Doria Ragland reportedly had a warning for her daughter, Meghan Markle, before she packed up her family and returned to the United Kingdom: “Think very carefully.”
According to celebrity columnist Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice newsletter, a family source claimed that Ragland, 70, was concerned about Meghan going back to the country where her relationship with Prince Harry became the subject of intense tabloid scrutiny and where the couple eventually stepped away from their roles as senior working royals. Ragland reportedly encouraged Meghan to think carefully about the decision before she, Harry, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet departed California in August.
The Duchess reassured her mother that things would be different this time. According to the source, she believes she is “stronger now” and can “make Britain work on her own terms.”
Ragland is staying in the U.S. while Meghan continues traveling between Britain and California, where the Sussexes are maintaining their Montecito home and where Meghan continues running business ventures, including her As Ever lifestyle brand.
If Ragland truly had concerns, there is plenty of history behind them. Meghan has spent years speaking publicly about how difficult her first experience in Britain was.
In a 2019 interview with Tom Bradby, she recalled British friends cautioning her about dating Harry: “I’m sure he’s great, but you shouldn’t do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life.” Meghan said she initially brushed off the warning because she did not understand just how intense the British press could be.
That pressure eventually became one of the biggest challenges of Harry and Meghan’s time as working royals. While they were still dating, Harry publicly condemned the “wave of abuse and harassment” aimed at Meghan.
Meghan later told Bradby that trying to maintain the traditional royal “stiff upper lip” had taken a serious emotional toll. “I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging,” she said.
By 2021, Meghan was describing circumstances that were even more serious. During the couple’s interview with Oprah Winfrey, she said royal life had become so isolating that there was a period when she left the house only twice in four months.
“There was very little that I was allowed to do,” Meghan said. “So, of course, that breeds loneliness when you’ve come from such a full life, or when you’ve come from freedom.”
She also alleged that she did not receive the help she sought during a mental-health crisis and claimed there had been “concerns and conversations” within the royal family about how dark Archie’s skin might be.
Harry and Meghan ultimately stepped away from royal duties in 2020 and spent the following six years living primarily in Montecito. Their return this summer represents a significant change, with Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, now attending school in Britain, although the couple recently changed schools following discussions with their security team.
The Sussexes have said they plan to remain in Britain for an “extended period of time” while continuing to maintain their connection to California.
