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What role will Doria Ragland play in Baby Sussex's life?

<p>The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their little bundle of joy any day now, with rumours flying around the baby has already arrived.</p> <p>All royal fans are searching for any details they can to figure out when exactly Baby Sussex is due exactly.</p> <p>One of those signs undoubtedly will be when Duchess Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland joins the family in the UK from the United States.</p> <p>The California-based yoga therapist has a close relationship with her only daughter, the Duchess of Sussex – and there has been plenty of discussion on what role she will play as Baby Sussex’s only grandmother.</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="/umbraco/nothing.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a96e6f2d146842f084b21a393fce1f66" /></p> <p>Royal insiders say the couple have built an annex at their new home in Frogmore Cottage for Ragland to stay in after the tiny tot arrives.</p> <p>Victoria Arbiter, 9Honey royal correspondent, believes the grandma-to-be will not be providing full-time support to the new royal baby.</p> <p>“It's important to remember that Doria is Grandma ... I'm sure she will help in any way she's able to, but she's not the hired help,” she explained to <a rel="noopener" href="https://honey.nine.com.au/2019/04/15/17/06/meghan-baby-doria-grandmother" target="_blank">9honey.</a></p> <p>“She's Granny, and Granny has a very specific role, a very nurturing and loving role.</p> <p>“I think Doria's going to want to be involved in every aspect of this baby's life, just as any grandparent would want to be.”</p> <p>However, the role Doria will play is expected to be slightly different to that of a normal grandmother.</p> <p>It is likely the Duke and Duchess will enlist an army of nannies or a support team to help raise Baby Sussex from their arrival.</p> <p>“She's got an amazing team of friends who I think she counts as her family, but having Doria there with her – what a special moment for these two ladies,” Arbiter said.</p> <p>What role do you think Doria Ragland will play in the birth of her grandchild? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

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Looks like Doria Ragland won’t be celebrating Christmas with the Royal Family after all

<p>Although the Royal Family has many traditions to follow, the Queen has famously made exceptions for Prince Harry’s new wife, Duchess Meghan.</p> <p>Last year, the 37-year-old former actress was allowed to attend Christmas with royals even though traditionally only those who were already married into the clan received an invite from the Queen.</p> <p>An insider told <em>Us Weekly</em> at the time: “Attending as a fiancée is a first for the family. Given that Meghan doesn’t have family in the UK, it’s only right that she spends Christmas with Harry and his.”</p> <p>As the Queen had previously been lenient with bending the Christmas rules for Meghan, it seemed believable when previous reports claimed her mother, Doria Ragland, had been invited to Sandringham to join the royals.</p> <p>A senior source told <em>Daily Express</em>: “It’s a mark of the Queen’s respect for Meghan and an acknowledgement that she doesn’t have any other relations in this country — unlike Kate who has the support of a very close family.”</p> <p>However, now royal correspondent Victoria Murphy has gone on record to dispute the unconfirmed claims in a new interview.</p> <p>Speaking to <a href="https://uk.style.yahoo.com"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Yahoo UK</strong></span></a>’s <em>The Royal Fox</em>, she said: “My understanding is that she’s not going. I don’t think that’s because they weren’t able to or anything like that, I just think it’s not usual for in-laws to go ... I know it was suggested that she was going to go, but that was never confirmed.”</p> <p>Although Doria will not be joining the royals for Christmas, she is expected to spend more time with her daughter as Meghan prepares to welcome her first baby into the world.</p> <p>Doria, who will become a grandmother for the first time in spring, will have rooms set aside for her in the couple’s new home, Frogmore Cottage.</p> <p>However, it is believed that Doria will not be making a permanent move to the Windsor Castle estate as she continues to travel between the UK and the United States. </p>

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The Queen breaks major royal protocol for Duchess Meghan's mum

<p>The Duchess of Sussex is known to break the traditions of the upper-class royal family, and now her Mum seems to be following suit.</p> <p>With the concept of marriage falling under the idea of a partnership, compromise is generally a given. But when you marry into the royal family, the compromise is usually one sided, and it’s the non-royal that has to make the sacrifices.</p> <p>While there are plenty of perks of marrying into the royal family, there is also the fact that when it comes to holidays, you have no other choice but to spend it with the Queen.</p> <p>Having become the first non-royal to be invited to the Queen’s annual Christmas celebration last year, Meghan was already known to be a rule breaker. And this year, the Queen has gone against tradition once again by inviting the Duchess’ mother Doria Ragland to spend the holidays with the royals.</p> <p>As reported by<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7654935/queen-invites-meghan-markle-doria-ragland-kate-middleton/" target="_blank"><em>The Sun</em>,</a><span> </span>a senior royal source claims that the Queen has invited Doria to join them throughout the holidays and is something that has never been done as royal in-laws generally play no part when it comes to the royal family.</p> <p>The most they would be invited to are royal weddings and christenings, but Christmas and Easter celebrations include an exclusive guest list that comprise of royals only.</p> <p>But there’s a reason the Queen has chosen to stray from the path of tradition and invite Doria.</p> <p>“It’s a part of the Queen’s respect for Meghan and an acknowledgement that she doesn’t have any other relations in this country – unlike Kate who has the support of a very close family,” the source told the<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.express.co.uk/" target="_blank">Daily Express</a></em>.</p> <p>It has also been said previously that the Queen and Doria have a close relationship with one another, which may also be the reason for the Queen’s invite. </p>

