Photo: Bart Lenoir & MattKeeble.com / Shutterstock
They have plenty of friends in high places now that they're in North America
By Rebekah Kuschmider — Written on Sep 12, 2020
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are leaning in to their new, post-royal life this summer. They have moved from Canada to Los Angeles and they are developing plans for their next steps. They are looking to get into film production and they recently signed with a speaking agent and they plan to be available to talk about topics that matter to them — for a pretty hefty fee, we might add.
They are also continuing to raise their son, Archie, who is now 16 months old. As we all know, finding the right support system is critical for both new parents and for people making major career changes. The royal couple is lucky enough to already have a big network of Hollywood power players that they can turn to for advice, support, or a playdate with the kids.
Who are the celebrity friends of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry?
Behold, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's celebrity friends:
1. Oprah
Oprah was a guest at their wedding in 2018 and, though we don't know the specific origin of their friendship, it seems like she has been a source of support and encouragement since they decided to walk away from royal life. Let's face it, wouldn't any of us have consulted Oprah on big life decisions if we had the chance? The royal couple had the chance and they took advantage of their friendship with the queen of self-actualization. She was one of the people that the couple allegedly turned to for advice on starting their new life and Oprah encouraged them to take the steps to start their next phase away from Buckingham Palace. She downplayed her own role in their decision, however. “Meghan and Harry do not need my help figuring out what’s best for them,” she said. “I care about them both and support whatever decisions they make for their family.
Harry and Meghan in 2020.
2. Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry is a Hollywood powerhouse, with a long history of film production, something the couple is getting ready to do themselves. Markle and Prince Harry just inked a distribution with Netflix as well as founded their own production company, which slated to begin making documentaries. erry may have been giving them advice and support on business dealings behind the scenes. More publicly, he let the couple use one of his homes in L.A. as a place to stay for a while as they got settled into their new California life. They have been shacking up in his $18 million dollar mansion for at least a few weeks now.
3. Serena Williams
At the time of this writing, Williams is in New York vying for her seventh U.S. Open Title. And while Markle can't be there in person to cheer on her friend due to COVID-10 restrictions, we can bet she's cheering her on from a distance. Markle met the tennis superstar in 2014 at a charity event and they immediately hit it off. They have kept in close touch over the years, sticking by each other during good times and bad. Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian attended the royal wedding and hosted Markle's New York City baby shower in 2019. Williams' daughter Olympia is three years old and Markle's son is almost 18 months so there are opportunities for adorable celebrity playdates now that they're all in the U.S.
4. George and Amal Clooney
Meghan and Harry have suggested that they want to expand their humanitarian work and there is no one better to advise them on that than international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney. In fact, Prince Charles named an award honoring inspirational young women after Ms. Clooney, so they are royal insiders as well as Hollywood royalty. She and her husband, actor George Clooney first met the royal pair at a charity event before they were married and the have remained friends. The power couple attended the royal wedding and the after-party at Frogmore Cottage. Since then, they have all vacationed together at the Clooney's famous Lake Como villa and see each other socially when they can.
5. Elton John
If you want someone who can be on your side no matter which side of the pond you're on, Elton John is the one to choose. The singer — and Commander of the Order of the British Empire — has been a longtime friend of the entire royal family and has known them since the 1970s. He was very close to Prince Harry's mother Princess Diana and feels strongly that an intrusive tabloid press led to her death in 1998. When the media started criticizing Prince Harry and Markle for leaving their royal jobs behind, John jumped to their defense on social media tweeting, "I highly respect and applaud both Harry and Meghan’s commitment to charity and I’m calling on the press to cease these relentless and untrue assassinations on their character that are spuriously crafted on an almost daily basis."
6. Priyanka Chopra
Markle has known Chopra since 2016 when they met at a Women in Television event and bonded over their shared love of both acting and philanthropy. Chopra has been a steady friend to the Duchess since then and has always been quick to point out that there is more to Markle than the man she married. She admires her work with organizations like World Vision and One Young World and her recent commitment to environmental issues. Chopra was at the royal wedding and attended Markle's baby shower as well. Unfortunately, Markle wasn't able to make it to Chopra's December 2018 nuptials to Nick Jonas but that never put a damper on their friendship, especially now that they're back on the same coast.
7. James Corden
The beloved British-born late-night host has been friends with Prince Harry for a long time and was a guest at the wedding. The Prince even asked him to do a comedy performance at the private reception at Frogmore Cottage afterwards, which Corden was happy to oblige. Rumor had it that he entertained the intimate gathering by impersonating Henry VIII but he later corrected the record. “Harry asked if I would do like a performance of some kind. And so I did it, yeah. It wasn’t really dressed as Henry VIII, it was just dressed in a kind of Tudor outfit. But I guess I look a bit like Henry VIII, so that’s probably why,” Corden shared on his show. The couple hasn't done many television appearances since moving to North America but if they want to have a friendly platform to talk to the public, Corden would likely provide them with that opportunity
8. Michelle Obama
If there is anyone other than Oprah who you might call for advice about living a public life, Michelle Obama would be an outstanding choice. And it seems like the Royal Sussexes have the Obamas in their contact lists if they ever want to call. Markle and the former First Lady have met to discuss women's empowerment issues in the past and they both spoke at the Girl Up event earlier this summer. These days, the royal couple and the former First Couple have a truly Hollywood connection: they both have the same speaking agent.
9. Beyonce and Jay-Z
It seems kind of amazing that Harry and Meghan hadn't met Beyonce and Jay-Z until last year but that's the truth. Onvuisly, they all knew of each other before they got a face-to-face meeting but they hadn't connected until the Carters attended the London opening of the Lion King in 2019. When they met ont he red carpet, Beyonce reportedly shared some words of parenting wisdom for the new parents, reminding them to take time for themselves.
10. Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriquez
We don't know if polo-lover Harry has become a baseball fan but he and Markle reportedly are friendly with J-Lo and A-Rod. They met in Miami last year and went on a double date in February. Lopez even invited them over with baby Archie to spend quality family time with the Lopez-Rodriguez clan in a more private setting.
11. Her castmates from Suits.
Markle has stayed friendly with a lot of the actors who were on Suits with her before she left the show. Patrick J. Adams, Gina Torres, Sarah Rafferty, Gabriel Macht, Rick Hoffman, and Abigail Spencer were all in attendance at the royal wedding and might be ready to resume friendships now that their former costar is back in Los Angeles.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. She is the creator of the blog FeminXer and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.