It’s no secret that the royal family has an almost celebrity-like status in Britain – and they get on famously with many screen stars too. Princess Diana had friends like Elton John , who has remained close with her sons even in their adulthood. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have plenty of A-lister neighbours in Montecito, California – of course – while Princess Eugenie is friends with Ellie Goulding and Cara Delevingne. Read on for our roundup of celebrities with British royal connections … 1. Elton John Elton John and Princess Diana met in 1981 at Prince Andrew’s birthday party, according to Harper’s Bazaar . As her close friend, he remains connected to Prince William and Prince Harry. John sang Candle in the Wind at Diana’s funeral in 1997. He performed again at a tribute concert in her memory in 2007, and he has attended both Prince William’s and Prince Harry’s weddings. First in line: 5 European princesses set to become queens 2. David Beckham David and Victoria Beckham became friends with the royal family through attending many functions together over the years. The Beckhams attended both Prince William’s and Prince Harry’s weddings, and they have met with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace on several occasions. “Yeah, I think I would,” Beckham told Esquire in 2013 when asked if he’d describe Prince William as a friend. “We’ve done a lot of functions together. It’s a very normal relationship. With Harry, as well. They’re very easy to get along with.” Beckham has also stayed in touch with Harry since he stepped back from royal life. “I haven’t spoken to Harry about him moving. We speak as friends and that’s the most important thing for me,” Beckham told Entertainment Tonight in 2020. “I think he’s enjoying being a young father for the first time and that’s what we always spoke about. When you are a parent, it changes everything for you. He always needs to be happy.” 3. Ellie Goulding Ellie Goulding sang at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, and she is also friends with Prince Harry, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie . Harry and Goulding attended the 2016 Audi Polo Challenge together, sparking dating rumours. Goulding also vacationed with Beatrice on a star-studded trip to Jordan in 2018. Both Beatrice and Eugenie, as well as their mother Sarah Ferguson, attended Goulding’s wedding to Caspar Jopling in 2019. 4. Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner Beatrice also attended Karlie Kloss’ wedding to Joshua Kushner in Saratoga, Wyoming. Kloss and Kushner went on holiday with Beatrice in Jordan in 2018, and they have attended galas and tennis matches together over the years too. 6 ways Meghan Markle’s life changed after she became the Duchess of Sussex 5. Serena Williams Serena Williams and Meghan Markle became friends in 2014 while playing in the DirecTV Beach Bowl, and they continue to support each other. They have remained friends over the years, appearing in Instagram posts together and congratulating each other on their accomplishments. Williams and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, attended the royal couple’s wedding in 2018. They have continued to lean on each other, with Williams releasing a statement calling Markle “truly noble” after her and Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey aired in March 2021. 6. Priyanka Chopra Priyanka Chopra met Markle at Elle ’s Women in Television dinner in January 2016 and remains a close friend . Chopra also spoke about her friendship with Markle in Elle ’s February 2019 issue. “Megs … she was always meant for big things,” Chopra said. “To be a change and be an important voice in doing that. It’s amazing that she found that calling and has the platform to be able to do it.” Chopra also called out Wendy Williams in 2017 for referring to Markle as only Harry’s girlfriend and ignoring her other achievements. 7. George Clooney Harry and Clooney connected through their philanthropic work. Clooney is the co-founder of Not on Our Watch, an organisation which aims to minimise genocide in Sudan, and the Clooney Foundation For Justice with his wife, Amal, a human rights lawyer. Harry co-founded Sentebale in 2006, a charity focused on the mental health and well-being of HIV-stricken children in Lesotho and Botswana. The Clooneys attended the royal wedding in May 2018 . A few months later in August, they offered the royal couple a respite from intense scrutiny by inviting them to their Villa Oleandra, a 25-room luxury residence on Lake Como in Italy. Clooney reportedly flew the couple over on his private jet and had an unmarked motorcade escort them to the property. 8. Beyoncé and Jay-Z Beyoncé and Jay-Z recorded their BRIT Award acceptance speech for best international group in front of a portrait of Markle, referencing their music video for Apesh*t where they stood in front of the Mona Lisa. Beyoncé also featured the portrait, painted by artist Tim O’Brien, on Instagram in a February 2019 post, and included Markle on her website in honour of Black History Month. Meet Piers Morgan’s handsome son, Spencer – the sports journalist with A-lister pals “In honour of Black History Month, we bow down to one of our Melanated Monas,” she captioned the post. “Congrats on your pregnancy! We wish you so much joy.” The two couples finally met at the premiere of The Lion King in July 2019. The Daily Mail reported that Jay-Z encouraged the new parents to “always find some time for yourself”. 9. Patrick J. Adams Adams, whose character was engaged to Markle’s on the show Suits , joked on Twitter that, “She said she was just going out to get some milk …” when news of her engagement to Harry broke. He has continued to stand by Markle amid the controversy surrounding her and Harry’s retreat from royal life. Last year, Adams wrote a pointed Twitter thread calling out the British royal family and slamming the British media’s treatment of Markle , saying it “sickened” him to see their “obscene” treatment of her. 10. Oprah Winfrey Markle and Harry entrusted their friend Oprah Winfrey with an exclusive interview about their departure from royal life. Winfrey’s friendship with the couple began in 2018, when Markle invited her to Kensington Palace. Winfrey then hosted Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland , at her home in Montecito, California, and sent her home with a basket of kumquats. In 2019, Harry and Winfrey began working together on an Apple TV docuseries about mental health called The Me You Can’t See . And when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were ready to open up about leaving royal life behind, they granted Winfrey the coveted interview. They now live down the road from each other in Montecito. They’re also friends with Winfrey’s best friend, CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King, who attended their wedding and Markle’s baby shower in 2019. 11. Ellen DeGeneres Ellen DeGeneres is another neighbour of Harry and Markle’s in Montecito. DeGeneres visited Harry and Markle while on a trip to the UK in 2019, and she told her audiences on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show that she had fed and held their son, Archie. “He weighs 15 pounds, which is, the exchange rate, is 17 dollars here!” she joked. When the couple faced criticism for flying on private jets in August 2019, DeGeneres defended them on Twitter. “Portia and I met Prince Harry and Meghan in England to talk about their work on wildlife conservation,” she wrote in a tweet. “They were the most down-to-earth, compassionate people. Imagine being attacked for everything you do, when all you’re trying to do is make the world better.” Markle appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in November in her first major televised interview since the bombshell tell-all with Oprah Winfrey. This article originally appeared on Insider Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .