Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's celeb pals – George Clooney bond to 'snub' from Obamas

Since their decision to step back from royal duties, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had forged a number of celebrity friendships.

Unable to lean on the support of the royal family, the couple have created a new inner circle made up of a number of celebrities.

From Hollywood stars, to former presidents, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s support bubble is wide-ranging.

After moving to Montecito in California, the pair have also made a number of A-list neighbours and created a new life in LA.

For Prince Harry’s 37th birthday, we took a look at the famous friendships he and Meghan have made.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah’s friendship with the couple began in 2018, when Meghan invited her to Kensington Palace.

Oprah then hosted Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, at her home in Montecito, California, and sent her home with a basket of kumquats.

In 2019, Harry and Oprah began working together on an Apple TV docuseries about mental health called “The Me You Can’t See.”

When Meghan and Harry decided to tell their story for the first time, they granted friend Oprah the coveted interview.

They now live down the road from each other in Montecito.

George and Amal Clooney

The friendship between the Sussexes and the Clooneys became clear when they attended the royal wedding and even made the cut for the intimate Frogmore House after-party.

“Meghan and Amal have known each other for a while [and share] many interests,” an insider told People magazine in 2018.

“Amal has been helping Meghan settle into London life. It was a very natural friendship from day one.”

According to Omid Scobie, Harry and George also bonded over their hobbies.

“George and Harry have a shared passion for motorcycles and checked out George’s collection and they also played basketball together,” the royal source said to Good Morning America.

Speaking about his friendship with the Sussexes, Clooney also told the MailOnline in 2019 that they had enjoyed dinner parties together.

“We live not too far from one another and we have dinners and stuff and we’re friends with them for all the reasons that you’re friends with anybody,” the actor told the publication.

“They’re just really nice, fun, kind people. They’re a very loving couple, and they’re going to be great parents.”

Elton John and David Furnish

Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish were among the guests at the Sussexes’ wedding, and they’ve since offered Meghan and Harry their private jet for a stay at their French home in Nice.

Elton also appeared on first episode of the Sussexes’ new podcast Archewell Audio.

While David recently said the couple were “like family” to him and his husband, who are among the Sussexes’ US neighbours.

“We have a lot in common with Harry and Meghan,” he told the Press Association.

“Elton and Prince Harry launched our MenStar Coalition at the International Aids Conference in Amsterdam, we’ve raised money and given money to Sentebale, his HIV/Aids children’s charity work in Lesotho.

“And Meghan and he both share a great love of Africa and so much of the work we do is based in Africa.”

Michelle and Barack Obama

The former First Couple are believed to be good friends of Harry and Meghan and royal correspondent Katie Nicholl recently claimed she believes the Sussexes are modelling themselves on the Obamas.

The Obamas made a production deal with Netflix in 2018, which the Sussexes soon copied with their own deal.

However, the extent of the friendship is unknown after the Sussexes were recently left off the guest list for Obama’s star-studded 60th birthday bash, a move in which many believe came as a blow to the couple.

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom

Harry, Markle, and their 2-year-old son, Archie, became neighbours with actor Orlando Bloom and his fiancée, Katy Perry, in July, when the royals moved into their $14.65 million estate in Montecito, California, next to Katy and Orlando’s home.

On a 2021 episode of Dax Shepard’s podcast “Armchair Expert,” Prince Harry revealed that he and Orlando text each other when there are photographers in the area

“Just two days ago Orlando Bloom sent me a message because he’s down the road and we sort of keep in contact because of the paparazzi,” Harry said.

Orlando signed on to play Harry in the HBO satirical cartoon The Prince, a move that Harry apparently was aware of and okay with.

Creator of the show Gary Janetti said: “I don’t know if Harry has said anything to Orlando about it, but I know before the show premiered, he was aware that Orlando was doing it. And he seemed to have a sense of humour about it.”

David and Victoria Beckham

The Beckhams became friends with the royal family through attending many functions together over the years, and were guests at the royal wedding.

David told Esquire in 2013 that they have a “very normal relationship.”

David has also stayed in touch with Harry since he stepped back from his royal duties.

“I haven’t spoken to Harry about him moving. We speak as friends and that’s the most important thing for me,” Beckham told Entertainment Tonight in 2020.

“I think he’s enjoying being a young father for the first time and that’s what we always spoke about. When you are a parent, it changes everything for you. He always needs to be happy.”

Serena Williams

Serena Williams and Meghan first crossed paths at a charity football game back in 2014.

Writing on her website, The Tig, Meghan said: We hit it off immediately, taking pictures, laughing and chatting—not about tennis or acting, but about good old-fashioned girly stuff.

“So began our friendship… She quickly became a confidante I would text when I was travelling, the friend I would rally around for her tennis matches, and the down-to-earth chick I was able to grab lunch with a couple of weeks ago in Toronto.”

“Her personality just shines. I told her, ‘You’ve got to be who you are, Meghan. You can’t hide,’” the tennis pro told Vanity Fair.

Serena and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, attended the couple’s wedding in 2018.

Serena is believed to live near to the Sussexes in LA and has come out in support of her friend since the Oprah interview, writing on Instagram: “Meghan Markle, my selfless friend, lives her life – and leads by example – with empathy and compassion.

“She teaches me every day what is means to be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she’s experienced.”

Katharine McPhee and David Foster

Meghan and Katharine attended the same school growing up and remain good friends.

Katherine’s husband David Foster then helped arrange for the royal couple to stay in a friend’s Vancouver Island mansion.

“I felt honored that I was able to help Meghan there, because I’m a Canadian and we’re a commonwealth country, we’re the Crown’s. It’s important to us, so I grew up with that kind of sentiment,” David told the Daily Mail in 2020. “I was really happy to be able to help them to find a respite just to take a little time off.”

Katherine told Access Hollywood in 2020 that Harry and David, 71, also share a close bond.

“My husband has a really, really beautiful relationship with Harry. They’re like, they’re so cute. They’re like father and son,” she said.

Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry stepped in for Harry and Meghan at a time when their lives were in flux.

After the palace told them they would stop receiving security after stepping down from their royal duties, Tyler Perry offered his home and security detail to the couple.

“We didn’t have a plan,” Meghan said. “We needed a house, and he offered his security as well, so it gave us breathing room to try to figure out what we were going to do,” she said of Tyler.

Harry and Markle stayed at Tyler’s home for three months, then they decided to stay in California and purchased their own home in Montecito.

For more Royal Family stories from the Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.

Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk