A special bond! Meghan Markle and Serena Williams have had each other’s backs for years.
The former Suits star and the tennis champion first hit it off when they were put on the same flag football team at DIRECTV’s Celebrity Beach Bowl in February 2014. In the months following the event, Meghan started showing support for Williams at her tennis matches and more.
“My eyes are closed but my heart is so open!” Meghan captioned a sweet snap of the pair in September 2016 via Instagram. “So proud of your new collection @serenawilliams Happy I could be there to support you xx #NYFW.”
Though Meghan started spending more time in London after she met Prince Harry, her friendship with Williams didn’t suffer. The athlete even attended the couple’s royal wedding in May 2018.
“You know, I’ve known Meghan for years, so it was good to see my friend happy,” Williams told InStyle in June 2018 about the nuptials.
Less than a year later, the Grand Slam title winner planned Meghan’s New York City baby shower at the Mark Hotel in New York City in February 2019. (The Duchess of Sussex was pregnant with son Archie at the time.)
“Planning something like that takes a lot of effort,” Williams said in an interview with Business of Fashion in April 2019. “I’m a perfectionist, so I’m like, ‘Let’s make it perfect.’”
Williams proved to be a good friend once again in January 2020 after Meghan and Harry announced their plans to step back from the royal family.
“Yeah. I have absolutely no comments on anything with that,” Williams quipped after a reporter asked how she felt about Meghan’s “extraordinary and historic” move during a post-match interview at the Australian Open. “But good try. You tried. You did good.”
Harry and Meghan made their royal exit permanent in February 2021. Several months later, they welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet Diana, in June 2021.
Scroll through to read Meghan and Williams’ best quotes about each other:
