When Meghan Markle said her vows in front of the watching world, all who looked on would have been touched by the heartfelt lifelong commitment she was making.

For one onlooker, her beloved mother, it was all she could do to blink back tears.

Doria Ragland was the sole representative of the bride's family in the St George's Chapel Quire, just a few yards from the happy couple.

But what her family lacked in numbers, she more than made up for in spirit, with a show of deeply touching maternal support.