MEET THE MOTHER-IN-LAW
While Meghan Markle will have to navigate her relationship with her sister-in-law, Prince Harry has his own new relationship to focus on. So, how’s he doing so far?
There was a crucial moment towards the end of their interview on Monday. As Meghan told Mishal Husain of the time the couple have spent with her mother, Doria Ragland, in the past year, Harry made a calculated interjection. “Her mum’s amazing!” he blurted, before sitting back, safe in the knowledge that he’d just earned a world-record number of brownie points.
Beyond the usual clichés about keeping mothers-in-law happy, Harry’s public tribute to Ms Ragland – a 62-year-old yoga instructor and clinical therapist
– was significant. Meghan has spoken of how her mother helped her to navigate a not-always-easy childhood during a troubled period in Los Angeles, and now, as she prepares to become Princess Henry of Wales, the pair are inseparable.
It is something Meghan has in common with her sister-in-law-tobe, the Duchess of Cambridge, who is also close to her mother, Carole Middleton. And, in fact, the two mothers aren’t as different as one might think.
Both were born into humble circumstances: Mrs Middleton was born in a London council flat, Doria in an unflashy home in a Los Angeles suburb. Both worked as flight attendants: Carole in her 20s, and Doria for a short time after separating from her husband, Thomas Markle, when Meghan was six.
While the Middletons maintained a tight family unit, however, Doria raised Meghan as a single mother. Their bond was so strong that she had bought a personalised number plate to reflect it: “MEGNME”.
“We can just have so much fun together, and yet, I’ll still find so much solace in her support,” Meghan said of her mother. Wisely, Harry has been on the charm offensive, and may have asked his brother for advice. It was reported that Carole and Prince William had a conversation at Christmas in 2009, in which William told her he’d marry Kate and hoped Carole would be involved in their future – as she has been. Harry, meanwhile, invited Doria to join he and Meghan at the Invictus Games in September, before breaking with tradition by asking for her blessing, as well as that of Thomas, before last month asking their daughter to marry him last month.
Given the loss of their own mother, it is likely both William and Harry see a greater significance in their relationship with their mother-inlaw than most young men, appreciating both the support they can receive, and the importance Meghan and Kate will place on their mothers as they adapt to a daunting new life. So far, both men appear to have worked their magic.
In a statement Doria and Thomas said: “To see Meghan in union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for both parents.”
Prince Charming is doing it all right.