Meghan Markle's personal celebration before Prince Harry's solo trip to New York revealed
The Duchess of Sussex celebrated her mother's 68th birthday on Monday 2 September, and no doubt Meghan will have marked Doria Ragland's special day in a thoughtful way.
The mother and daughter share an incredibly close bond, with Meghan paying tribute to Doria during her recent trip to Colombia.
At a forum celebrating Afro-Colombian women, the Duchess shared how she took inspiration from her mother in finding her voice.
"I find inspiration in the strong women around me. Of course, my mother being one of them. 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," she said.
"Ensuring that young girls feel that their voices are heard and young boys are raised to learn how to listen to girls as well. The role of men in this is crucial - and my husband is an example of this."
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While Meghan is estranged from her father, Thomas Markle, Doria has been a huge support to her daughter and her husband, Prince Harry, throughout their relationship.
Recalling the moment she learned that her daughter Meghan was dating the British royal in their Netflix docuseries, released in December 2022, Doria said: "When she told me, we're on the phone and she says, 'Mummy I'm going out with Prince Harry'. I started whispering 'Oh my god!'"
Speaking about meeting her future son-in-law for the first time, Doria added: "I remember when I first met him (Harry) too, 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."
Harry's affection for his "amazing" mother-in-law is mutual and in his memoir, Spare, he recalled being nervous about meeting Doria for the first time in London.
"We were celebrating Doria, celebrating being together, and doing it all at our favorite place, Soho House at 76 Dean Street," he wrote.
He later added: "That dinner with Doria was wonderful, but I look back on it now as the end of the beginning. The next day, the pap photos appeared, and there was a new flood of stories, a new surge along the many channels of social media. Racism, misogyny, criminal stupidity - it all increased."
Doria, who is a yoga instructor and a retired social worker, also shares a sweet bond with her grandchildren, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three. The Sussexes reside in Montecito, while Doria lives just 90 minutes away by car in Los Angeles.
See a sweet moment between grandma Doria and Archie in the clip below…
Last year, Harry and Meghan got Doria's birthday celebrations off to a fun start, as they were among the revellers at Beyonce's Renaissance tour. Adhering to the superstar's birthday request for her fans to wear silver to the show, Harry donned a grey jacket while Meghan wowed in a sequin skirt and Doria opted for a metallic halter-neck blouse.
Doria's birthday comes just 13 days before Harry's 40th birthday on 15 September and before the Duke's solo visit to New York to carry out engagements with some of his patronages and charities, including African Parks, The HALO Trust, The Diana Award, and Travalyst.
