:Doria Ragland

{{short description|American social worker and yoga instructor (born 1956)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Doria Ragland

| image = Doria Ragland VOA (cropped).jpg

| image_upright =

| caption = Ragland (right) in May 2018, with daughter Meghan Markle

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1956|09|2}}

| birth_name = Doria Loyce Ragland

| birth_place = Cleveland, Ohio

| education = University of Southern California (MSW)

| occupation = {{flatlist|

Social worker

}}

| spouse = {{marriage|Thomas Markle Sr.
|1979|1987|end=div}}

| children = Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

| family = Ragland

| signature =

| website =

}}

Doria Loyce Ragland (born September 2, 1956){{cite book|first=Andrew|last= Morton|author-link=Andrew Morton (writer)|title=Meghan: A Hollywood Princess|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JJxCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT19|date=April 17, 2018|publisher=Grand Central Publishing|isbn=978-1-5387-4734-6|page=PT19|access-date=May 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805194134/https://books.google.com/books?id=JJxCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT19|archive-date=August 5, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}{{efn|A genealogical blog published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society contains an essay by a staff member that says she was born September 15, 1956.{{cite web|url=https://vita-brevis.org/2018/05/meghan-markles-maternal-family/|title=Meghan Markle's maternal family|date=May 18, 2018|work=Vita Brevis|publisher=New England Historic Genealogical Society|author=Child, Christopher C.|access-date=May 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523173317/https://vita-brevis.org/2018/05/meghan-markles-maternal-family/|archive-date=May 23, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}}} is an American social worker. She is the mother of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and the ex-wife of American retired television lighting director and director of photography Thomas Markle Sr. Ragland holds a degree in social work and is a former makeup artist and yoga instructor.

Early life

Doria Ragland was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to nurse Jeanette Arnold (1929–2000) and her second husband Alvin Azell Ragland (1929–2011), an antiques dealer who sold items at flea markets.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2019/05/08/meghan-markles-family-tree-who-will-meet-royal-baby-boy/|title=Meghan Markle's family: from her diplomat uncle to cannabis-growing nephew, who will meet the royal baby boy?|last1=Alexander|first1=Harriet|last2=Lockhart|first2=Keely|date=May 8, 2019|work=The Telegraph|access-date=December 10, 2022|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204162621/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2019/05/08/meghan-markles-family-tree-who-will-meet-royal-baby-boy/|archive-date=December 4, 2022|df=mdy-all}} Ragland's maternal grandparents, James and Nettie Arnold, respectively worked as a bellhop and an elevator operator at the Hotel St. Regis on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland.{{cite web |title = Meghan Markle has an extraordinary connection to Ohio |url = https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/meghan-markle-has-bizarre-connection-ohio/oIG05itc5HXjM1tcijj4DL/ |first = Kara |last = Driscoll |quote = ...While Meghan Markle is headed across the pond for the royal wedding, her roots are deeply connected to Ohio. |work = Dayton Daily News |access-date = May 18, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180519033030/https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local/meghan-markle-has-bizarre-connection-ohio/oIG05itc5HXjM1tcijj4DL/ |archive-date = May 19, 2018 |url-status = live |df = mdy-all }}{{Cite book |url={{Google books|swRPDwAAQBAJ|plainurl=yes}} |title=Meghan: Von Hollywood in den Buckingham-Palast. Ein modernes Märchen |last=Morton |first=Andrew |date=2018 |publisher=Heyne Verlag |isbn=978-3-641-23580-2 |author-link=Andrew Morton (writer) |access-date=May 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180805194134/https://books.google.com/books?id=swRPDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT20 |archive-date=August 5, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2018/05/meghan_markles_surprising_clev.html|title=Meghan Markle's surprising Cleveland connection: The Royal Wedding|last=DeMarco|first=Lauren|date=May 8, 2018|work=Cleveland Plain Dealer|access-date=May 21, 2018|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518185839/https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2018/05/meghan_markles_surprising_clev.html|archive-date=May 18, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} Her parents moved to Los Angeles when Ragland was a baby and later divorced. In 1983, her father married kindergarten teacher Ava Burrow,{{cite web |title = Prince Harry's American fiancee has ties to Chattanooga |url = http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/36937259/prince-harrys-american-fiancee-has-ties-to-chattanooga|first = Kasey |last = Freeman |work = WRCB-TV |date= November 27, 2017|access-date = August 17, 2018}} who is near to Ragland's age; the two remained close after that marriage also ended in divorce.{{Cite news|url=https://www.macleans.ca/royalty/why-most-of-meghan-markles-family-wont-make-it-to-the-royal-wedding/|title=Why most of Meghan Markle's family won't make it to the royal wedding - Macleans.ca|date=April 13, 2018|work=Macleans.ca|access-date=July 19, 2018|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180611013924/https://www.macleans.ca/royalty/why-most-of-meghan-markles-family-wont-make-it-to-the-royal-wedding/|archive-date=June 11, 2018|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} Ragland has two older maternal half-siblings, Joseph (known as "JJ"; 1949–2021) and Saundra Johnson (born 1952), and a younger paternal half-brother, Alvin Joffrey Ragland.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-37908788 |title=Meghan: From actress to duchess |work=BBC News |date=October 15, 2018 |access-date=December 11, 2018 }}

