Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are raising their two children, Archie Harrison, three, and Lilibet Diana, one, overseas in Montecito – and there's one main difference to the lives of their cousins are experiencing in England.
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While the Prince and Princess of Wales' children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have a nanny at home, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, it's thought Harry and Meghan care for their children themselves with help from Meghan's mother Doria Ragland. The doting grandmother reportedly spent nearly $5.5k in grandparenting glasses to prepare for her grandchildren's arrival.
WATCH: All about Meghan's mother Doria Ragland
Keep reading to find out how Doria is a hands-on grandma…
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Doria helped care for baby Archie
Grandmother Doria, 65, was indispensable to Meghan when she gave birth to her first child, Archie, in May 2019.
Doria temporarily left her home in California in mid-April that year, and flew to London to be with her heavily pregnant daughter for a month. The yoga instructor and social worker had hired a house and dog sitter while she was away, so she could dedicate her time to Meghan in Windsor with her new baby.
Doria would have been able to help Meghan settle into her new role as a mum and be on hand for help and advice. She also got to bond with her newborn grandson! We imagine Doria did the same for her granddaughter Lilibet when she was born in June 2021.
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Meghan, Harry and son Archie
Doria lives near to Meghan and Harry
Meghan's mother can easily visit her two young grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, since she lives a short distance away from the family in California – that means she's able to babysit, pop over to help out and play and attend important events like birthday parties.
Doria lives around a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Meghan, in the View Park-Windsor Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles, which is located between Culver City and Inglewood, just east of Los Angeles International Airport.
There's a guest room for Doria
Should Doria want to stay over at Meghan and Harry's house to help look after her grandchildren or simply spend time with them, the Duke and Duchess' Montecito property has its very own guest house.
The guest quarters are thought to have two bedrooms and two bathrooms – plenty of space for Doria to rest after all that high-energy playing with the grandkids.
Doria with Meghan on her wedding day
Grandparents are important to Meghan
Meghan's uncle, Joseph Johnson, previously told MailOnline about the royal's own upbringing and how her grandmother, Jeanette, was very involved in her childhood.
Joseph revealed: "Doria and my mother lived right around the corner from one another in LA, so Jeanette played a big part in caring for Meghan."
He added of Doria: "I think she'll be a great grandmother if she helps raise that child anything like Meghan was raised."
Doria works in a caring profession
As the boss of a care company for the elderly in Los Angeles, Doria's caring nature is clear to see. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a master's degree in social work and previously worked as a social worker for Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services in Culver City.
With such a nurturing character, Doria must be the most caring grandma to little Archie and Lilibet. We wonder if Doria teaches Archie some children's yoga too, as she also works as a yoga instructor.
What a cool grandma!
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