Why Everyone Is Convinced Meghan Markle & Venus Williams' Friendship Has Soured

Serena Williams shouted out Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at the 2024 ESPY Awards, proving that their friendship is going strong, but fans are wondering about Markle's relationship with the other Williams sister, Venus Williams. While Markle and Venus never appeared to be as close as Markle and Serena, most fans assumed they shared pleasant correspondence. In 2019, for example, Markle and Venus sat one row apart as they cheered on Serena at Wimbledon. That outing produced the long-beloved photo of Venus embracing Markle from behind during the event. That said, Venus and Markle's relationship likely never matched that of the duchess' bond with Serena.

Interestingly, Venus had a mild reaction to a seemingly dismissive comment Serena made about the Duchess of Sussex in 2020, which ignited fan-fueled speculation they'd fallen out. During a joint interview with Naomi Campbell, Serena shut down the host's attempt to speak on the royal's then-recent move to the United States. "I don't know what you're talking about, don't know nothing about that," she said, adding, "Never seen it, never heard of her, don't know her." The friends have shared a few milestones since then, including Serena's guest stint on Markle's "Archetypes," of course, so that could've just been her sly way of respecting Markle's privacy. Still, for social media users looking to stir up trouble, the possibility of shade was enough to inspire rumors of friendship woes.

Now, they've set their sights on Markle and Venus.

The 2024 ESPY Awards were basically a two-hour bore fest, saved only by the energy of host Serena Williams along with its plentiful celeb cameos. However, there were a couple of meaningful moments, including the when the Pat Tillman Award for Service was presented to 2024's recipient, Prince Harry. And while Venus Williams wasn't among the royal's vocal detractors who felt his status should've disqualified him from receiving the award that's sometimes doled out to underrepresented sports fans who've enriched their communities, some have interpreted her decision to not immediately stand during his speech as a silent co-sign and major middle finger to his wife, Meghan Markle.

"Prince Harry accepted the Pat Tillman award at the ESPYs AGAINST the express wishes of the late American war hero's own mother. And he even had the cheek to refer to her in his acceptance speech. The Ex Duke truly has no shame. No wonder Venus Williams stayed in her seat," tweeted one user on X, formerly known as Twitter. A second user turned their criticism to Markle, tweeting, "Meghan was using her claw to hold onto him because she wanted him to invite her on stage as well. That's why Venus Williams was giving her an epic side eye and why Meghan had her fake smile on." However, as the New York Post pointed out, the cameras eventually cut to Venus standing as Harry addressed the crowd.

That said, you shouldn't underestimate people's ability to spin things.

Meghan Markle's haters really love to perpetuate the narrative that everyone she crosses paths with secretly hates her. That's why they went to such lengths to support the very lacking evidence about Venus Williams' feelings toward Markle and Prince Harry. However, you have to appreciate a creative effort when you see one, as some fans went a step further, alleging that Venus and Markle were feuding over fashion, of all things. "Once again, not an original idea or thought... this bih copied Venus dress!! I just found this, no wonder Venus is look at her like WTF," tweeted one user, alongside a screenshot of Markle wearing a dress super similar to one Venus tweeted about in June 2024.

Instead of assuming that Markle's dress choice was a coincidence or possibly her way of paying homage to Venus' previous look, several fans co-signed the dress-stealing narrative. A second account tweeted, "Now it makes sense why Venus Williams was giving Meghan Markle the side eye ... The Montecito Hunchback stole her look from 2 weeks earlier." Meanwhile, another person claimed that Markle was feeling icy toward Venus because of jealousy. "No wonder #MeghanMarkle was double claw clutching Harry in his seat," tweeted a user, alongside a screenshot of Venus supposedly shooting Markle a dirty look. "Venus Williams not only looks drop dead gorg, she clearly has no time for Markle. All night there were side eyes & cold shoulders. It was amazing."