Various contemporary records state that the Ragland family descend from Richard "Dick" Ragland, born into slavery c.1792 in Chatham County, North Carolina; his son, Stephen Ragland (1848-1926) of Jonesboro in Georgia, lived long enough to experience the abolition of slavery in 1865. The family's Ragland surname came from slave-owner William Ragland, a Methodist planter and land speculator who had emigrated during the eighteenth century from Cornwall, England, to North America.{{cite web |last1=Wells |first1=J.B. |title=The Ragland Family Of Meghan Markle |url=https://www.readkong.com/page/the-ragland-family-of-meghan-markle-6989337 |publisher=Readkong |access-date=12 April 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Royston |first1=J. |title=Tabloid Slammed Over Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton Slavery Stories |url=https://www.newsweek.com/tabloid-daily-mail-meghan-markle-kate-middleton-slavery-racism-1794941 |access-date=10 February 2024 |publisher=Newsweek |date=18 April 2023}} Doria's daughter Meghan Markle has claimed that a genealogy test revealed that she is 43% Nigerian.{{cite news |last1=Crawford-Smith |first1=James |title=How Meghan Markle Discovered She is 43 Percent Nigerian |url=https://www.newsweek.com/how-meghan-markle-discovered-nigerian-ancestry-1825966 |access-date=11 May 2024 |publisher=Newsweek |date=11 September 2023}}

