Meghan Markle's secret handshake with mum Doria is revealed

The Duchess of Sussex has a secret mother-daughter handshake and it's meaning is revealed in her latest Archetype podcast.

Meghan Markle walking with her mum Doria Ragland and Prince Harry
(Image credit: Getty)

Meghan Markle has a secret handshake ritual with her mum and does it every time she sees her - even on FaceTime.


Meghan Markle and her mum Doria have a special mother-daughter bond and as she pays tribute to her hard work raising her, Doria lets slip their secret handshake ritual.

Speaking on her latest Spotify podcast Archetypes, Meghan is discussing the idea of Good Wife / Bad Wife vs Good Mom/ Bad Mom, with Canada's first lady Sophie Gregoire Trudeau alongside actress Pamela Adlon and comedian Sam Jay. 

But during the podcast, in which Meghan gives a rare insight into Archie and Lilibet's hectic morning routine, Meghan answers a FaceTime call from her mum Doria and during the call her secret greeting can be heard.

Meghan explains to her guests and the listeners, "My mom's FaceTiming, me, 'hey, mommy'.

Doria replies, "Hey, how's my girl, to which Meghan says, "I'm okay. I'm hanging in there. It's okay, I'm recording right now. Do you want to see?

"We're just doing some podcasting. Can I call you back in a little bit?"

Doria, who has a special tattoo with a link to Meghan, then asks, "Do you have on a smiley face?"

And Meghan replies, "I have on a smiley face" before they exchange some clicking noises.

Meghan points out, "You may have heard this clicking sound that she was doing.

"All right, gang, my mom literally just pulled out a reference of what I came up with as a cool handshake to do with her when I was about eight, which was snap scissors, cut chicken.

"I'm 41 years old. And she's like, 'okay'.

"It just put me right back into the past thinking about my childhood and our little quirks together."

Doria Ragland with daughter Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

(Image credit: Getty)

Fans have previously picked up on the likeness between Meghan Markle and her mum. And Meghan went on to pay tribute to her mum, telling listeners, "And then with this episode on my brain, it got me thinking about all the ways my mom supported me, how she took care of me and the house and herself and how she just juggled so much.

"The amount that women carry, that they navigate, it's immense and it's often the most thankless unpaid labour."

She added, "There's no union, there's no lunch break. There's nothing like that at home. Women just work really, really hard."

Selina Maycock
Senior Family Writer

Selina is a Senior Family Writer for GoodtoKnow and has more than 16 years years of experience. She specialises in royal family news, including the latest activities of Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet. She also covers the latest government, health and charity advice for families. Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism, and gained her NCTJ and NCE qualifications. During her career, she’s also written for Woman, Woman's Own, Woman&Home, and Woman's Weekly as well as Heat magazine, Bang Showbiz - and the Scunthorpe Telegraph. When she's not covering family news, you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories (including award-winning scarecrows!)