Meghan Markle has not enjoyed the company of her mother, Doria Ragland, for much of her pregnancy and she is reportedly mostly relying on just Prince Harry to help her adjust to their expanding family.
Sources said that Ragland "has not been around too much" in the months since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced that they are expecting their second child. The source also said that this been a surprise since Meghan Markle has a close relationship with her mother and the duchess once referred to her mom as her best friend.
Instead, the insider revealed that it has been Harry who's helping his wife around the house and making Markle comfortable as she enters the final trimester of her pregnancy. Harry has been very supportive of his wife as he cooks for her and tends to their son, Archie.
Ragland lives in Los Angeles, which is about a 90-minute drive to Montecito, where the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex live. The source also said that Meghan's pregnancy is a lot easier than the first, which could explain Ragland's missing presence.
However, Ragland was supposed to have been Meghan's support system when Harry had to briefly travel back to London for Prince Philip's funeral. According to reports, the duchess' mother, whom Meghan praised for never engaging the media, was "adamant" for Meghan to stay put in California and mourn with her husband from afar.
Ragland was concerned about the risk of traveling to her daughter's health, as well as the health of her unborn baby. She didn't want Meghan flying with Harry because it could be stressful.
The duchess' mother was one of the first people to be happy and supportive of the couple when they decided to step back from their royal duties. According to sources, Ragland was relieved that Meghan and Harry decided to put their mental health first when they left the palaces.
Ragland raised her concerns for her daughter's mental health when she once visited the duchess in London in 2018. According to reports, the mother and daughter were barred from leaving the palace to visit a nearby cafe since the press has been hounding on Meghan.
Meghan Markle recounted some of her experience in an Oprah Winfrey interview and revealed that there had been times she felt that she didn't want to live anymore because of the restrictions in her royal life. Together with Harry, Meghan said that they felt they were not protected and properly guided as members of the royal family.
