A day after their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey, the world has joined in solidarity as Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, revealed their raw truth about the events that led up to them quitting royal life and building a new home for themselves in Los Angeles. Yet, even as the inevitable fallout gathers momentum in the UK press, there are several famous faces who have continued to support the Duke and the Duchess even when the chips were down. Here’s a look at their inner circle of celebrity friends.
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Tyler Perry: It was during the sit down with Oprah Winfrey that the world learned that it was filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry who stepped up for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during their hour of need after being cut off from the royal family while they were in Canada in 2020 with their son Archie. “While we were in Canada, in someone else’s house, I then got told, short notice, that security was going to be removed,” Harry said during the interview. “At this point, everyone knew, thanks to the Daily Mail, our exact location. So suddenly it dawned on me, ‘Hang on, the borders could be closed, we’re going to have our security removed, who knows how long lockdown is going to be, the world knows where we are, it’s not safe, it’s not secure, we probably need to get out of here,’” Harry said.
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With their security removed and the couple landing in Los Angeles with no plan, their close friend Perry stepped in and invited the trio to live at one of his homes in California while providing them with his own security. Meghan said that it was able to give them a moment “to breathe” as they tried to figure out their next step.
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Katharine McPhee: The Canadian actress-singer, known for her appearance in the TV series ‘Scorpion’, has been Meghan’s friend during the teenage years. It is said that it was McPhee who invited the royal couple to her home in Canada when they sought refuge after stepping down as senior royals. McPhee and her husband David Foster invited the couple to stay at their home and ride out the pandemic, but after the press got to know where Harry and Meghan were holed up, the couple fled to Los Angeles and into Tyler Perry’s home.
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George and Amal Clooney: Two of the celebrity guests who were invited to the royal wedding, the Clooneys have often spoken out in defence of Meghan and called out the British press for hounding the Duchess with racial bias. After their wedding in 2018, it was rumoured and then written up in ‘Finding Freedom’ that Prince Harry and Meghan flew down to the Clooneys private villa at Lake Como in Italy and had the use of their private jet.
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Patrick J Adams: Meghan’s co-star on ‘Suits’ may have drifted apart after sharing a close working relationship with the former actress but that didn’t stop him from speaking out in her defence when allegations of bullying were levelled against her earlier this month. In a series of tweets, Adams defended the Duchess writing: “Meghan Markle and I spent the better part of a decade working together on Suits. From day one she was an enthusiastic, kind, cooperative, giving, joyful and supportive member of our television family. She remained that person and colleague as fame, prestige and power accrued.”
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Adams spoke of her finding love with Prince Harry while watching on the sidelines as she got pushed down by the tabloids. “It sickened me to read the endless racist, slanderous, clickbaiting vitriol spewed in her direction from all manner of media across the UK and the world but I also knew that Meghan was stronger than people realized or understood and they would regret underestimating her. And then they welcomed Archie. And on any sort of decent planet that would be a time to stop sharpening the knives and let these two people enjoy the magical early months and years of starting a family. But we don’t live on that planet and instead the hunt continued. It’s OBSCENE that the Royal Family, who’s newest member is currently GROWING INSIDE OF HER, is promoting and amplifying accusations of “bullying” against a woman who herself was basically forced to flea [sic] the UK in order protect her family and her own mental health.” The actor has also come out and cheered for the royal couple following the Winfrey interview.
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Serena Williams: The tennis star, who shares a close relationship with Meghan and was even present at the wedding and her baby shower, posted a message of solidarity for the Duchess of Sussex following that explosive interview with Winfrey. “Megan Markle, my selfless friend, lives her life – and leads by example – with empathy and compassion,” Williams wrote on Instagram.
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“She teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she’s experienced. I know first hand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of colour to minimise us, to break us down and demonise us. We must recognise our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism. The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimisation are devastating, isolating and all too of lethal,” she added. Williams ended her note by saying: “I want Meghan’s daughter, my daughter, and your daughter to live in a society that is driven by respect.” During her interview with Winfrey, Meghan and Prince Harry revealed they were expecting a girl in the summer.
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Elton John: Elton John and his partner David Furnish were among the guests at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan, with the singer also sharing a close friendship with the late Princess Diana. With the media hounding getting to breaking point in 2019, it was said that John and Furnish lent their private jet to Harry and Meghan for a stay at their home in Nice. In fact, years later, when the royal couple launched their Archewell Audio, John even appeared on the first episode of Prince Harry and Meghan’s new podcast.
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Oprah Winfrey: The talk show host’s close relationship with Harry and Meghan is out for the world to see following that tell-all interview on CBS. Shunning the British tabloids, Harry and Meghan chose to share their side of the story through a sit down with Winfrey, where the couple chatted about their breakdown with the royal family and their ordeal during the three years before they made their break for Los Angeles. It was also Winfrey who first learned that Meghan had contemplated suicide following the pressures of royal life, while also revealing that there had been ‘conversations’ over how dark-skinned her son Archie would be. Such a revelation could only have been possible by Winfrey and the warm relationship she shares with the royal couple.
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