Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and her mother Doria Ragland were involved in a “near catastrophic” car chase while being followed by paparazzi in New York, a spokesperson for the couple confirmed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were in the city last night (May 16) with Meghan’s mother, for an event at which the Duchess received an award.

Meghan received the Ms Foundation’s Women of Vision Award, recognising her “global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls”.

The three of them are said to have been subjected to a “relentless pursuit” involving half a dozen blacked-out vehicles.

It was Harry and Meghan’s first public appearance together since the Duchess’s absence at the King’s coronation earlier this month.

Although her mother Doria keeps a low profile in the public eye, this is what we know about her.

Who is Meghan Markle’s mum, Doria Ragland?

Meghan commented on her mother’s personal life in an interview with Glamour, saying: “My mom’s a yoga instructor, but she does social work as well, and she works specifically with the geriatric community.

“For me to watch this level of lifelong sensitivity to nurturing and caregiving, but at the same time, my mom has always been a free spirit. She’s got dreadlocks and a nose ring. She just ran the L.A. Marathon.

“We can just have so much fun together, and yet, I’ll still find so much solace in her support. That duality coexists the same way it would in a best friend.”

The public ‘first met’ Doria when she rode alongside Meghan on her wedding day to the service at St George’s Chapel on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

The Argus: Doria Ragland was Meghan Markle's only relative at her wedding in 2018Doria Ragland was Meghan Markle's only relative at her wedding in 2018 (Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA)

She was the only member of Meghan’s immediate family in attendance at the royal ceremony in May 2018, where she sat opposite the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Doria also joined Meghan and Harry at Windsor Castle when they first introduced their son Archie to the Queen and Prince Philip – she even appeared in official royal pictures of the event.

Doria said ‘I’m ready to have my voice heard’ in Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary

Making her TV debut, Doria appeared on Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary which landed on the streaming service last year.

It highlighted the couple’s private life and why they decided to take a step back as senior royals.

In the second episode of the docu-series, Doria expressed her thoughts on the couple’s difficult experiences.

As reported by Hello, she said: "The last five years have been challenging, I'm ready to have my voice heard, that's for sure. A little bit of my experience as her mom."

When Doria met Harry for the first time, she said that “he was just really nice and they looked really happy together, like he was the one.”

Later in the Netflix series, Doria revealed that she was being "stalked" by paparazzi when Meghan and Harry first got together, which made her feel "unsafe".

She said: "I felt unsafe a lot. I can't just go walk my dogs, I can't just go to work. There was always someone there waiting for me, following me to work. I was being stalked by the paparazzi.”