Meghan and Harry pose with Rita Ora and Sam Ryder at Invictus Games closing ceremony
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reconnected with famous friends as they posed with Rita Ora and Sam Ryder at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf last night.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, and the Duke, 3 9, posed for a snap with the singers, who both performed at the closing ceremony in Germany on Saturday. .
Meghan looked typically chic in an £830 Cult Gaia dress, which she paired with nude stilettos from Aquazzurra.
Meanwhile, Harry looked dapper in a black suit and matching black shirt, which he teamed with smart shoes.
The couple often chats with celebrities near their home in Montecito, California, so Saturday was no exception.
Meghan and Prince Harry appeared in good spirits as they joined celebrity friends Rita Ora and Sam Ryder (right) at the Invictus Games
Prince Harry, who served in the British Army for 10 years and completed two tours of Afghanistan, has created a Paralympic-style competition for wounded, sick and injured military personnel and veterans, with the first event taking place in 2014.
Rita wowed in a glamorous dress as she posed backstage with the royal couple before taking to the stage to perform six of her hit songs.
The singer gave a very energetic performance as she showed off her impressive vocals and ran across the stage to entertain the crowd.
Rita wore sheer criss-cross tights that showed off her slim pins, and a matching long-sleeved jacket over it.
The royal couple are used to working with A-list celebrities, having had close ties with the likes of Serena Williams and Misha Nonoo for years. They also recently met Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey.
Others in the Sussexes’ trusted circle include Gayle King, Misan Harriman and Sophie Trudeau, as well as Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank.
Tyler Perry has become one of Harry and Meghan’s closest friends since they moved to California – but they first connected before their 2018 wedding.
Meghan revealed in the Sussexes’ Netflix documentary that Perry sent her a letter expressing his condolences about how she was estranged from her father Thomas.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, and the Duke, 39, beamed at the closing ceremony in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Saturday
Rita put on a very energetic performance as she showed off her impressive vocals and ran across the stage to entertain the crowd
She said on the programme: ‘I’d never met him before. He said he was praying for me, and that if I ever needed anything, he would be there.”
Perry then invited Meghan and Harry to move into his £16 million, 18-bedroom Los Angeles home in 2020 – without even meeting them.
The couple spent six weeks there before later moving into their first home together, the £12 million mansion in Montecito where they now live.
The trio have since become close friends, and Perry is now Lilibet’s godfather, but told the Netflix documentary that he did so on the condition that he would not be involved in a royal ceremony in a church in Britain.
Perhaps Meghan and Harry’s most famous friend is Oprah Winfrey, who conducted the bombshell interview with the couple in 2021 that sparked massive fallout over a series of allegations, including racism and bullying.
Meghan and Harry are no strangers to posing with celebrities. Kerry Washington, Kelly Rowland and Meghan Markle at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles earlier this month
Harry recently went to LAFC and was pictured with Rob McElhenney
Meghan is also a Beyonce fan and has posed with the music legend
Meghan is also good friends with Serena Williams and has shared photos with her
Later, reflecting on the CBS interview last September, Oprah — a close neighbor of the couple in Montecito — claimed she “didn’t set out to do a bombshell interview.”
She added: ‘I was as surprised by the bomb as everyone else. I did an interview to give them a platform, to tell their story about why they left.”
In March this year, Oprah said the couple had not consulted her about whether they would attend the King’s coronation – leading to some claims on Twitter that she was distancing herself from them.
But there is no suggestion they have had a falling out, and she has always been very respectful of the Sussexes in interviews.
Meghan’s relationship with Serena Williams dates back to 2010 and is one of the longest friendships the Duchess has had with a major celebrity.
They met for the first time at the Super Bowl that year and then again at the 2014 event in New York.
Meghan then started seeing Williams at tennis tournaments, including the 2014 US Open and 2015 Australian Open.
Williams recalled to Vanity Fair in 2017 that after she started dating Harry, Meghan told her, “You have to be who you are, Meghan. You can’t hide.’
The tennis star and her husband Alexis Ohanian attended Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May 2018 – and then Meghan watched Williams at Wimbledon in June that year, joining Kate in the Royal Box. They did so again in July 2019.
They also have people with whom there have been alleged feuds, including Jessica Mulroney and Tom Inskip – while others such as Lizzie Cundy, Ninaki Priddy and Millie Mackintosh have spoken openly about the breakdown of their relationship.