She is often seen with her daughter Meghan Markle and son-in-law Prince Harry.
Although earlier this year Doria Ragland, who turns 68 today, posed with another famous and influential woman: Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles.
Doria had attended a star-studded event hosted by Meghan and Harry in Los Angeles.
She wore a classic cream cardigan and stood with her arm around Tina, who looked glamorous in a fitted black blazer and a chunky belt.
This isn’t the first time Doria has rubbed shoulders with celebrities. Last year, she was also photographed with power mom Kris Jenner and her daughter Kim Kardashian at a charity event.
Doria wore a vibrant paisley-print shirt dress in striking shades of yellow, orange and pink to attend This Is About Humanity’s fifth annual soiree.
Doria Ragland, 68 today, posing with Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles at an event honoring the Kinsey Collection of African American Art and History earlier this year.
Doria last year with power mom Kris Jenner and her A-list daughter Kim Kardashian at a charity event
The mother of one with Prince Harry and Meghan at the Ms. Foundation’s Women of Vision Awards in 2023
The yoga teacher shares a close relationship with her daughter and reportedly has an apartment in the couple’s Montecito home.
Doria even stayed with the couple at Frogmore cottage for over a month when their grandson Archie was born, Harry’s book Spare revealed.
She was also described as a “rock” for Meghan and Harry during the difficult months when they left their jobs as senior royals and moved to California.
A former confidant of Doria told the Mail on Sunday: “She is like the Queen: she never complains and never explains herself.”
This was made evident when she was the only member of Meghan’s family to attend her daughter’s wedding in May 2018 and remained silent about any family tensions, even when other relatives did speak out.
Doria linking arms with King Charles at her daughter’s wedding in May 2018
Doria is close to the couple and even spent a month with them at Frogmore Cottage after the birth of her grandson Archie.
The yoga teacher shares a close relationship with her daughter and reportedly has an apartment in the couple’s Montecito home.
Doria and Meghan drive to St George’s Chapel in May 2018
Born in Ohio on September 2, 1956, to Jeanette, a nurse, and Alvin, an antiques dealer, Doria grew up in Los Angeles after her family moved there when she was still a baby.
Doria attended Fairfax High School in Hollywood during a time when racial tensions were high.
Her friend Jennifer Caldwell said: ‘She was part of an all-black student group that protested regularly.
“She had a beautiful afro hairstyle that she was very proud of and she was always fashionable. She was always smiling, very intelligent and sociable.
“Doria was very aware of her own identity and had confidence in her body and her destiny. She wanted to do something with her life.”
She met Meghan’s father when she was working as a secretary at ABC Studios; Thomas Markle was working as a lighting director at the time.
The couple married in 1979 in a Buddhist ceremony and had Meghan two years later.
Doria accompanies Meghan and Harry to an event marking the launch of a Grenfell Tower cookbook in September 2018
The mother of one met Meghan’s father when she was working as a secretary at ABC Studios.
The Duchess once wrote about how her mother would take her out for walks in a pram and she would be mistaken for a nanny because of the colour of her skin.
At one point, Thomas’s two children from his previous marriage joined the household and Doria took on the role of stepmother.
However, Doria and Thomas divorced after just two years. At age 11, Meghan moved in with her father, but her parents remained friends and she spent weekends with both of them.
Doria is a trained yoga teacher, also holds a Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California and previously owned a dressmaking business.
She is also a doting grandmother to Harry and Meghan’s children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.
A former confidant previously said: “She’s laid back and people see her nose ring and dreadlocks, which are cool, but make no mistake, she has a heart of steel. Underestimate her at your own peril.”
Prince Harry and Meghan on their wedding day looking out towards their family as Doria, Charles and Camilla leave the chapel.
Doria, a doting grandmother to Archie and Lilibet, is pictured smiling with Meghan as a child.
‘Meghan has always had complete faith in her, but she has become a pillar of support for Harry, who of course lost his own mother so young.
“Doria has a great warmth. She is a brilliant cook and very motherly, but she is not someone who seeks attention, and for Harry, her discretion and silence mean a lot.”
In 2022, she spoke about her daughter’s mental health struggles in Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary series.
She wiped away tears as she said it had been difficult for her to hear that her daughter was suffering from poor mental health while living in the UK.
