Serena Williams and the Duchess of Sussex have been friends for years. Serena was one of the reasons why Meghan was in England in 2016, when she was set up with Prince Harry. Meghan was in town because she was watching her friend Serena play at Wimbledon that year. Meghan and Serena’s friendship obviously predates royalty, and I’ve long believed (there’s evidence for this as well) that Serena was one of the “five friends” who went to People Magazine in early 2019 for that cover story which was massively sympathetic to Meghan. During the awful, painful royal years, Serena mostly supported Meghan behind-the-scenes, but following the Sussexes’ interview with Oprah, Serena has been talking more about her friend. Serena spoke about Meghan again in a YouTube series on behalf of her Stuart Weitzman contract.
Serena Williams is reflecting on the “strength, confidence and selflessness” of her longtime friend Meghan Markle. In the debut episode of Stuart Weitzman’s Shine Series, which features virtual conversations with inspiring figures about “letting your strength shine through,” the global spokeswoman for the brand, 39, opened up about why she chose to publicly support the Duchess of Sussex after her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.
“Meghan is a great person and I think the epitome of strength, the epitome of confidence, the epitome of just selflessness, and the epitome of everything is just her and everything that she’s gone through,” the tennis pro told Stuart Weitzman Chief Marketing Officer Behnaz Ghahramani. “And I know it’s not easy, and you can see from the interview that it wasn’t easy. But she had so much poise and she still had so much class.”
Right after the special aired, Williams took to social media to defend her friend’s character, a sentiment she continued to echo in the new interview series with Stuart Weitzman.
“I just think that she is the strongest person I know. I don’t know anyone else that could handle anything on such a global scale the way that she’s had to handle things that are just untrue – minute after minute. Not even day after day. Just minute after minute, another untrue allegation being thrown at her,” Williams said. “I think it was important for me to say something because I’m tired of sitting back and seeing all this negativity that’s just not true.”
The wife and mom also talked about supporting her competitors, despite being brought up in a world that pits women against each other. “I compete against women all the time…we can go tooth and nails, but it doesn’t mean we have that we have anything against each other. I actually support you and I want the best for you.”
There’s a narrative out there, on Salty White Folk Isle, that Meghan and Harry’s reputations may have suffered because they spilled tea with Oprah. What actually happened pre- and post-interview is that Meghan’s friends came out and spoke up for her with their whole chests, in a way they were never allowed to do while she was part of that dysfunctional, toxic family.
Serena talks about Meghan at the 20-minute mark of this video, but the entire video is worth the watch if you love Serena and/or tennis.
— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) March 8, 2021
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN and Avalon Red.
My dad doesn’t care about tennis.
She’s about the only one he knows and likes 🙂
And I love how all those global A-listers contradict the BS of the English press. They’re not used to not being able to dictate the ruling opinion.
I cant imagine how hard it was for Meghan’s friends to sit back over the past few years and listen to the lies about her and not speak up. I think the bullying allegations right before the interview were the final straw for many of her friends. I think they would have spoken up after the interview anyway (its a new era like Janina said), but I think that was the final straw that made her friends realize the press AND the royal family was never going to stop, they were determined to destroy her, and the interview was not going to be enough.
I completely think Serena was one of the five friends who went to People. I wonder who the other four were – Jessica Mulroney? Maybe someone from Suits? Lindsay Roth?
I also love her point about supporting women. When Serena loses, she is upset and emotional, but especially with someone like Naomi Osaka, she still gives her a hug etc. I’ve always liked seeing that.
I also think Abigail Spencer is one of them. Sarah Rafferty too (both are from Suits). I thought Jessica too for the longest time (and because it seems like an obvious choice) but I remember reading that the court docs said that the 5 friends are American citizens, which Jessica is not (unless she does have US citizenship) so from that moment onwards, I stopped thinking Jessica was one of the 5 people.
I could be misremembering information so if so, ignore everything I said except for the first sentence!
I’m gonna be honest. I’ve never heard of Meghan before and I really thought she was going to be an average royal. I was so wrong. She is extremely intelligent, compassionate, focused and an excellent speaker. And now we know…she is one of the strongest female public figure in the world today. She is special and I am proud to be a minority woman because of Meghan.
Meghan is inspiring beyond words.
If they had made use of that, it would have connected people.
Instead, they alienated lots of people by their treatment of her.
If you dive into what people have said about her it’s just unbelievable that she is that nice and super considerate about her friends and colleagues. I was like…is she for real? How? She has had so much thrown at her including having her rotten father betray her and she can still smile and plough on. She definitely knows her privilege and I think her volunteering spirit since young has helped her. But other than that…she is innately strong and that is freaking remarkable. I would really love to hear her Ted Talk!
I knew her from Suits, but wasn’t familiar with her other humanitarian works or her personal life. She captured my attention on her wedding day and I would have probably rooted for her from a distance but the way they went in on her, I just felt immediately protective. I really hate bullies and I love rooting for the underdog.
I’ve always believed Serena was one of the 5 friends as well. I also love that we’re still speculating on who they all are. Just like thegod parents there was some info BM was never able to get access to and people they weren’t able to harass.
