Before she was Her Royal Highness Meghan, Duchess of Sussex she was Rachel Meghan Markle the only child of Doria and Thomas Markle. . Her parents got married in 1979 and she came along in 1981 much to her parents delight. Meghan is an only child and was raised as an only child. Thomas Markle has children from a previous marriage who are almost two decades older than Meghan who she barely knows due to the age gap.
Meghan was born on August 4, 1981, and shares a birthday with former President Barack Obama. Duchess Meghan also shares a birthday with her husband’s great grandmother so for Harry and Meghan , the 4th of August is indeed a special day.
Doria Ragland is the rock of Meghan’s world, the woman she has influenced her more than any other. She is the only person in the world that Meghan knows has her back 100% of the time. Like Meghan, Doria too is an only child so we can only hope that Meghan has more than one child with Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex her husband.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex is an outlier because for starters she is a ‘commoner’ which means that she does not have aristocratic background. Half a century ago a senior royal could not have married a commoner but in 2018 in the age of mass media, in the social media age this is the very quality that makes her relatable to many around the world.
All women cannot marry a prince but all women can learn to be the best version of themselves and marry for purpose. Meghan was not sitting around waiting for the Prince to find her she was volunteering in soup kitchens, working on delivering clean water in Africa and being the best Meghan Markle she could be when she met her Prince Charming who was enchanted by her beauty, her love for him ; intellectual prowess and global awareness.
Doria Ragland is the unsung hero in the Duchess Meghan of Sussex narrative. A quiet spirit who co-parented her daughter from a working class home to the British royal palace. Meghan’s maternal grandfather moved to California in search of the American dream starting a business there that allowed her mother a better life than he had in Ohio. In America it is about doing better than the previous generation.
Doria is elegant, dignified and loyal to the Duchess. The royals like all sane citizens of the world value loyalty. Doria is the mother who is the rock of the Duchess, and the Duchess knows she can depend on her. She is the star in the Markle clan of undesirables and there is no doubt that Doria’s nurturing propelled Duchess Meghan to achievement.
Duchess Meghan’s ancestors were slaves picking cotton in the plantations of Georgia not even regarded as human beings suffering all manner of human rights violations. When her ancestors were set free from the bondage of slavery they chose the name Wisdom.
“Perhaps the closest thing to connecting me to my ever-complex family tree, my longing to know where I come from, and the commonality that links me to my bloodline, is the choice that my great-great-great grandfather made to start anew. He chose the last name Wisdom. He drew his own box.’‘ Meghan Markle Elle Magazine 2015
