Meghan Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, reportedly gave her a three-word warning before her daughter returned to Britain. “Doria told Meghan to think very carefully before moving back,” a family source told Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice.
The source added, “She watched what Britain did to her daughter the first time. She saw the pressure, the criticism and the toll it took. She’s terrified history will repeat itself.” The Duchess of Sussex has spoken openly about the criticism she faced in Britain over the years.
In 2019, she said in the ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey that a British friend had warned her, “The British tabloids will destroy your life.” Meanwhile, Ragland is said to be very close to Markle.
According to Vanity Fair, the 70-year-old had visited Markle and Harry’s Cotswolds home several times and stayed at Nottingham Cottage, too. Now, the pair is back in Britain. They announced their return last month after spending the past six years raising Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in California.
The family is reportedly settling into life in the Cotswolds. Their exact home hasn’t been confirmed. But the area is reportedly their new base. However, the return didn’t come without complications for the two.
On September 7, a letter from Lord Chamberlain Lord Richard Benyon, sent on behalf of King Charles, made it clear that Harry and Markle’s return to Britain had not changed their royal status. The letter said the couple is “akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests.”
It also added that their HRH styles are still in abeyance. It means that they don’t use them. Their charity work is also treated as “a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity.” Harry and Markle’s spokesperson later said that they were “a little surprised” because they hadn’t been told about it beforehand.
Following this, Archie and Lilibet started at a U.K. prep school this month. However, just two days later, Harry and Markle pulled them out and sent them to another school. The reason was apparently the school run. Their security team had concerns about the heavy traffic, the long drive, and the security cars getting separated from the family car.
Doing the same long journey every day raised concerns about the practicalities of their security arrangements. According to the BBC, their spokesperson said, “The decision for the children to move school was taken following a discussion with the family’s security team about the practicalities of their current arrangements.”
They added, “This decision should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on the school or the exceptional care the children have received there.” The children’s school name hasn’t been named yet. Harry and Markle are also dealing with a fresh security review.
The Royal and VIP Executive Committee, or RAVEC, is overseeing separate risk assessments of their security arrangements after the family’s return. Despite it all, Markle has still given fans a few glimpses at their lives in Britain. On September 13, she shared a short video showing the family’s countryside outings.
