Tensions 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."
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.
"I'm sure the onset, both my parents and my close friends were concerned, because we got very quickly swept up in a media storm that, as I shared, was not part of my life before that, but they also had never seen me so happy," she said of the start of their relationship.
"And I think also once my friends - excuse me, were able to - to really meet Harry, and my mum, who we've spent a lot of time with, who is so much fun." Prince Harry added: "Her mum's amazing."
Following their royal wedding in 2018, which Meghan reportedly planned with input from Doria, the Duke and Duchess spent their summer break in a private Cotswolds home where Doria reportedly visited them.
Royal correspondent Omid Scobie later wrote on Twitter: "Doria is said to enjoy a close relationship with Harry and continues to be a pillar of strength for Meghan."
They also decided to share their low-key first wedding anniversary with Doria in 2019. In Finding Freedom, co-authors Omid and Carolyn Durandit wrote: "On the anniversary of their first year of marriage, Harry and Meghan enjoyed a traditional Sunday lunch with Doria, her last meal before travelling back to LA.
"Her five weeks at Frogmore had flown by, but she had to get back to work."
One year later Harry and Meghan had stepped back as senior royals and moved to the United States, where they now live in Montecito with their two children Archie and Lilibet.
Located less than two hours away from Doria's Los Angeles home, Harry and Meghan's property boasts a nine-bedroom main house and a separate two-bedroom guesthouse which offers Doria plenty of space to stay – especially if she wants to help out with babysitting duties and spend lots of quality time with her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.
During these visits, Doria has likely passed on her passion for yoga, which is already shared by her daughter. Meghan is known to love yoga and other mindful practices, and her husband reportedly embraced an early-morning Buddhist meditation routine.
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