The Duke of Sussex has a strained relationship with the royals

ensions may have grown between Prince Harry and the royal family, including his brother Prince William his father King Charles, but his relationship with his wife Meghan Markle’s mother Doria Ragland has gone from strength to strength.

Geographically, the Duke of Sussex’s mother-in-law lives very close to the Montecito home he shares with Meghan Markle and their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. But location aside, Harry and Meghan have chosen to share some very special moments with the yoga instructor and psychotherapist, including summer breaks and special anniversaries.

While Doria is notoriously private, only breaking her silence on her daughter’s relationship with the Prince in their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, there have been a few occasions when fans have got a glimpse inside Harry and Doria’s close bond behind closed doors…

Doria opened up about when the news broke that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex first began dating in 2016. Despite saying she was “stalked” by paparazzi and “felt unsafe a lot,” the doting mother did not let this colour her view of Harry. Sharing her positive first impressions, she said: “He was 6’1, a handsome man with red hair, really great manners. He was just really nice. And they looked really happy together. Yeah, like he was the one.”

Doria Ragland and Meghan Markle clapping at the Invictus Games in 2017© Getty
Doria Ragland discussed her first impressions of Prince Harry after he started dating her daughter

One year after their relationship became public, King Charles III’s youngest son made it clear that the couple had become very involved in one another’s families. During their engagement interview in 2017, the happy couple revealed they had spent lots of time with Meghan’s mother.