The days leading up to Megahn Markle’s wedding to Prince Harry have no doubt been some of the most stressful of her life.
But on Saturday May 19th, the stunning 36-year-old put all the heartbreaking drama aside to marry the love of her life at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
While her father Thomas Markle was sadly a no-show, Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland was never going to miss this for the world.
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Throughout her life and indeed her whirlwind romance with Prince Harry, the 61-year-old yoga instructor and social worker has been an incredible pillar of strength, stability and support to Meghan Markle.
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And it was no exception at the 2018 Royal Wedding.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when breathtaking mother-daughter duo arrived together.
Having Doria by her side would have been a welcome reprieve for Meghan after her Thomas Markle pulled out of the important day due to reports that he staged paparazzi photos of himself ahead of the nuptials.
He then changed his mind and decided he would like to attend the wedding after all, but emergency heart surgery rendered that unlikely.
A tearful Doria arrived with Meghan.
Our hearts are so full for Doria!
At the time of the scandal last week, Kensington Palace released an unprecetended statement calling for calm.
“This is a deeply personal moment for Ms. Markle in the days before her wedding,” a palace spokesperson said.
“She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr. Markle in this difficult situation,” it concluded.
According to The Sun, Doria was furious with her ex-partner over the scandal dubbed the “Markle debacle” by UK media.
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Doria practises her best royal wave.
Speaking in the past about her mum, Meghan said LA-based Doria was a “free-spirited” role model.
“For me to watch this level of life-long sensitivity to nurturing and caregiving, but at the same time my mum has always been a free spirit.”
“She’s got dread locks 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,” Meghan has previously beamed.
Prince Harry is also a huge fan of his new mother-in-law, with the pair spending “a lot of time” together over the past few months getting to know each other.
“Her mum’s amazing,” Harry beamed during their engagement interview in November.
Doria and Thomas were married from 1979 until 1988 and despite their split, they raised Meghan together.
“What’s so incredible, you know, is that my parents split up when I was two, [but] I never saw them fight. We would still take vacations together. My dad would come on Sundays to drop me off, and we’d watch Jeopardy! eating dinner on TV trays, the three of us.. We were still so close-knit,” she told Vanity Fair last year.
Speaking on her parents’ romance, Megs once remarked, “I like to think he was drawn to her sweet eyes and her Afro, plus their shared love of antiques. Whatever it was, they married and had me.”
In an open essay for Elle Meghan explained growing up mixed-race, her father is white and her mother is African-American, came with its challenges.
“Being biracial paints a blurred line that is equal parts staggering and illuminating.”
“While my mixed heritage may have created a grey area surrounding my self-identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that. To say who I am, to share where I’m from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman,” the Suits beauty said.
Before his relationship with Doria, Thomas was previously married to Roslyn Loveless.
Roslyn and Thomas share two children, Thomas Markle Jr., 51, and Samantha Markle (previously called Yvonne), 53, who have become somewhat notorious to mouthing off about Meghan to the media.
These days Thomas, who filed for bankruptcy in 2016 after winning the lottery in 1990, lives a reclusive life away from the spotlight in Mexico while Doria is based in Park-Windsor Hills in LA.
While her little girl is now a bonafide princess, Meghan and Doria will always have an unbreakable bond.
Doria Ragland arrives at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle before her daughter’s wedding.
Can’t get enough of the Royal Wedding? Check out our full coverage here:
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