraits.
Doria Is a Huge Influence on Meghan
The duchess’s makeup artist Daniel Martin told People, “Meghan draws a lot of strength from her mother. Doria is classy, chic, and confident but not unapproachable. I definitely feel Meghan gets a lot of that from her mother.”
Her Nickname for Meghan Is “Flower”
Meghan revealed this sweet fact in her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, writing about how she once asked her mom why she had such a strong desire to act and do humanitarian work:
“‘I don’t know, Flower. You were just born that way.’ This is my mom’s response to the aforementioned question and indicative of the character traits she knows me to have so well: opinionated, driven, and with a deep desire to effect change. ‘It’s just who you are,’ she says. (And yes, she calls me ‘Flower.’)”
She’s a “Free Spirit,” According to Meghan
Speaking of The Tig, Meghan also wrote a truly lovely article about her mom in a post called “Love Letter,” which is full of details:
“Dreadlocks. Nose ring. Yoga instructor. Social worker. Free spirit. Lover of potato chips & lemon tarts. And if the DJ cues Al Green’s soul classic ‘Call Me,’ just forget it. She will swivel her hips into the sweetest little dance you’ve ever seen, swaying her head and snapping her fingers to the beat like she’s been dancing since the womb. And you will smile. You won’t be able to help it. You will look at her and you will feel joy. I’m talking about my mom.”
She’s Friends With Oprah
Like, Hung! Out! At! Oprah’s! House! level friends with Oprah. Although the iconic host had some things to say about misinformed rumors that she was trying to convince Doria to do an interview:
“I love the story, it was that Meghan’s mum came to my house and she left with gifts. Do you know what the gifts were? For lunch, we had dessert with kumquats and she said, ‘I love kumquats,’ and I said, ‘I have a kumquat tree, do you want some kumquats?’ For all the people who said I’m giving her gifts, I’m trying to bribe her for an interview, they were kumquats.”
She Ran a 5K for Suicide Prevention
Doria was spotted at Los Angeles’s 21st annual Alive & Running 5K Run/Walk for Suicide Prevention in 2019, which raised $480,000. She kept a low profile but was clearly having a great time:
She’s a Yoga Instructor and Social Worker
As Meghan herself told Glamour (via People), “My mom’s a yoga instructor, but she does social work as well, and she works specifically with the geriatric community. For me to watch this level of lifelong sensitivity to nurturing and caregiving, but at the same time, my mom has always been a free spirit. She’s got dreadlocks and a nose ring. She just ran the L.A. Marathon. We can just have so much fun together, and yet, I’ll still find so much solace in her support. That duality coexists the same way it would in a best friend.”
Doria Drove With Meghan to Her Wedding Ceremony
Chances are, you didn’t miss this iconic and historic moment, but it was so special that we’ve gotta shout it out:
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