Career and education

After leaving Fairfax High School, Ragland worked as a temporary assistant makeup artist on the set of the television show General Hospital where she met future ex-husband Thomas Markle, Sr. {{cite web|url=https://www.netflix.com/watch/81439256?source=35|title=Harry & Meghan|website=Netflix }} She worked as a travel agent and owned a small business.{{cite book |last1=Morton |first1=A. |title=Meghan: A Hollywood Princess |date=April 12, 2018 |publisher=Michael O'Mara Books, 2018 |isbn=978-1782439653 |page=Chapter 2 – Growing up Markle |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cfhcDwAAQBAJ&q=Meghan++Markle+Edward+III&pg=PT31 |access-date=June 15, 2018 |format=304 pages |quote=She (Doria) also worked as a travel agent.... |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180615055511/https://books.google.com.au/books?id=cfhcDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT31&dq=Meghan++Markle+Edward+III&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjE48GAs9TbAhUJ7LwKHeB6A2kQ6AEIMzAC#v=onepage&q=Meghan%20%20Markle%20Edward%20III&f=false |archive-date=June 15, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} After divorcing Markle, Ragland completed her undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. In 2011, she earned a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Southern California. After passing California's licensing examination in 2015, she was employed as a social worker for three years at the Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services Clinic in Culver City.{{Cite news |url = https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/19/europe/doria-ragland-meghan-markle-mother-intl/index.html |title = Doria Ragland: Meghan Markle's mother by her side on wedding day |last = Dewan |first = Angela |date = May 19, 2018 |publisher = CNN |access-date = May 19, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180520084507/https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/19/europe/doria-ragland-meghan-markle-mother-intl/index.html |archive-date = May 20, 2018 |url-status = live |df = mdy-all }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/doria-ragland-7-things-know-154128344.html |title=Doria Ragland: 7 Things to Know About Meghan Markle's Mother |last=Smithers Peckham |first=Tina |date=April 30, 2018 |work=Entertainment Tonight |access-date=May 21, 2018 |via=Yahoo News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522041740/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/doria-ragland-7-things-know-154128344.html |archive-date=May 22, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}{{Cite news |url = http://www.newsweek.com/meghan-markle-doria-ragland-mom-925320 |title = Who is Doria Ragland? |last = Williams |first = Janice |work = Newsweek |date = May 19, 2018 |access-date = May 19, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180519131140/http://www.newsweek.com/meghan-markle-doria-ragland-mom-925320 |archive-date = May 19, 2018 |url-status = live |df = mdy-all }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/meghan-markles-mother-has-reportedly-quit-her-job-at-a-los-angeles-mental-health-clinic/ |title=Meghan Markle's mother has reportedly quit her job at a Los Angeles mental health clinic |date=May 15, 2018 |work=New York Post |access-date=May 21, 2018 |via=Fox News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522041754/http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/05/15/meghan-markles-mother-has-reportedly-quit-her-job-at-los-angeles-mental-health-clinic.html |archive-date=May 22, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }} Ragland has also worked as a yoga instructor.{{Cite magazine |last = Porter |first = Lauren |date = May 19, 2018 |title = Who Is Meghan Markle's Mom? 7 Things To Know About Doria Ragland |url = https://www.essence.com/celebrity/who-is-meghan-markle-mother-mom-doria-ragland-parents |magazine = Essence |access-date = May 17, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180517214240/https://www.essence.com/celebrity/who-is-meghan-markle-mother-mom-doria-ragland-parents |archive-date = May 17, 2018 |url-status = live |df = mdy-all }} In 2020, it was reported that she would teach a jewelry making course at Santa Monica College.{{cite web|url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/meghan-markles-mom-doria-ragland-is-now-teaching-jewelry-design/|title=Meghan Markle's Mom Doria Ragland Starts New Job Teaching Jewelry Design|work=Us Weekly|first=Dory|last=Jackson|date=28 August 2020|accessdate=30 April 2022}} In the same year, Ragland became CEO, CFO and secretary of a care home firm in Beverly Hills, called Loving Kindness Senior Care Management.{{cite web|url=https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/meghan-markles-mum-doria-ragland-ceo-care-home|last=Blackett|first=L'Oréal|date=September 28, 2020|title=What We Know About Doria Ragland's New Job|website=Bustle|access-date=12 September 2021}}

