But three years and a one dramatic Megxit later, it seems Winfrey’s made her way even deeper into the Sussex fold. But are they actually friends? How did they even meet?

Here’s what we know about Meghan and Winfrey’s not so surprising “friendship”.

How did Oprah and Meghan first meet?

According to The Times, Winfrey first phoned Meghan after her best friend (and CBS anchor) Gayle King made an initial introduction. Then, in March 2018, Winfrey conveniently “found herself in London” and was invited by Meghan to meet her at Kensington Palace.

That wedding appearance

Yes, we still can’t forget the WTF feeling we had when we saw Winfrey step into St. George’s Chapel for Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding. And, of course, she raved about it to anyone who’d listen.

“It was transformative,” she gushed to Entertainment Tonight. “It was more than a wedding, I thought. It was a cultural moment.”

“You could not be there, or watch on television, and not feel that there was a shift that just happened. I think it’s bigger than them and I think it bodes well for hope for all of us,” she added.

Oprah’s gifts to Archie

Speaking to Access Hollywood in 2019, Winfrey said she sent Archie a collection of books as a “welcome to the world” gift soon after his birth.

Then last year, eagle-eyed fans spotted the books in a video released to celebrate his birthday. In the clip, Meghan can be seen reading to Archie from children’s book Duck! Rabbit! Followers noticed the book had a sticker that read “Archie’s Book Club” – a nod to Oprah’s Book Club.

Oprah magazine later confirmed that Archie’s copy of Duck! Rabbit! was one of the gifts he received from Winfrey herself, and that the rest of the books also featured the same sticker.

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The tell-all interview

After the controversial interview with Winfrey, Meghan and Harry saw their popularity ratings in the UK tumble. Based on surveys conducted between January and March this year, YouGov found only 34 per cent of people viewed Meghan positively, while 46 per cent viewed her negatively. Ouch.

Oprah also befriended Meghan’s mum

According to biography Finding Freedom, by Omid Scobie and Oprah.com’s royal contributor Carolyn Durand, “the former talk show host, who had been introduced to Meghan by a friend, reached out to Doria to offer her support when she was first swept up in the media storm”.

For their first meeting, Winfrey asked Meghan’s yoga instructor mum to bring her yoga mat for the get together – “in case we just want to do yoga on the lawn”, she explained.

During their meal, the pair enjoyed a dessert made with kumquats. Apparently, Doria enjoyed it so much that Winfrey sent her home with a basket of the fruit picked from her own garden.

“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,” Winfrey explained. “If kumquats can get you an interview, I’m all for it!”

Oprah and her BFF Gayle King can’t stop talking about Meghan

Winfrey seems to want everyone to know she knows Meghan personally, and often likes to speak out on matters relating to the actress.

During an appearance on CBS’ This Morning, she said: “I think she’s being portrayed unfairly and I feel that if people really knew her, they would know that she is not only everything that we perceive for her as being graceful and dynamic and holding that position, but she just has a wonderful, warm, giving, loving heart.”

Gayle, who somehow bagged an invite to Meghan’s baby shower, added, “She’s very kind. She doesn’t seem to buy into it though, which I think is really good.”

Winfrey continued, “She actually does not read anything, which I find, you know, I think that’s remarkable, in spite of all that’s going on. She does not read anything.”

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They’re also neighbours now

As usual, Winfrey wants us to know they’re neighbours, and recently name-dropped Meg in a social media post. “My neighbour Meghan (yes, that one) introduced me to this woman-led wellness brand,” she said in a post. OK, we get it, guys.

The mental health documentary

When Harry and Meghan appeared in the emotional Apple TV+ documentary The Me You Can’t See, Winfrey scored yet another exclusive with the couple.

Oprah sure loves Meghan’s coffee

In December 2020, Meghan revealed she was backing California-based wellness brand Clevr Blends and quickly sent some the company’s superfood products to Winfrey, who in turn shared them on her Instagram account, which had over 19 million subscribers at the time. The post was said to be worth a whopping US$1 million in free publicity.

This week, Winfrey gave Meghan’s coffee brand even more love by including the superfood latte company in her latest Favourite Things gift guide. Why are we not surprised?