Meghan Markle Is Reportedly Taking a Step Back From Mom Doria Due to ‘Very Different Ideas About Parenting’
Family relationships can be tense, even if you aren’t in the public eye. (Anyone who dreaded the holidays with their extended family knows exactly what I mean.) And, now, insiders are speculating that things aren’t going so well with Meghan Markle and her mom Doria Ragland. According to a new source, the Duchess of Sussex took a dig at her mom during a recent episode of her With Love, Meghan on Netflix, and it might speak to a deeper rift between the two.
According to Radar Online, when Markle called her mom “a free spirit” on the show, it seemed innocent enough. But insiders say that this was a way to highlight the differences between the way she parents and the way her mom does.
“On the face of it, it sounded warm, but among those who know them, it came across as a quiet step back, signaling that Meghan and Doria have very different ideas about parenting and family,” a source told the outlet.
Another insider wrote, “It came across less as praise and more as a subtle point of difference.”
This disagreement possibly led to Ragland moving out, according to another source. This insider told the outlet, “Doria was once a regular fixture in the household, closely involved in caring for the children with Meghan and Harry, but she is no longer living there, and people around them have taken note.”
However, someone close to Ragland told the outlet that she isn’t letting the comment or the disagreement get to her. “Doria’s self-reliance has long been one of her defining qualities, but the everyday intimacy she and Meghan once had has faded,” the source told Radar Online.
Back in July, the Blast reported that Ragland left the Montecito residence where she lived with her daughter and son-in-law for 18 months to help with their kids Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4. According to a source, she moved out due to Markle’s “constant moaning and drama.”
Markle is also not close to her dad Thomas Markle, who is recovering after he had to have his leg amputated. While still in the hospital, Thomas told The Mail on Sunday, “I don’t want to die estranged” from his daughter, adding that he wants to see Markle “one more time before I die.”
Last month, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital, “Meghan and her father will never reconcile. It’s reported, though not confirmed, that she has said so by letter.”
“Her relationship with her father — a tragedy for both of them — is nothing short of a mess,” Fitzwilliams added.
Right now, Markle is focused on her family and her career. The As Ever founder compared parenting to running a business in a November issue of Harper’s Bazaar. “If it all goes swimmingly, you don’t learn from it. If you don’t learn anything, you’re not going to grow,” she told the outlet.
“I’m a mom with kids at that age where they are constantly learning something new,” Markle continued. “I watch them face things that feel completely insurmountable every day. But you can remember and say, ‘I know it seems really hard right now, but trust me, that’s going to come so easily soon.’ I can give myself the same grace as a founder. There’s no such thing as perfect. I, too, get to make mistakes.”
Things might not be going well with family, but hopefully this will be a situation that Markle can learn and grow from. I think we can all relate to that!
Before you go, check out all the times Meghan Markle has gotten candid about the joys and challenges of being a mom.