Serena Williams was spotted enjoying a glass of champagne while supporting Meghan Markle at a charity polo match.
The Grand Slam champion was spotted at the event in Miami on Friday, giggling and gossiping with the Duchess on the sidelines of the Sentebale Polo Cup.
The 42-year-old wore a stunning combination of a white skirt and black top as she hugged Prince Harry – having grown close to the couple since they started dating.
The highly anticipated competition is held every year in aid of Sentebale, the charity Harry co-founded in 2006 and which supports young people and children in southern Africa.
The Grand Slam champion was spotted at the Miami event on Friday, giggling and gossiping with the Duchess on the sidelines of the Sentebale Polo Cup
The 42-year-old wore a stunning combination of a white skirt and black top as she hugged Prince Harry – having grown close to the couple since they started dating
Meghan Markle and Serena Williams (pictured in 2014) first met at a Super Bowl party in 2010 and eventually became good friends
The Duke captained the Royal Salute Sentebale team against the Grand Champions, led by his close friend Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras.
Meghan Markle and Serena Williams first met at a Super Bowl party in 2010 and eventually became good friends.
The Duchess of Sussex and the US tennis champion chatted on the Royal Family’s first Archetypes podcast on Spotify about the double standards women face when they are labeled ‘ambitious’.
Serena, who has now retired from tennis, explained during the first episode of the series that she is “super loyal, to a point” after being “friends for so long” with the Duchess.
They claimed they had their first “real hangout” at the DirecTV Beach Bowl in 2014, though they briefly crossed paths at the SuperBowl in 2010.
Meghan, who was starring in Suits at the time, wrote on her now-defunct blog The Tig: ‘We hit it off straight away, we took pictures, laughed during the flag football game we both played in, and didn’t talk about tennis or acting. but about all the old-fashioned girl stuff. That’s how our friendship started.
According to Mark Hodgkinson in Serena: A Graphic Biography of the Greatest Tennis Champion, the women’s friendship evolved quickly through frequent phone calls and text messages.
Under the title ‘The Misconception of Ambition with Serena Williams’, the Duchess of Sussex spoke with the tennis star in the podcast
The Duchess of Sussex, 41, and the US tennis champion (pictured with husband Alexis Ohanian at Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry), 40, chat on the royal family’s first Archetypes podcast, released today on Spotify, about the double standards women face when labeled as ‘ambitious’
Williams attended Markle’s baby shower in New York City in February 2019, a few months before she gave birth to son Archie with her husband Prince Harry.
After becoming Prince Harry’s girlfriend and then Duchess, Markle relied on Serena for advice on how to deal with the paparazzi and international media.
Serena advised her to “stop being so nice,” according to the author.
And when Meghan learned she was pregnant shortly after Serena’s little girl was born, Serena gave her parenting advice.
Last year, Williams revealed, “We’ve known each other for a long time, but we’ve been really relying on each other a lot lately.”
She added that it was particularly special to see Meghan marry Prince Harry in May 2018.
Serena was one of the first people to defend Meghan following backlash following her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
In a statement on Twitter after the interview aired, Williams described her as a “selfless friend” who “teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble.”
“Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she experienced,” Williams wrote.
“I know firsthand the sexism and racism that institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of color, to minimize us, to tear us down and to demonize us. We must recognize our obligation to denounce malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism.
“The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and too often fatal.
“I want Meghan’s daughter, my daughter and your daughter to live in a society driven by respect.
“Keep in mind the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. There’s no law against such things.’