Doria Ragland has been supporting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle since they moved to Montecito in 2020 following their departure from the United Kingdom.
Doria has always been by Meghan's side, and has been a very hands-on grandmother to her grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet during their time in California.
However, even though Archie and Lilibet are crossing the Atlantic, it appears that Doria will still be playing an active role in their lives. A friend of the couple told HELLO!: "Doria is a big part of the kids' lives but she has her own life in California. She will of course continue to see the family frequently."
Doria has a career as a social worker, and she has regularly been seen with her grandchildren over the years.
Back in January, Meghan shared the cutest video of Doria and Lilibet enjoying some time together in a swimming pool. The Duchess of Sussex panned the camera from the lush garden greenery to show her mum and daughter sitting in the water and soaking up the sunshine.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's return to the UK
It was confirmed on Wednesday evening that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be returning to the United Kingdom at the end of August, six years after they left Britain for a new life in the United States.
HELLO! understands King Charles was first made aware of these plans on Sunday, and that although he is pleased he will have more opportunity to see his son and grandchildren, there will be no alterations to Harry or Meghan's status within the royal family in accordance with previous decisions.
Many royal fans will no doubt be hoping that Harry's move back to the UK will help him to reconcile with his family, with the royal estranged from many of his relatives since he and Meghan stepped back from their royal duties in 2020.
However, HELLO!'s royal editor, Emily Nash, has revealed that it will likely be a long time before Harry and his older brother, Prince William, are able to bury the hatchet.
© Getty Images"I think this is going to be very much one step at a time, and from people I've been speaking to who know them, I think they're very much working on the basis of let's get the children settled, let's get started on what we want to do, and then the rest is something to consider down the line," Emily said on an emergency episode of A Right Royal podcast.
"But, crucial to them is the relationship with the King. You can't go any higher than him, and if you have him on side and you are spending time with him, then that does half of the work for you."
© UK Press via Getty ImagesShe added: "There is a risk, I think, that if other members of the family continue to avoid them, it might make them look petty or unforgiving. Now, there's a lot that would need to be forgiven. Let's be honest about this. And you can absolutely understand why William and Kate might never want to go there.
"You know, their decision to leave affected that whole generation of the royal family, and it's left a lot of responsibility on not just William's shoulders, but on those of his children.
© Getty Images"And then you've got all the things that they said, about how they were too formal and they didn't like being hugged. William pushed Harry into a dog bowl, broke his necklace. It's endless. So how can you possibly sit in a room and make small talk with somebody who has betrayed you on an international scale?"
