Doria Ragland joined the Duchess of Sussex as the 40-year-old royal received the NAACP President’s Award in recognition of her public service on Saturday, February 26.
The proud moment was, however, far from being the first time she has been there for her daughter when it mattered.
Here are ten times when Doria Ragland has shown up for Meghan.
1. United Nations Women’s Advocacy
When Meghan was asked to speak at the event marking the 20th anniversary of the U.N. Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing in 2015, she attended with Ragland as her special guest.
Speaking as a U.N. Women’s Advocate for Political Participation and Leadership, Meghan explained how she was encouraged to use her voice by her parents from a young age.
Quoted by CNBC, she said that it was important to remind “girls that their small voices are, in fact, not small at all and that they can affect change.”
2. 2017 Invictus Games Closing Ceremony
When news broke that Harry was dating Meghan in 2016, press attention intensified on the new couple.
Harry invited Meghan to attend the closing ceremony of the 2017 Invictus Games and the invitation was extended to Ragland as a support for Meghan under the increased world spotlight.
Mother and daughter were photographed together while Harry took part in the ceremony.
3. The Night Before the Royal Wedding
The night before Harry and Meghan’s wedding at Windsor Castle, the bride-to-be and her mother arrived to stay at Cliveden House Hotel, formerly the home of Britain’s first female member of Parliament, the American born Nancy Astor.
The bride’s last night as Meghan Markle was spent quietly with Ragland before they left for the wedding ceremony in one of the queen’s cars.
4. The Wedding
The weeks leading up to the wedding brought with them immense pressure for Meghan.
A public falling out with her father Thomas Markle left Ragland the only member of the bride’s family present at the ceremony.
It was here that the public was highly complimentary of Ragland, dressed beautifully in Oscar de la Renta, as the mother of the new Duchess of Sussex.
5. The Launch of Meghan’s First Royal Project
Meghan’s first large-scale initiative as a member of the royal family was a cookbook launched to raise money for the victims of a major fire at West London’s Grenfell Tower, which killed 72 people in 2017.
At a 2018 event to celebrate the book in the gardens of Kensington Palace, Harry and Meghan brought Ragland along to share in the project’s success.
Ragland’s pride was noted as she introduced herself with: “Hi, I’m Meg’s mom.”
6. Birth of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor
Ragland flew to London from Los Angeles to support Meghan before the duchess gave birth to her son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor in May 2019.
When the baby was born the proud parents introduced him to the media at Windsor Castle. It was here that they also introduced him to the Queen and Prince Philip.
In a photo released to mark the occasion, Ragland takes her place next to the royal group to admire her grandson.
7. The First Wedding Anniversary
At the time of their first wedding anniversary, Meghan and Harry had just welcomed their first child.
Royal authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand described in biography Finding Freedom how the couple passed the day quietly at home having lunch with Ragland.
This was the culmination of her five-week long visit to assist Meghan with newborn Archie before she left Windsor for Los Angeles.
8. The Troubled Christening
The time around Archie’s christening marked a period of heavy criticism in the British press over Harry and Meghan’s decision to keep the ceremony private and not release the names of any godparents.
Ragland flew over from Los Angeles to attend the christening. For the official portraits, released after the event, Ragland was placed between Prince Charles and Lady Jane Fellowes, Princess Diana’s sister.
9. NAACP Awards
When Meghan and Harry were presented with the President’s Award by the NAACP on February 26, 2022, Meghan brought along her mother to take part in the joy of the evening.
Ragland looked proud on the night as Meghan and Harry spoke about the importance of worldwide racial equality and renewed their support of Ukrainians at the time of their country’s invasion by Russian forces.
10. Not Giving Anything Away
Though Ragland has often been called on for support at Meghan’s side, it is perhaps how she supports her daughter when she is not around which is all the more important.
Unlike many other members of Meghan’s family, Ragland does not speak to the press nor does she do interviews.
This comes in stark contrast to Thomas Markle, who at one point vowed to do an interview every month until his daughter agreed to speak to him again.
They have not been in contact since before the wedding when he was exposed by The Mail on Sunday as having staged paparazzi pictures for money.
