How Meghan Markle Really Became Friends With Serena Williams

With all the accolades and accomplishments Serena Williams has achieved in her life, why wouldn't she add being BFFs with a royal to the list? Many fans of the tennis champion were happy to learn of her friendship with fellow California native Meghan Markle. As it turns out, Williams and the Duchess of Sussex met and hit it off a few years before Markle married Prince Harry, the Daily Mail reported. 

It was at a 2014 celebrity football charity event when Williams and Markle met and hit it off. She wrote about how close the two became in a blog post captured by Harper's Bazaar. "She quickly became a confidante I would text when I was traveling, the friend I would rally around for her tennis matches and the down-to-earth chick I was able to grab lunch with just a couple weeks ago in Toronto," the Duchess recalled before listing out the many things they have in common. "We are both the same age, have a penchant for hot sauces, and adore fashion, but what connects us more than those things is perhaps our belief in exceeding expectations–our endless ambition." Two ambitious women are better than one — and Markle would continue to support Williams after she was inducted into the royal family. 

Meghan Markle traveled the world to support Serena Williams at her international tennis matches, as noted by Biography. She was there when Williams won the 2014 U.S. Open and the 2015 Australian Open. In January 2015, Markle took to her since-deleted Twitter account to praise Williams for her U.S. Open win. "So happy for you @serenawilliams!! I was juuuust hugging you for your win at #usopen. Now @AustralianOpen! #onfire," she tweeted at the time, according to ESPN.

In 2017, it was Williams' turn to gush over Markle. "Her personality just shines," the decorated athlete told Vanity Fair. She even gave her advice on how to navigate the spotlight in the paparazzi-filled royal landscape. "I told her, 'You've got to be who you are, Meghan. You can't hide.'"

And after four years of solid friendship and supporting each other, Williams and her tech-CEO husband Alexis Ohanian were VIP guests at Markle and Prince Harry's royal wedding. Williams posted a few videos on Instagram from Markle's big day. "Hey y'all, so my friend's getting married today," she said on her Instagram story, as per Reuters. "I've known her for so many years and I'm super happy for her." We love their friendship!