I wouldn’t be able to cope with what Meghan went through and is still going through. She’s absolutely been put through it and is an immensely strong person.
One can’t underestimate the power of support. Without her husband unconditional and 100% backing, I don’t see how anyone can have bounce back daily given the circumstance. Today we see marriages and unions cracking because partners don’t know how to support each other unconditionally. The biggest thing I admire about this couple.
If I had a modicum of that support from my husband, I would be able to achieve the heavens within my marriage. It’s not about the wealth, the things, I have that but the genuine belief and absolute respect that I see modeled by this couple. It’s a shame some people don’t understand the power a union really holds. We get caught up with independent strength, and doing it alone but she will come out stronger than Diana because of the support of her husband. This is no way taking away from her individual perseverance but a ode to what a marriage should be like through personal and shared hard times.
Belle it is so true. A supportive spouse / partner makes a huge difference even when your mental health, career, family or health is in the dumps. Thank you for reminding.
I do not know about all that though… if you listened well to Meghan, to me that “unconditional” support from Harry materialized after she told him she was suicidal.
Where was he when she spent 4 months isolated, never stepping outside? It did not seem like he was around much because had he been would she have been isolated for so long?
I think yes Harry has done much more than any living royal male has done to protect his wife and child but it did not seem as if he did so from the beginning. It seemed like he was oblivious to her pain and persecution for a while there. But this is me.
@Cisne this is just me speculating, but if I had to guess, I think Meghan probably hid just how bad her pain was for as long as she possibly could because she didn’t want to be one more burden on Harry.
Even though *he* wouldn’t see it that way; he would want to know how she was feeling and help. But I know from personal experience that there’s a lot of guilt involved and she probably tried to shield Harry from it for a long time since he was already having so much thrown at him every day and she didn’t want to add additional stress and worry when he was already operating on frayed nerves.
Thankfully she did finally turn to him when things got as bad as they did.
@cisne she touched on that in the interview, how Harry has had so much pain and heartache in his life and she didnt want to add to that, so I took that to mean that she hid her own pain from him for a long time until she finally told him she was suicidal.
@Cisne, I understand you but we sometimes forget that our partners aren’t mind readers or will not inherently know how to walk in their spouses shoes until told explicitly. Our partners ability to be compassionate and empathic is paramount to positive next steps. I think he did make efforts in the beginning by putting out statements and she did what she thought she had to do to keep it happy… until it was not tolerable anymore and it had to be said. The manifestation after he was told is what is striking to me. He didn’t make her “endure” but made a decision to protect their mental well being by rightly putting a hardline MEGHAN IS MY FAMILY. When others tried to make her feel like an outsider and social climber etc. I think that is absolutely courageous. Can you imagine if he got her therapy but still lived there? It had to be absolute and total removal from the toxic environment.
Also @Cisne there is something to be said for Black women who marry white men and the learning curve that continues from dating through marriage in terms of WM eyes being opened to the realities of their privilege and role in systemic white supremacy and patriarchy, and how it impacts in larger and everyday ways, publicly and intimately. Anyone married across racial categories knows this to varying degrees, but especially for BW married to WM. So part of it is, I believe, to do with him learning and becoming more woke as time goes on because of the labor she engages to teach him (and of course his own efforts but folks who know, know).
@Anna, absolutely. I am a bi racial but identify as a black woman and I’m married to a white man for 12 years. It is unbelievably difficult. I filed for divorce today because without his support and understanding it is unbearable. Not being liked by his family (because I am younger), concerned from his elitist parents about the color of our children’s skin, him not protecting me from their constant criticism and now I’m deemed “angry black woman” by him because I’m the common denominator. No one likes me so it has to be me- when in fact it is just me existing. Everyone cares about the kids and him but I’m a variable, waiting for him to leave me without anything.
I feel for Meghan, I kind of understand her situation.
Belle, I am so so sorry to hear this. I can almost feel your pain – it really sounds unbearable.
Please know I am sending strong, resilient vibes your way. Your husband failed to stand up for you/to protect you from the racist attitudes you have had to bear from his family and that is on him.
Hold your head high, my sister. I see you and feel sure, that despite the disappointment and emotional turmoil of having lived with an unsupportive spouse, you will survive and thrive on the other side.
Be well.
Cisne, after my parents died, one close after the other, and having a rift with my sibligs as the family disbanded, my husband was right there with me, helping me and consoling me.
I still dis not mention to him that I felt so sad I had suicidal thoughts. I was having them especially when I was driving by myself, I was just thinking of crashing my car on a wall. I restrained those thoughts by matter- of factly telling myself that I was going to fail just hurt myself and just make an expensive mess, besides, there were people who loved me.
Why didn’t I tell him at the moment? I don’t know. I just told him after time passed and I felt a bit better. I did not seek counseling at the time, but I had had it before and that helped me. I surely needed it, but work got me through.
@Belle, just commenting here to say I’m so sorry things worked out that way.
Sending you strength and wishes for all that is wonderful.
