Doria Ragland is due to turn 70 on Wednesday as her daughter Meghan and son-in-law Prince Harry begin a new chapter in Britain, leaving the Duchess’s mother living thousands of miles away in California.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in the UK with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, on August 26 after deciding to spend an extended period in Harry’s home country. The family is expected to live at a private, non-royal property, with the children due to attend school in Britain.
Ragland, however, is not expected to join them. Reports say she intends to remain at her home near Los Angeles, where she has an established network of friends and links to the local yoga community.
The move is not thought to represent a permanent break with California. Harry and Meghan are understood to be retaining their Montecito house, which they bought after relocating to the United States in 2020, as well as a property in Portugal. That arrangement may allow Ragland to continue seeing the family, although regular visits will inevitably involve a transatlantic journey rather than the short drive she once made to visit them.
Ragland has been a prominent source of support for Meghan throughout the couple’s most difficult years. She attended the Sussexes’ wedding at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in May 2018 and travelled to Britain around the birth of Archie in May 2019. She also attended his christening at Windsor Castle later that year.
The former social worker and yoga instructor has maintained a notably close relationship with her daughter and grandchildren since the Sussexes settled in Montecito. She was pictured with the family during a Disneyland visit in May, when Meghan shared a photograph of herself embracing her mother.
Ragland has also occasionally spoken publicly about the pressures surrounding the Sussexes. In the couple’s 2022 Netflix documentary, she described the period following their marriage and departure from royal duties as challenging, while recalling the intense scrutiny that accompanied Meghan’s relationship with Harry.
Her presence became particularly important after Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior working royals in January 2020. The couple subsequently left Britain and established a new life in California, where their two children have grown up largely away from the public eye.
The latest move comes after a summer visit in which Harry, Meghan and their children spent time in the UK and met King Charles and Queen Camilla at Highgrove. The family also visited Althorp, the Northamptonshire estate associated with Harry’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
The Sussexes are not returning to official royal duties and remain private citizens. Their decision to base themselves in Britain for an extended period has instead been linked to the children’s education and Harry’s continuing connection with the country.
For Ragland, the change means that the everyday role she has played in the family’s California life will be replaced by visits and long-distance contact. Although the Sussexes’ retained home may keep open the possibility of frequent returns, the family’s principal base is now on the other side of the Atlantic.
