Meghan Markle's mother Doria Ragland makes rare (and brief) appearance at Duchess's brunch party in glossy Netflix series

Meghan Markle's mother Doria Ragland has made a brief appearance in her daughter's hugely anticipated series which finally aired on Netflix this morning.

Doria, 68, was spotted grazing on a 'celebration brunch' that the Duchess of Sussex, 43, lovingly prepared for the final episode of her eight-part cookery series.

Wearing a tan halter neck top and flowing orange trousers, Doria arrives to the sun-soaked brunch party as Meghan can be heard gushing: 'Oh, Mommy's here!'

While admiring the spread of champagne, mimosas, quiche, bacon, pancakes and salad, Doria asked: 'Are the greens from the garden?' to which the Duchess replied: 'Yes, greens are from the garden.'

'It's lovely. Nice job!', the proud mother said.

In episode two of 'With Love, Meghan', the Duchess reminisces on her own youth as she prepares children's party food including sandwiches in the shapes of hearts and a 'fruit plate that looks like a rainbow'.

'I was a latchkey kid so I grew up with a lot of fast food and also a lot of TV tray dinners', Meghan told The Office star Mindy Kaling. 

'It feels like such a different time but that was so normal with the microwavable kids meals that had compartmentalised, like.... do you remember them?' 

Her close pal Mindy replied: 'The Hungry-Man meals. And there's a little compartment that had apple crumble in it. I thought those were delicious as a child.

'Yes!' Meghan replied. 'I grew up with that, watching Jeopardy and having a lot of fast food.' I used to eat a lot of Pollo Loca and Taco Bell - extra hot sauce on the Mexican pizza and Jack in the Box because my mom loved their tacos.'

Doria, a yoga teacher, shares a close relationship with her daughter Meghan and reportedly has a granny flat at the couple's home in Montecito.

She even stayed with the Sussexes at Frogmore cottage for more than a month when her grandson Archie was born, Harry's book Spare revealed.

The dedicated mother has been described as a 'rock' for Meghan and Harry during the difficult months when they departed as working royals and moved to California - so it only made sense for her to attend the celebratory brunch.

A former confidant of Doria told the Mail on Sunday: 'She is like the Queen - she never complains and never explains.'

Prince Harry is also among the flurry of guests enjoying Meghan's spread of champagne, mimosas, quiche, bacon, pancakes and salad.

The couple packed on the PDA as the Duchess huddled up to her husband, and said: 'Good, right?' 

'Well done,' he assured. 'You did a great job. I love it.'

Harry and his mother-in-law Doria be seen proudly looking on and raising a glass as the Duchess thanks those in attendance for 'loving her so much and celebrating with her'. 

'This feels like a new chapter that I'm so excited that I get to share,' she continued. 'When I've been able to learn from all of you.

'Thank you for the love and support. And here we go, it's a business. All of that is that creativity that I've missed so much.'

'To you!' Harry can be heard toasting as Redbone's Come And Get Your Love plays in the background.

Throughout the eight-part series, Meghan welcomes guests including The Office star Mindy Kaling and chef Roy Choi to the kitchen of a £5million mansion near the Sussexes' Montecito villa.

While they prepare a variety of food items such as rainbow fruit salad and potstickers, Meghan has personal conversations with her guests.

In episode seven, Meghan speaks about 'healing' in an apparent jab at the Royal Family as she discusses Kintsugi, Japanese art of repairing broken pottery, with her millionaire neighbour Vicky Tsai.

The Duchess told her: 'You gave me this idea, I think it's so meaningful, that if you break something that is precious and valuable, it's not broken. 

'That that fracture, and you taught me this, that that fracture actually makes it more beautiful, that break makes it more beautiful.

'And I just think that it felt really symbolic of saying to anyone if you've been through something, you're not broken. It can be fixed, it can be sealed and healed at the same time.'

Ms Tsai then says: 'Or celebrated because it's what makes you beautiful… perfect isn't beautiful. Things that have lived and been dropped and put back together again are more beautiful.'

In further moments during the new show: 

• Meghan answers the mystery of her 'ranked' jars of strawberry jam;
• A testing page has given an insight into Meghan's 'As Ever' empire;
• Prince Harry appears for mere minutes in the new series;
• Take a look inside Meghan's £5million rented mansion for the show;
• The £20,000 kitchen includes luxury Le Creuset cookware;
• Meghan now insists her surname is Sussex; and 
• Meghan says it's a 'real delight and luxury' to be a 'present parent'.

The Duchess has faced criticism over authenticity for hosting With Love, Meghan from a Californian farmhouse, rather than her own Montecito home - and she acknowledges this in episode one.

'This isn't my house. Daniel's (Martin) gonna be staying at my house, but I'm gonna prep everything here as I would at home and then bring it back to my house so I can have it there for him,' she says in episode one.

Filmed in the kitchen of a rented £5million mansion in California - just around the corner from the Sussexes' Montecito villa - the new show promises an intimate 'at home' experience with the mother-of-two. 

But royal sources have said the programme could be a make-or-break moment for Meghan and husband Harry as they seek to salvage a $100million deal with the streaming giant.  

Since the couple signed the mega deal in 2020, there has been one smash hit and three relative duds, sparking speculation Netflix might soon cut ties.

The biographical 'Harry & Meghan' was the streaming service's biggest documentary debut, viewed in almost 29 million households in its first four days, and proved a global sensation.

But Polo, a sports docuseries, Live to Lead - which focused on 'global justice activists' - and Heart of Invictus, about Harry's games for wounded soldiers, proved lacklustre additions that failed to set the streaming service's viewing figures ablaze. 

'With Love, Meghan' sees the duchess trying to promote herself in a new way as a 'domestic goddess', baking cakes, arranging flowers and slipping into a beekeeper's suit to collect honey.

However, in Los Angeles where Meghan and Harry live with their two children, Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, sources have said the Sussexes relationship with Netflix is on borrowed time, amid claims they have proven hard to work with. 

'The word bandied around internally is "nightmare",' one insider told the Sunday Times, with others claiming the chances of a deal being renewed would rest squarely on whether or not 'With Love, Meghan' proved a hit. 

Unlike Polo, where the Sussexes had only a fleeting cameo, Meghan, 43, will be take centre stage in her new show, with Harry, 40, featuring in the background. 

The former Suits star-turned-royal will also have the support of her celebrity pals, like close friend and fellow actress Abigail Spencer and the comedian Mindy Kaling, who both feature in the eight-part series.  

And its hoped the show could be a big platform for the Sussexes' future leisure brand, 'As Ever', to launch from, which will sell items like jams, tea, pet products and soaps in shops owned by Netflix. 

Sources say the success or failure of her products in the Netflix House superstores will would be pivotal in determining future Meghan's entrepreneurial ambitions. 

'This is make or break for Meghan,' one source previously told MailOnline. 'Her new show is rolling out the same time as the Netflix stores open.

'The Netflix stores will offer products and merchandise from all their biggest shows like Squid Game and Stranger Things.

'This is a big move for Netflix. The first stores are in repurposed department stores inside two of America's largest malls.

'They will contain an onsite cafe so Meghan's products like her strawberry jam will be featured on the menu too.

Meghan's new lifestyle show was originally set to air in January but, according to Netflix, was pushed back because of the devastating LA wildfires.