Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are just two of the celebrities giving back during the COVID-19 pandemic. They’ve been spotted around Los Angeles wearing face masks and delivering food to needy individuals for a charity called Project Angel Food.
Ever since Meghan and Harry moved to L.A. in late March, it seems like the perfect opportunity for a family reunion. Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland lives just 10 miles away from them. But reports say that Meghan hasn’t visited her mom at all since moving to L.A.
Wondering what’s up with the Duchess of Sussex? We’ve got the full scoop on why Meghan Markle hasn’t visited her mom since moving to L.A.
Royal Drama
If you haven’t been keeping up with Meghan and Harry, you might be a bit confused at this point. Why would the Duke and Duchess of Sussex be moving to Los Angeles instead of kicking it in England?
Recently, Harry and Meghan made the controversial decision to step back from their royal duties. While they still technically retain their titles, they both agreed to stop using the term “Royal Highness” in reference to themselves.
Needless to say, walking away from royal responsibilities shook up everyone in the U.K. and beyond. That’s when these two decided on a change of venue.
Making Big Moves
There is one really practical reason why Harry and Meghan needed to move. Previously, the two lived in London’s Nottingham Cottage. Later, they moved to Frogmore Cottage. Long story short? This royal couple went from living at Kensington Palace to living at Winsdor Castle.
How did they pay for this royal real estate? Simple: through a combination of the Crown Estate and the Sovereign Grant. But once these two walked away from the royal life, that meant giving up access to this money and finding a new place to live.
It’s not like they are going to go poor: thanks to Prince Charles’ deep pockets (rumors suggest he gave them $3 million), the couple should be just fine. They decided they needed a serious change of venue and jetted off to Canada. But it seems like no sooner did they move to Canada than the coronavirus pandemic hit.
L.A. History
Harry and Meghan are both celebrities and royalty. They could have moved anywhere in the entire world for this next journey in their lives. Why, then, did they decide to go to Los Angeles once the coronavirus threatened to shut down the U.S.-Canada border?
While the couple hasn’t said much about their motivations, the likeliest reason is that L.A. feels a lot like home to Meghan Markle. Before she married Prince Harry, she was an actress best known for playing the character Rachel Zane on Suits.
After getting engaged to Harry, she retired from acting. But she still has plenty of friends and professional contacts in L.A. While she has allegedly ruled out returning to acting onscreen, she will be doing documentary voiceovers for Disney, and living in L.A. makes that easier.
The other big L.A. motivation is family. Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland lives in Los Angeles. Unlike her broken relationship with her estranged father, Meghan is very close with her mother.
Potential Family Drama
When you’re royalty, everything is more extravagant. That includes your home, your lifestyle… and, of course, your family drama!
In a classic case of “he said, she said,” Meghan has had a serious tiff with her father Thomas Markle for years. She says he helped the press to attack her. He says that she shunned him in favor of her new life.
After her wedding, Meghan wrote her father a heartfelt letter explaining how much he had hurt her. In turn, he sent the letter to The Daily Mail, which published excerpts for the world to see.
In turn, Harry and Meghan decided to sue The Daily Mail, and the paper said they are likely to call her father as a witness. Back in January, he said he’d see Meghan and Harry in a courtroom and ruefully added “at least I finally get to see them.”
Now, Harry and Meghan have moved to Los Angeles, California, and Thomas Markle lives in Rosarito, Mexico. It would only take a little over two and a half hours to drive between cities, but we don’t think there will be a happy reunion anytime soon!
Mother Dearest
Meghan Markle is closer to her mother, Doria Ragland, than any other family member. Aside from her estranged father, Meghan has seemingly broken ties with a number of other family members. This includes a half-sister (Samantha Grant) and nephew (Tyler Dooley) who have tried to profit off her fame while dragging her name through the mud with the press.
In fact, Doria was the only Markle family member in attendance at Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding. Considering that Ragland lives in Los Angeles, many assumed she and Meghan were due for a happy reunion.
What’s keeping these two from hanging out now that Harry and Meghan are back in the states? The same thing that put a damper on everyone else’s plans: COVID-19.
The COVID-19 Crisis
COVID-19 (better known as the coronavirus) has put the whole world in social isolation. While the virus puts everyone at risk, seniors and very young children are in particular danger from the virus.
Those factors made social isolation a no-brainer for Harry and Meghan. They have 11-month-old baby Archie to keep safe from the virus. And Meghan’s mother is 63 years old, putting her in a high-risk category as well.
So, despite living just 10 miles away from her mother, Meghan hasn’t been able to reunite with Doria since the move. The Sun reported that Meghan is “absolutely heartbroken” about it. Like many others, they have still managed to stay in touch via video chats, but Facetime remains a poor substitute for face-to-face.