Sussex Celebrity Chess Game: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Calculated Choice of ‘Underwhelming’ Celebrity Friends Has Important Reason
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's 2018 royal wedding saw the likes of George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey in attendance... but what happened to these A-list "connections?"
"Personally, I have to say I’ve been a little underwhelmed with the celebrities who they've [Harry and Meghan] been hanging out with," veteran royal expert Katie Nicholl shared.
"Don't get me wrong — I love Kevin Costner — he's fabulous, but I thought they’d be mingling far more with the A-List. I thought we’d see them out far more with Oprah [Winfrey], and Gwyneth [Paltrow], and that sort of crowd, and they haven’t been."
When pondering why these megawatt names have remained elusive to the royal rebels since that grand spring day six years ago, Nicholl added: "Perhaps that is all part of them wanting to live a life that is a bit more below the radar; that doesn’t end up getting them papped, that doesn’t end up getting them in all the celebrity magazines, and actually, in Montecito, they’re able to do that. I'm sure there’s a whole plethora of VIP dinner parties that are taking place at theirs that we have no idea about."
She also shares how Prince William could possibly play a factor in A-listers not giving the royal rebels the time of day.
"I think there is a sense that, possibly, friends, close friends, society friends, [and] celebrity friends have sort of had to make a little bit of a choice," she further observed when discussing the "Sussex or Wales" choice celebs have to make. "I remember being told by someone at the palace, there was this sense that you had to put your stake in one camp or the other."
Although the pair seem to be "trying to turn the tables and make it out to be that they just can't be bothered with little common A-list celebs," according to one palace insider, the duo's attempt to transition into Hollywood has been met with varying degrees of scrutiny and challenges. Moving from the structured world of British royalty to the competitive and often unpredictable entertainment industry presented hurdles to the pair, even with Meghan's past acting experience.
On the freeze out, Piers Morgan's wife, Celia Walden shared: "When it comes to fads, fashion, and friendships, Hollywood’s elite are nothing if not bovine, and there are two things they fear and flee from above all else: indiscretion and failure."
She added: "You can see why a couple prone to detailing the contents of their 'famous friends' may not be top of many celebrities’ friendship lists."
The author pointed out how the Duke of Sussex spilled too many secrets in his memoir Spare, such as an incident where he wrote about finding "chocolate mushrooms" in Courteney Cox's refrigerator. The Friends star was surprised by the fiery-haired prince's revelation and told an outlet, "I definitely wasn’t passing them out."
Daily Mirror reported on the expert revelations.