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Duchess Meghan's mother Doria reacts to exciting baby news

<p>After weeks of speculation and Meghan’s sly concealment of her stomach during recent engagements, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have announced they are expecting their first child.</p> <p>While the world is overjoyed that Prince Harry and wife Meghan will soon be welcoming a baby into the world, there is one person who is particularly excited.</p> <p>Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, issued a sweet statement via Kensington Place following the news that she will be a grandmother for the first time.</p> <p>The statement said Ms Ragland was “very happy at this lovely news and is looking forward to welcoming her first grandchild”. </p> <p>According to <em style="font-weight: inherit;">The Sun</em>, royal sources suggest that Meghan’s mother will migrate from the United States to London to help the newlyweds with the baby.</p> <p>It is believed that the former actress will rely on the help of her mum, instead of hiring staff or a nanny.</p> <p>The royal family revealed on Twitter that Harry and Meghan’s baby is due in the Spring of 2019.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019. <a href="https://t.co/Ut9C0RagLk">pic.twitter.com/Ut9C0RagLk</a></p> — Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/1051739344887848960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>In the UK, Spring begins on March 20 and lasts until June 21.</p> <p>The baby announcement comes nearly five months after the couple said “I do” at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.</p> <p>British media are reporting the Queen and other royals learned about the pregnancy on Friday, when they were all gathered for Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank.</p> <p>Meghan and Harry’s pregnancy announcement comes hours after they landed in Australia for their first royal tour.</p>

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Oprah Winfrey opens up about secret meeting with Meghan Markle’s mum

<p>When it was revealed in the lead-up to Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding that the bride’s mother, Doria Ragland, had met up with TV queen Oprah Winfrey at her mansion in California, the rumour mill went into overdrive.</p> <p>Was it research for a tell-all interview? That’s what most assumed.</p> <p>However, Oprah has opened up about the intriguing catch-up which took place in April to set the record straight.</p> <p>Speaking to <em>Entertainment Tonight</em>, whilst attending the premiere of her new TV series <em>Love Is</em> in Los Angeles, the host and actress revealed that she and Doria spent the afternoon at her home doing yoga, eating cumquats from her garden and bonding.</p> <p>Furthermore, the US television mogul was quick to shut down reports that she had armed Doria with gifts.</p> <p>Oprah told <em>ET</em>, “The story was that Meghan’s mom had come to my house and she left laden with gifts.”</p> <p><img width="500" height="334" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7819125/screen-shot-2018-06-13-at-42605-pm_500x334.jpg" alt="Screen Shot 2018-06-13 At 4.26.05 Pm"/></p> <p>She added, “You know what the gifts were? First of all, she’s great at yoga, so I said, ‘Bring your yoga mat and your sneakers in case we just want to do yoga on the lawn.’</p> <p>“So, one of the bags was a yoga mat and the other was lunch.”</p> <p>Oprah also shared that the two women enjoyed a dessert made from cumquats freshly picked from her garden.</p> <p>“’[Doria] said, ‘I love cumquats,’ and I said, ‘I have a cumquat tree!’”</p> <p>The TV queen also squashed reports that she was charming Doria into doing an interview to talk about her daughter and her new royal son-in-law’s relationship and marriage.</p> <p>“For all the people who said I am getting her gifts and I’m trying to bribe her for an interview – they were cumquats,” Oprah exclaimed.</p> <p>“If cumquats can get you an interview, I’m all for it!”</p> <p> </p>

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What’s next for Meghan Markle’s mother?

