How close is Meghan Markle to Ellen after she attends her wedding vows renewal to Portia with Prince Harry?

Although Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi’s surprise vow renewal was attended by A-listers such as Jennifer Aniston and Kris Jenner (acting as wedding officiants), the star guests were undoubtedly Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The last time the couple were seen together in public was at the RFK Ripple of Hope Award in December, but they obviously did not have to go far as they are Montecito neighbours with Ellen and Portia.

As well as being neighbours, Meghan has become close friends with Ellen DeGeneres over the years and first met at a pet shelter in LA when Meghan was working as an actress and was deciding whether to adopt her first pet, Bogart.

In 2016, Best Health magazine interviewed Meghan where she talked about meeting her dog and her encounter with Ellen. “So I saw him and I was sitting there with him and then Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi walked in,” says Megah. “Now, I don;t know her, but Ellen goes ‘Is that your dog?’ And I said, ‘No’ and she’s like, ‘You have to take that dog.’ And I said, ‘Well, I’m deciding.’ And she’s like, ‘Rescue the dog, It’s sort of life if Oprah tells you to do something.”

In 2017, Ellen DeGeneres announced Meghan Markle’s engagement to Prince Harry on her then talk show and revealed that she didn’t quite remember the encounter. However, she did use the opportunity on the show to suggest to Meghan that she should invite her to her wedding as “she does whatever I tell her to do.”

Although Ellen dropped this 'wedding' hint, she and Portia did not attend the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Despite this, her friendship with Meghan grew and she revealed that she had the opportunity to cradle her son Archie on a trip to the UK. “He looks like Harry-and he had more hair than I did at the time,” she revealed.

Meghan also joined Ellen DeGeneres for a surprise interview in 2021. She spoke about her life growing up in California, and her incognito dates with Prince Harry.

“The four of us snuck out in Halloween costumes to just have one fun night on the town before it was out in the world that we were a couple," she said. (This was when she went out with Prince Harry, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank to a post-apocalypse-themed Halloween party).

Meghan did receive criticism after her Ellen interview and was mocked by Twitter users over her prank that saw her approaching vendors in a lot.

One critic is reported to have said: “Meghan popping up on Ellen further proves she never understood the difference between a Royal Member and a celebrity. What an epic fall from the top.”

Meghan was reportedly upset by the backlash following the show. Despite this, she and Ellen have remained friends and are now of course Montecito neighbours. Ellen De Generes and Portia de Rossi, who surprised guests into thinking they were gathering for a 50th birthday for her instead of a vow renewal, clearly consider Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as part of their inner celebrity circle.