Inside the Friendship of Meghan Markle & Oprah 》

Meghan Markle set the world on fire when she and Prince Harry decided to leave royal life behind and settle in America. But they have had an easy time settling in because of one very famous person: Oprah Winfrey!

Oprah’s fame and influence is vast, and anyone would be lucky to have her as a friend. Want the full scoop on their relationship? Here is a deeper look inside the friendship of Meghan Markle and Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah helps Meghan settle into America

We don’t know exactly when Markle first met Winfrey. But it looks like their friendship kicked into high gear when Markle was first making her way to America.

Before they settled into their current digs, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry actually crashed at Tyler Perry’s mansion in Los Angeles. The rebellious royals did not personally know Perry, but Vanity Fair reported that Oprah made the connection on their behalf.

At the time, it seemed like Oprah helping Markle out might have been a one-time deal. But as time went on, the talk show guru kept finding new ways to help the couple settle into their new country.

Oprah introduces Meghan to her social circle

Crashing in Tyler Perry’s mansion was only a temporary affair. But Oprah clearly left an impression on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. When they decided to buy a home of their own, the two of them actually ended up in Oprah’s neighborhood!

Markle and Harry both live in Santa Barbara now, and this is where Oprah owns several properties. She wasted no time introducing her new neighbors to some of her existing friends, including self-help expert Brené Brown.

Meeting this particular neighbor was likely very exciting for the couple. During a video call with the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust network, one person quoted Brown’s work. In response, Markle responded by saying (via Town and Country Mag) “we absolutely adore” Brown.

Oprah is the queen of self-help gurus like Brown (she discovered Dr. Phil after all). But it turns out she’s also helped Markle with financial advice.

Oprah endorsed one of Meghan’s investments

When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry first left royal life behind, one question many people had was how they would make money. While both of them are very financially comfortable, they would presumably need to find new sources of income after moving to America.

One way Markle has done this is by making selective investments, including in the vegan coffee brand Clevr. And Markle sees this as an act of solidarity as well as a sound investment. She said in a statement (via Business Insider), “This investment is in support of a passionate female entrepreneur who prioritizes building community alongside her business.”

To help her investment succeed, Oprah wasted no time in helping to promote the brand. She shared a video on Instagram (where she has 19 million followers) to dub Clevr “My new drink of choice for the morning and night.”

Oprah is also friends with Meghan’s mom

At this point, Oprah might as well be a member of Markle’s family. After all, she is already a close friend to Doria Ragland, Markle’s mother.

Back when Meghan and Harry first announced they were leaving the U.K., Oprah helped an overwhelmed Ragland. For her part, Ragland had to deal with countless media inquiries and annoying paparazzi eager to hear news about her daughter and son-in-law.

Media maven Oprah helped her to navigate this controversy and come out on the other side. It helps that she was actually friends with Ragland well before this — the two of them met at Markle’s wedding and have hung out many times since then.

At the time, some cynics thought Oprah was buttering Ragland up for an exclusive interview. But Oprah laughingly dismissed these critics complaining about her gifts, saying (via Harper’s Bazaar), “For all of the people who said I am getting her gifts and I’m trying to bribe her for an interview — they were kumquats. If kumquats can get you an interview, I’m all for it!”

Then again, those kumquats might lead to profit after all. Wait until you see what Oprah is working on with Prince Harry thanks to their close friendship!

Oprah and Harry are partnering on a new TV show

At this point, Oprah has long transcended her roots as a talk show host. She now sits atop a full-blown media empire. And she’s willing to exercise some of her media influence to help Meghan Markle and Prince Harry bring their dreams to life.

For example, she is partnering with Prince Harry to bring a new mental health documentary series to Apple TV+. Harry will be serving as an executive producer for the first time and Oprah is helping to show him the ropes.

According to Harry (via Mirror), the point of the show is to feature “global stories of unparalleled human spirit fighting back from the darkest places, and the opportunity for us to understand ourselves and those around us better.”

It is unknown if Harry or Oprah will appear on camera or narrate, as the production has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But with Oprah behind the project, it’s sure to be a success when it comes out.

A friendship that opens doors

Some cynics don’t think a wealthy and famous couple like Meghan Markle and Prince Harry necessarily needed Oprah’s help. But the truth is that if you want to boost your bottom line, Oprah is one of the most powerful people to have in your corner.

The items that she featured on her “My Favorite Things” typically sold like hotcakes. This included keychains being sold by college student Emma Johnson. After Oprah featured these keychains in 2015 and 2016, Johnson said (via E!) that her recommendation “single-handedly enabled me to cover my four-year college education to the tune of $250,000.”

Nowadays, Oprah rubs shoulders with famous and influential figures such as Barack Obama. And all the famous faces she knows may be especially good for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who are busily trying to rebrand themselves here in America.

Ultimately, they are quite lucky: no one knows as much about building a powerful and influential brand as Oprah Winfrey!