Prince Harry and Meghan Markle officially announced their engagement four years ago and it’s been a whirlwind rollercoaster journey for them ever since.
The couple may have decided to go it alone when they quit the royal family and cut all ties with the associated staff but that doesn’t mean they’ve faced their struggles with no help.
In fact they have an impressive contact book of celebrity friends who have gone out of their way to support the Sussexes in their relocation to sunny LA.
From some of Hollywood’s most influential actors, to arguably one of the most famous footballers in the world, Meghan and Harry have been given a hand up by some of the most recognisable stars in the world in their quest for independence
Patrick J Adams
(Image: WireImage)
Meghan’s Suits co-star and on-screen husband has always voiced his support for her since she quit her role as Rachel Zane.
When Meghan and Harry announced their engagement he joked on Twitter: “She said she was just going out to get some milk…”
But when things got really serious for Meghan as she and Harry decided to withdraw from royal life, Patrick came out fighting to protect his Hollywood pal and posted a series of scathing tweets about the British media and the royal family.
The actor admitted that he felt “sickened” seeing the “obscene” treatment of her.
Oprah Winfrey
If you didn’t already know that Oprah is a keen advocate of Meghan and Harry we can only assume you’ve been living under a rock for the past year.
The friendship between the couple and one of the best-loved talk show hosts in the USA began back in 2018 when she was invited to visit Meghan at Kensington Palace
Oprah then invited Meghan’s mum, Doria Ragland, over for a social at her home in Montecito, California, gifting her a basket of kumquats.
By 2019 Oprah was collaborating with Harry on an Apple TV docuseries titled The Me You Can’t See, where they addressed mental health issues.
They had moved to her neighbourhood and then decided to grant Oprah her tell-all interview that made shock revelations about their lives as royals.
Tyler Perry
(Image: Getty Images)
Tyler played a pivotal role in Meghan and Harry’s move to the US after their safety became compromised when the location of the Canada-based home they had originally moved to was made public knowledge.
Buckingham Palace had ended their security detail and Tyler stepped in to help the couple by offering them his home and security detail while they found their feet.
Meghan told Oprah: “We didn’t have a plan. 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.”
The couple lived in Tyler’s home for three months before deciding to move to California permanently and buying their Montecito property.
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom
(Image: REUTERS)
Katy and Orlando became Meghan and Harry’s neighbours when they moved into their $14million (£10m) estate in Montecito, California in July just nine months after Katy and Orlando had taken up residence in the area.
Harry has since admitted that the couples share intel on when paparazzi are lurking.
Talking on Dax Shepard’s podcast Armchair Expert, Harry explained: “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.
“He sent me a photograph, which his security got, of this long-haired guy with a beanie on, with his AirPods in, with his massive camera lying in the back of his 4×4 truck, blacked-out windows, a woman driving … and he’s laid down in the back of this truck taking photographs of them out with their kid, and whoever else is in that area. How is that normal? How is that acceptable?”
Ellen DeGeneres
(Image: CBS via Getty Images)
Another household name to add to their influential friend list is talk show host Ellen.
She visited Meghan and Harry in 2019 and then shared snippets of her visit with viewers on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Admitting she had held and fed Archie, so joked: “He weighs 15 pounds, which is, the exchange rate, is 17 dollars here!”
The popular US personality voiced her support for the couple when they were criticised for their usage of private jets in August 2019.
At the time she wrote on Twitter: “Portia and I met Prince Harry and Meghan in England to talk about their work on wildlife conservation
“They were the most down-to-earth, compassionate people. Imagine being attacked for everything you do, when all you’re trying to do is make the world better.”
More recently, Ellen invited Meghan onto her talk show for a fun interview and prank segment.
David and Victoria Beckham
(Image: X00102)
The Beckhams have always been friendly with the royals thanks to mixing in similar circles due to David’s footballing career.
David has maintained a friendship with Harry in particular and in 2013 told Esquire they have a “very normal relationship”.
He has since confirmed the pair would rather chat about fatherhood than focus on anything political.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in 2020 David said: “I haven’t spoken to Harry about him moving. We speak as friends and that’s the most important thing for me.
“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.”
George and Amal Clooney
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Harry became friendly with George thanks to their shared interest in charity and philanthropic causes.
George co-founded both Not on Our Watch, which aims to minimise genocide in Sudan and the Clooney Foundation For Justice which he runs alongside wife Amal, utilising her experience as a human rights lawyer.
Harry meanwhile co-founded his charity Sentebale in 2006. The organisation looks to aid the mental health and well-being of children in Lesotho and Botswana suffering from the effects of HIV.
The Clooneys very famously attended the royal wedding in May 2018.
In August 2018, just months after their nuptials, George reportedly flew the couple in his private jet to his lavish 25-room residence in Lake Como, Italy.
The actor wanted to offer them some respite from the scrutiny they were facing and even provided an unmarked motorcade to transport them to the Villa Oleandra.
James Corden
James and Harry have been firm friends for quite some time now, with James already a relocation expert having transferred his own career across the pond.
The actor turned chat show host has regularly given Harry an outlet to air his thoughts and feelings on a variety of subjects and even pipped Oprah to the post by airing his own chat with Harry just before the couple’s joint interview went out.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
