Meghan Markle found a reliable ally in Oprah Winfrey in 2018, shortly before marrying Prince Harry . The former Suits actress is said…
Meghan Markle found a reliable ally in Oprah Winfrey in 2018, shortly before marrying Prince Harry.
The former Suits actress is said to have developed a friendship with her while collaborating on a project, during which Oprah served as a mentor and guide to the Duchess of Sussex.
Since then, the renowned talk show host has been a steadfast supporter of the royal couple, standing by them as they stepped back from their royal duties, relocated to California and embarked on new business ventures.
In 2020, when Harry and Meghan announced their decision to step down as senior royals, Oprah told TMZ: ‘I support them 1,000 per cent.’
Their bond has only strengthened over the years, especially after the Sussexes moved into a $14 million Montecito mansion, just a short distance from Oprah’s own luxurious estate.
Here, we explore how Oprah has been a constant presence in Meghan and Harry’s lives since they tied the knot.
Plugging Meghan’s favourite skincare brand on her Favourite Things List
Oprah plugged a luxury bodycare set, gifted by ‘her neighbour Meghan’, on her Favourite Things List 2024.
The talk show host publishes a gift guide on her website ahead of the festive season.
This year, she included a Tatcha set, containing Hinoki Body Wash, Hinoki Body Milk, and Hinoki Body Oil, which are fragranced with the brand’s Forest Awakening Essential Oil Blend.
On Oprah Daily, the star explained how she was introduced to Tatcha’s range by the former Suits actress, who is close friends with the brand’s co-founder Vicky Tsai.
She gushed: ‘I loved it because it was sent to me by a neighbour, friend actually, Meghan Markle. If you were to come in my house right now and film my bath tub, you would see these three things.’
Vicky, who is a fellow Montecito resident, appeared in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix series, where she was labelled as a ‘friend’.
Meghan is a loyal supporter of Tatcha. In 2019, she sent her baby shower guests home with goodie bags, including Rice Polish, which serves as an exfoliant to ‘polish skin for a healthy glow’.
Five years earlier, Meghan told Allure magazine: ‘I really love the Tatcha Rice Enzyme Powder. It just sort of foams on your face and gives you a really subtle exfoliation.’
And in 2014, the Duchess raved about Tatcha’s Face Moisture Mask in an interview with Glamour – labelling it as one of her most-loved beauty treatments.
…and Eberjey loungewear
However, the Tatcha set isn’t the only Meghan Markle-approved present in Oprah’s gift guide.
The TV star also featured Eberjey’s Renew Plush Long Robe, which is another brand that seems to have received the duchess’s stamp of approval.
Oprah said: ‘A robe that wraps a person in a cloud of softness can take the edge off even the earliest morning or the coldest day – and is something friends and family won’t splurge on for themselves.’
In 2011, Meghan famously wore a pair of the brand’s Gisele Pyjamas on the set of Suits, customised with Rachel Zane’s (the character Meghan played in the show) name.
The female-founded loungewear label also counts Jessica Alba, Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez and Nicola Peltz as fans.
Inviting Meghan to her book club
In September, Meghan attended Oprah’s book club session at the new godmother’s bookstore in Summerland, just a few miles from their neighbourhood.
The duchess was one of several speakers who addressed the crowd at the event, taking place on the eve of the second anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
The star-studded occasion was attended by actor Marco Leone and author, teacher and psychic medium Laura Lynne Jackson, both of whom highlighted Meghan on their Instagram stories and reels.
The bookstore appeared to be promoting several celebrity books, including Meghan’s children’s book The Bench and Prince Harry’s memoir, displayed front-and-centre in the shop, on its ‘hometown heroes’ shelf.
While it is unclear what Meghan said in her speech, the crowd appeared to approve, with Jackson branding her as one of the evening’s ‘light-filled speakers’.
Promoting coffee Meghan has invested in
In 2021, Meghan sent Oprah a PR gift featuring coffee from a brand she had invested in the previous year.
The television host shared the basket of coffee latte treats to her 19 million followers on Instagram, captioning the post: ‘On the first day of Christmas my neighbour ‘M’ sent to me… A basket of deliciousness! (Yes that M).’
It later emerged that the duchess had invested an undisclosed sum in Clevr Blends, marking her first venture since officially stepping back from royal duties to become ‘financially independent’.
The brand, which was founded in Santa Barbara in January 2019, specialises in a range of lattes that come in powder form.
Meghan revealed the investment into the female-founded business in a statement shared with Fortune, which read: ‘This investment is in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritises building community alongside her business.’
Gifting a library of books to Archie
Oprah gifted Archie, now five, a library of books when he was born in May 2019.
It is a ‘standard gift’ that the talk show host gives ‘people that she really cares about’, according to an interview with Access Hollywood.
‘I don’t know the baby’s name or the baby’s gender, but this baby will have enough books to last a lifetime!’ she said.
On Archie’s first birthday, a video of Meghan reading to her son was shared on Save the Children UK’s Instagram page in support of the charity’s #SavewithStories campaign.
The heartfelt clip featured a book called Duck! Rabbit! with a sticker reading ‘Archie’s Book Club’ on the front cover.
Hosting THAT interview
Oprah famously filmed a bombshell interview with Harry and Meghan in 2021, which caused a huge fallout over a series of allegations about life in the Royal Family and its entourage, including racism and bullying.
Later reflecting on the interview on CBS in September 2022, Oprah claimed she ‘didn’t set out to do a bombshell interview’.
She added: ‘I was as surprised by the bombshell as everybody else. I was doing an interview to offer them a platform to tell their story about why they left.’
Chatting in the sun-kissed garden of a Californian mansion, which turned out to owned by a friend of Oprah’s, a heavily-pregnant Meghan described her challenging time in the Royal Family.
She related how she had to turn over her passport, driver’s licence, keys and other personal belongings when she moved into the cramped confines of Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
She recalled watching the Little Mermaid cartoon and relating to Ariel, the mermaid who exchanges her voice for legs in order to marry her prince.
‘She falls in love with a prince and because of that she loses her voice.’
Oprah asked the now famous question, ‘Were you silent or silenced?’
‘The latter,’ Meghan replied.
Attending Harry and Meghan’s wedding
Oprah was one of the many celebrities attending Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May 2018.
However, her appearance raised a few eyebrows, with many observing they had no idea the billionaire even knew the couple.
Oprah had been invited to the ceremony at St George’s Chapel, inside Windsor Castle, despite only having reportedly met Meghan face-to-face once.
According to The Times, their initial encounter happened when Oprah ‘found herself in London’ and was invited by Meghan to meet her at Kensington Palace in March.
It is not thought Oprah had ever met Harry in person.
The American talk show host ‘broke the internet’ as she attended the wedding and gave a first-hand account on her blog.
Her brief report on the day, published in Oprah Magazine, gave little insight into their friendship.
Inviting Meghan’s mother to her home for yoga
Oprah invited Meghan’s mother, Dora, to a yoga session at her California home three weeks before the royal wedding.
Speaking to ET at the premiere of her TV series Love Is in Los Angeles, Oprah revealed that she and Doria spent the afternoon together at her $88 million ‘Promised Land’ mansion bonding, doing yoga and eating kumquats from her garden.
She also took the opportunity to fire back at the suggestion that she had used the meeting in order to discuss the chance of interviewing Doria in the wake of her daughter’s marriage to Harry.
Doria was seen leaving Oprah’s house after a six-hour visit, carrying a selection of gifts including a basket containing some of the TV star’s favourite things.
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