LIFE & CULTURE

What Really Happened When Oprah Winfrey Met Meghan Markle’s Mother

Hint: There was yoga involved
Oprah Winfrey and Doria Ragland
Oprah Winfrey and Doria Ragland at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Getty

Back in May, just one week out from the royal wedding between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, her mother, Doria Ragland, was spotted catching up with TV queen herself, Oprah Winfrey.

Speculation was rife over what the pair were meeting about, with all signs pointing to an exclusive interview.

Now Oprah has spoken out about the meeting at the 64-year-old’s sprawling Califnoria estate, revealing the pair did yoga and bonded over a shared love of kumquats.

“The story was that Meghan’s mom had come to my house and she left laden with gifts,” she told Entertainment Tonight of reports that suggested the media mogul was lavishing Ragland with gifts in the hope of securing an interview.

“You know what the gifts were? First of all, she’s great at yoga, so I said, ‘Bring your yoga mat and your sneaks in case we just want to do yoga on the lawn.’ So one of the bags was a yoga mat and the other was lunch.”

Oprah Winfrey and Doria Ragland
Oprah Winfrey and Doria Ragland at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (Credit: Getty)

After lunch the pair enjoyed a sweet dessert made from kumquats picked fresh from the garden, and Meghan’s mum loved them so much she went home with a basket full of them.

“She said, ‘I love kumquats,’ and I said, ‘I have a kumquat tree! You want some kumquats?’ So it was a basket of kumquats, people,” Oprah added. “For all of the people who said I am getting her gifts and I’m trying to bribe her for an interview, they were kumquats. If kumquats can get you an interview, I’m all for it!”

Oprah also revealed what it was like to attend the wedding, describing it as “transformative.”

“It was more than a wedding, I thought,” she explained. “It was a cultural moment. And you could not be there or watching on television… and not feel that there was a shift that just happened in the middle of it.”

“I think it’s bigger than them and I think it bodes well for hope for all of us”

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