<p>It wasn’t only Meghan Markle who had billions of eyes watching her every move on May 19 – Doria Ragland, the mother-of-the-bride, was also a standout star at the royal wedding at Windsor Castle.</p> <p>Witnessing her daughter marry into one of the oldest institutions in the world, the British Royal Family, Meghan’s wedding day was more than likely one of the most intense days of Doria’s life.</p> <p>However, Doria remained calm and poised, representing the bride’s side as the sole family member and sitting on her own at St George’s Chapel, with tears of happiness and joy streaming down her face.</p> <p>It has been well-documented that Meghan has an extremely close relationship with her 61-year-old mother, who is a yoga instructor and social worker, and has been an incredible source of support, stability and strength for her 36-year-old daughter.</p> <p>Meghan, speaking candidly about her mother, has shared in the past, “For me to watch this level of lifelong sensitivity to nurturing and caregiving, but at the same time my mum has always been a free spirit.</p> <p>“She’s got dreadlocks and a nose ring. She just ran the LA Marathon. We can just have so much fun together, and yet, I’ll still find so much solace in her support,” the new Duchess of Sussex proudly declared.</p> <p><img width="500" height="334" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7818631/screen-shot-2018-05-24-at-25732-pm_500x334.jpg" alt="Screen Shot 2018-05-24 At 2.57.32 Pm"/></p> <p>Her new son-in-law is also a big fan of Doria, announcing “her mum’s amazing”, during his engagement interview with Meghan in November. Harry and Doria ensured they spent a lot of time together to get to know one another in the leadup to the couple’s big announcement.</p> <p>So, now that she’s on the world stage as the mother and mother-in-law of the newly anointed Duke and Duchess of Sussex, what’s next for Meghan’s beloved mother, Doria Ragland?</p> <p>While it might have appeared odd that TV queen Oprah Winfrey was invited to the royal wedding, there’s possibly a very good reason she was in attendance.</p> <p>Oprah is reportedly in talks to film a tell-all interview with Doria, and to share her story on the incessant racial abuse she has suffered since Meghan’s romance with Prince Harry was confirmed by Kensington Palace.</p> <p>Doria has been seen at the talk-show star’s sprawling Santa Barbara property in preparation for the so-called sit-down, and insiders say the tell-all interview may be filmed this week while both women are still in London.</p> <p>“The plan is for Doria to film part of her interview while Oprah is in London,” an insider told <em>The Sun</em>. “That’s why she was invited to the wedding."</p> <p>“There’s huge secrecy about what the interview will involve and when it will air,” the insider added. “But both Doria and Meghan felt it was critical for Oprah to be at the wedding to really understand.”</p> <p>Regardless of whether the sit-down interview takes place or not, you can rest assured it won’t be without the permission and blessing of the palace first, and will no doubt be a well thought-out, respectful and tasteful production.</p>

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Inside Meghan Markle’s dysfunctional family

<p>You might think your own family is a bit dysfunctional, but chances are they’ve got nothing on the Markles.</p> <p>The family of the royal-to-be have made countless headlines since Meghan and Prince Harry’s relationship was <a href="/news/news/2016/11/prince-harry-slams-media-treatment-of-meghan-markle/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">made public</span></strong></a>, and with their wedding just months away, the constant drama is causing more than a few headaches at Kensington Palace.</p> <p>So, with so much going on with the Markle family, it’s about time we tried to keep track of who’s who.</p> <p><strong>Doria Ragland – Meghan’s mother</strong></p> <p>Meghan once described her mother, a yoga teacher and social worker, as a “free spirited clinical therapist” who took her to visit slums in Jamaica and Mexico as a child in order to raise her as a global citizen.</p> <p>Meghan appears to be incredibly close to her mum, who joined her in the VIP box at Prince Harry’s Invictus Games in October, and it seems the red-haired royal is a big fan of Doria, describing her as “amazing” and reportedly asking for her blessing before proposing to Meghan.</p> <p><strong>Thomas Markle – Meghan’s father</strong></p> <p>Thomas was a two-time Emmy-winning lighting director on shows like <em>General Hospital</em> (where he met Doria) for years. When he and Doria got divorced, Meghan was just six years old and went to live with her mum – however, she did see her father regularly.</p> <p>In a 2016 post on her now-deleted Instagram account, Meghan honoured her dad with a beautiful Father’s Day message. “Happy Father’s Day, daddy. I’m still your buckaroo, and to this day your hugs are still the very best in the whole wide world.”</p> <p>He currently lives a quiet life in Mexico.</p> <p><strong>Samantha Markle – Meghan’s half-sister</strong></p> <p>Samantha Markle, 53, shares a father with Meghan, and although they spent time together growing up, reports suggest they have been estranged for years. Despite this, Samantha, a former actor and model who is wheelchair-bound with MS, is <a href="/news/news/2018/02/samantha-markle-unleashes-on-half-sister-meghan-in-scathing-new-interview/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">very vocal</span></strong></a> about her relationship with her soon-to-be royal half-sister.</p> <p>In multiple interviews with the media, Samantha has labelled Meghan a “shallow”, “narcissistic” person bent on “social climbing”. “No one was estranged – she was just too busy,” she once told the media.</p> <p>Two of Samantha’s daughters, Nicole Rasmussen and Ashleigh Hale, have jumped to Meghan’s defence, with the former calling her a “very nice”, “very sweet” and “very genuine” person. Rasmussen, who is not on speaking terms with Samantha, called her “abusive” and a “liar”.</p> <p><strong>Thomas Markle Jr – Meghan’s half-brother</strong></p> <p>Like his sister Samantha (from whom he’s also reportedly estranged), Thomas hasn’t been shy when it comes to speaking with the press. The 50-year-old recently shared email correspondence he had with his half-sister, who reportedly said “I don’t know those people,” referring to Thomas, who has had multiple run-ins with the law.</p> <p>“That’s pretty harsh,” <a href="/news/news/2018/02/meghan-markle-says-she-doesnt-know-half-siblings/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Thomas told <em>In Touch</em></span></strong></a>, claiming he and Meghan were “as close as we could be”. However, Samantha <a href="/lifestyle/relationships/2018/02/meghan-markles-estranged-sister-comes-to-her-defence-after-brothers-attack/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">disputed this</span></strong></a>, saying Thomas hasn’t seen the former <em>Suits</em> actress since she was 12.</p>

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