Personal life

Ragland married lighting director Thomas Markle on December 23, 1979, at Hollywood's Paramahansa Yogananda Self-Realization Fellowship Temple in a ceremony performed by Brother Bhaktananda.{{cite news |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/celebrity/story/did-you-know-meghan-markle-s-parents-got-married-at-an-indian-temple-1241404-2018-05-25 |title=Did you know Meghan Markle's parents got married at an Indian temple? |last=Chhabra |first=Shivani |work=India Today |date=May 25, 2018 |access-date=May 26, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526150433/https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/celebrity/story/did-you-know-meghan-markle-s-parents-got-married-at-an-indian-temple-1241404-2018-05-25 |archive-date=May 26, 2018 |df=mdy-all }}{{cite book |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TcXWrhvBc8YC&pg=PT468 |title = Notorious Royal Marriages: A Juicy Journey Through Nine Centuries of Dynasty, Destiny, and Desire |first = Leslie |last = Carroll |date = 2010 |publisher = Penguin Publishing Group |isbn = 978-1-101-15977-4 |page = 468 |access-date = May 19, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180805194134/https://books.google.com/books?id=TcXWrhvBc8YC&pg=PT468 |archive-date = August 5, 2018 |url-status = live |df = mdy-all }} Their daughter, Meghan, was born in 1981. The couple separated when their daughter was two years old.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-dad-thomas-markle-letter-after-wedding/|title=The Truth About Meghan Markle's Dad — and the Letter She Wrote Him After the Wedding|publisher=People|first=Michelle|last=Tauber|date=February 6, 2019|access-date=November 12, 2021}} They divorced in 1987.{{Cite news |url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/thomas-markle-snr-meghan-markles-reclusive-father-helped-propel/ |title = Thomas Markle Snr: How Meghan Markle's reclusive father helped propel her into the spotlight |last = Jones |first = Richard |date = May 17, 2018 |work = The Telegraph |access-date = May 18, 2018 |language = en-GB |issn = 0307-1235 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180518025343/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/thomas-markle-snr-meghan-markles-reclusive-father-helped-propel/ |archive-date = May 18, 2018 |url-status = dead |df = mdy-all }}

Ragland resides in View Park–Windsor Hills, California,{{cite web |last1=Willgress |first1=Lydia |last2=Boyle |first2=Danny |title=Who is Meghan Markle? Everything we know about Prince Harry's girlfriend |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/31/who-is-meghan-markle-everything-we-know-about-the-suits-actress/ |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |date=November 8, 2016 |access-date=November 12, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112080658/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/31/who-is-meghan-markle-everything-we-know-about-the-suits-actress/ |archive-date=November 12, 2016 }}{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Regan |title='Meghan who?' LA shrugs over Harry's hometown girlfriend |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41391607 |access-date=November 28, 2017 |work=BBC News |date=September 27, 2017 |quote=But Markle's mother lives in the View Park-Windsor Hills neighborhood, one of the wealthiest primarily African-American areas in the US. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930195924/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41391607 |archive-date=September 30, 2017 }} in a house inherited from her father in 2011. She has accompanied Meghan to public events and attended her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry in Berkshire.{{cite web |url = https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2018/05/16/meghan-markles-mom-doria-ragland-heads-to-the-airport-amid-thomas-markle-drama/23435993/ |title = Meghan Markle's mom Doria Ragland seen headed to London amid drama around Meghan's father |author = AOL Staff |website = aol.com |date = May 16, 2018 |access-date = May 19, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180519013949/https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2018/05/16/meghan-markles-mom-doria-ragland-heads-to-the-airport-amid-thomas-markle-drama/23435993/ |archive-date = May 19, 2018 |url-status = live |df = mdy-all }}{{cite web |url = https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a16405569/meghan-markle-mother-doria-ragland/ |title = What You Need to Know About Meghan Markle's Mother Doria Ragland |date = May 19, 2018 |website = Town and Country |access-date = May 19, 2018 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180519045309/https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a16405569/meghan-markle-mother-doria-ragland/ |archive-date = May 19, 2018 |url-status = live |df = mdy-all }} Ragland became a grandmother on May 6, 2019. She flew to the United Kingdom to see her grandson, Prince Archie of Sussex, and his parents.{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2019/05/08/who-doria-ragland-meghan-markle-mum-grandma-royal-baby-boy/ | title=Modernity meets tradition as Prince Harry and Meghan show first official pictures of Archie Mountbatten-Windsor's christening | date= July 7, 2019 | access-date= July 7, 2019 | first = Hannah|last= Furness | newspaper = The Telegraph|location=UK}} In July, she attended Prince Archie's christening at the private chapel at Windsor Castle. Her granddaughter, Princess Lilibet of Sussex, was born on June 4, 2021, in Santa Barbara, California.{{cite news |last1=Foster |first1=Max |last2=Said-Moorhouse |first2=Lauren |title=Meghan and Prince Harry welcome second child |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/06/europe/meghan-harry-baby-girl-news-intl-scli/index.html |access-date=June 6, 2021 |work=CNN |date=June 6, 2021}}