Meghan Markle’s Mom Reportedly Had Three Words for Her Before U.K. Move

Doria Ragland reportedly warned her daughter, Meghan Markle, before she packed up her family and headed back to the United Kingdom: “Think very carefully.”

According to celebrity columnist Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice newsletter, a family source claimed Ragland, 70, was concerned about Meghan returning to the country where her relationship with Prince Harry became a full-blown tabloid obsession and where the couple ultimately walked away from their positions as senior working royals. Ragland reportedly urged Meghan to carefully consider the move before she, Harry, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet left California in August.

The Duchess assured her mother that this time would be different. According to the source, she believes she is “stronger now” and can “make Britain work on her own terms.”

Ragland is remaining stateside while Meghan continues traveling between Britain and California, where the Sussexes are keeping their Montecito home, and Meghan maintains business interests including her As Ever lifestyle brand.

If Ragland really did have reservations, the history behind them isn't difficult to find. Meghan has spent years publicly describing just how badly her first experience in Britain went.

In a 2019 interview with Tom Bradby, she recalled British friends warning 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 dismissed the warning because she didn't understand the intensity of the British press.

That pressure became one of the defining issues of Harry and Meghan's time as working royals. Harry publicly condemned the “wave of abuse and harassment” directed at Meghan while they were still dating.

Meghan later told Bradby that attempting to maintain the traditional royal “stiff upper lip” had taken its own toll. “I think that what that does internally is probably really damaging,” she said.

By 2021, Meghan was describing something considerably more serious. During the couple's interview with Oprah Winfrey, she said royal life had become so isolating that she once left home only twice over 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 said there had been “concerns and conversations” within the royal family about how dark Archie's skin might be.

Harry and Meghan eventually left royal duties in 2020 and spent the next six years based in Montecito. Their return this summer marks a significant reversal: Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, are now attending school in Britain, although the couple recently switched schools after discussions with their security team.