Meghan Markle's mom makes surprise cameo on her podcast revealing the quirky secret code the pair share

The Duchess of Sussex was joined by Doria Ragland on her latest episode of Archetypes, much to the excitement of listeners

Meghan Markle's mom reveals on Archetypes the quirky secret code the pair share
(Image credit: Getty)

Doria Ragland made a surprise appearance on Meghan Markle's podcast on Tuesday, after calling her royal daughter during the recording of its latest episode. 


The Duchess of Sussex's mother made a brief contribution to Archetypes this week, marking her debut appearance on the Spotify series. 

Doria Ragland, 66, joined Meghan Markle's feminist podcast for a few seconds, after calling her daughter while she was recording its latest episode: Good Wife/Bad Wife, Good Mom/Bad Mom. Rather than edit the interruption out of the final upload, the 41-year-old decided to include it for her listeners to enjoy. 

"Oh sugar, my mom’s FaceTiming me," Meghan reveals about halfway through the episode, before answering the call for a quick chat. 

"Hey, mommy!" she says. "Hey, I'm okay. I'm hanging in there. It's okay, I'm recording right now." She then invites Doria to see, presumably tilting the phone to show her mother the purpose-built podcast studio she had installed in the £14 million Santa Barbara mansion she shares with Prince Harry. The sweet interaction occurred in the same episode that Meghan revealed she makes seven breakfasts every day during her 'whirlwind' morning routine. 

BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND - MAY 18: Meghan Markle and her mother, Doria Ragland arrive at Cliveden House Hotel on the National Trust's Cliveden Estate to spend the night before her wedding to Prince Harry on May 18, 2018 in Berkshire, England. (Photo by Steve Parsons - Pool / Getty Images)

(Image credit: Steve Parsons - Pool / Getty Images))

"You have on a smiley face," Doria can be heard saying on the other end of the line, to which Meghan agrees: "I have on a smiley face." The duchess then tells her mother she'll call back later before the pair exchange their 'I love you's." Doria also told Meghan she'd see her on Saturday, suggesting the two had made previous weekend plans. 

"It was just your run-of-the-mill mother-daughter conversation," the duchess told listeners, before spilling more details about the pair's close relationship. 

"You may have heard this clicking sound that she was doing," she said, adding that it's also "something I do." Meghan went on to describe a "cool handshake" she and Doria have shared since she was just eight years old, before demonstrating it for her audience. "Snap, scissors, cut chicken..." the royal recites, only to burst into laughter at the silliness of the trick. "I'm 41-years-old!" 

Doria reportedly lives in the View Park-Windsor Hills, an affluent Los Angeles neighborhood about an hour and a half from Meghan and Harry's house in Montecito. The yoga teacher and social worker keeps a relatively low-profile, having only been thrust into the spotlight since her daughter married into the Royal Family in 2018. 

Doria Ragland

(Image credit: Getty)

Meghan has never been shy about praising her mother, however. In her latest podcast episode, she revealed that she has started thinking about "all the ways my mom supported me, how she took care of me and the house and herself and house she just juggled so much." A 2018 post from the duchess's now-deleted blog, The Tig, also reveals her strong appreciation for Doria's role in her life. 

"She was keeping me safe. She was teaching me to take care of my body. She was introducing me to history, and fostering a love of being outdoors. She was planting the seed for me to become a foodie," Meghan wrote in a reflection on her mother's disciplined parenting. "She was showing me how to be a daughter, not just in that moment, but for when I became that grown woman. For right now. And thirty years from now. She was loving me. So tightly."

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.


Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.