I know it must have been unbelievably tough for her friends to sit there and watch their friend get harassed. I could definitely feel the anger in Patrick’s tweets. Similarly, people who were fans of Meghan before Harry and had to see the BM absolutely ruin the reputation of a woman they have admired for a long time.
Patrick’s tweets were amazing. It was stunning reading what he wrote. And I loved when he replied to Piers as the jumped up little twerp. He did not GAF.
Lol! That should have been GASF….you left out “Single” LOL
I’m right there with you @cisne. I was stricken by Harry’s surprise when he spoke about the things his family was saying to him before they even got married and he implied that he knew things would be hard for them, albeit not thinking it would be anything like it was. I’m still confused how he did not just take her to get the medical help she needed. Was her baby shower ok NY after that event they had at RAH when she wore the sequined dress?
Go back and listen to H when he said his relatives told him they couldn’t afford M and her security and that she would still have to work as an actress. Look at M’s facial expression! I believe that was the first time her hearing that!!! H kept a lot of mess from her. So glad he did tell her abt conversations of Archies color and what he would look like. But, there is a lot H didn’t tell her in fear of her leaving him and not marrying him. He has guilt. Look at his expression when M tells Oprah she regrets believing that family when they told her she would be protected!!!
Can we please stop trying to blame Harry for his family behavior. I went through some hard time at my job and my husband had no clue. I didn’t tell him because he was having a mental breakdown himself, I felt he was more fragile and I was protecting him. Meghan and Harry told us what they want us to know, it’s not fair to scrutinized how they took care of each other. Meghan wouldn’t still be with Harry if she felt he was not emotionally and mentally there for her.
@Belle, sorry about your situation. Your husband’s family might be racist, but your husband is an a-hole. I’m sad it took you 12 years to realize that you married a spinless man. I hope you’ve access to other support system as you go through the divorce. Take care.
Legends supporting legends, you love to see it.
Yes, and how strong must you be if SERENA WILLIAMS is calling you the strongest person she knows? Strength knows strength.
I’m glad Meghan had her friends to support her. I think back to the baby shower. It was not only to celebrate her having a baby but give her that boost she needed at that time.
I believe Serena. Her videos pre-Harry show a kind and empathetic person. People don’t want to believe she is nice because of their prejudices. They have to look for a fault with her which is funny because for years, I have seen many give Kate the benefit of the doubt, despite her behaviour. Not necessarily here tough. I think some of the commenters here have a b$llsh$t radar.
I’m just so happy for Meghan and Harry that they have truly good people in their lives, who support them 110%.
I’m so glad her friends can defend her now. It had to be so upsetting to see how they treated her and having to stay silent.
Anyone that says Meg has no family except her mom is wrong, these people, these ride or die have her back regardless of how many years or space apart , prove that she indeed has an amazing family. Family isn’t always blood
Sometimes the best family is the one you create for yourself. I grew up an orphan and have created my own family throughout my life. Without them, I would be a shell of who I am.
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾.
The BM said Harry have to be careful in America, because people will use him to get close to the Royal family, as if anyone in the US cares about that family except racist.
Look who is helping H & M, Americans, without running to the tabloids, apparently Harry was working with that Start Up company for two months.
Yoyo: I know it’s my own fault for being surprised, but seriously? They still don’t get it. I doubt they ever will. Most of us would want to meet the Sussexes to meet HARRY & MEGHAN. The interest is in them because of who they are as people. No one, at least in the US, is going to try and use them to leapfrog over to Windsor and meet one of the “magnificent” 7.
It’s actually very funny that they think they’re still the real main attraction. You’d think that after seeing it literally spelled out in black & white last week: “The Other Brother.”! That’s what William is now.
Just…lol. They’re never going to truly get it, are they? I feel like we’ll see statements like this for years, even though it’s laughable on its face to anyone who’s been paying even a little bit of attention to this whole saga.
They don’t seem to realize that we don’t have any respect for titles and aristocracy in this country. Sure, we follow the pageantry. Part of it is like watching an alien culture — they’re fascinatingly weird. But I’m like Meghan; I didn’t know family were expected to curtsey to the queen in private because who does that? These people think the whole royal thing is really real? It’s such nonsense.
We’ve known the RF has no clothes for centuries. We like Harry and Meghan because we like THEM, and the whole “fairy tale” aspect. We like them much much more because they ditched the RF — and, to top it off, came here. They get to be real people now! Real rich people, but they do seem to want to do good as well as make money, and that’s rare.
@YOYO that made me laugh. Who gaf about the royal family? Lol we don’t care
I never cared for any royal family. From the first time I read about Meghan and Harry I cared. Instinctively, I felt things would be hard for them in that family. I’m on this site mainly to show my support and multiply positivity towards them.
Ironic since the British media and royals themselves use the Sussexes to make anyone care about them lol. Lost track of how many articles mention Meghan or use her pictures when the whole story is about another royal. Or how the Cambs try to emulate the Sussex approach and mannerisms to look like they’re compassionate and authentic
It says so much about Meghan’s character that she inspires this kind of love and devotion in her friends.
I think Serena is an amazing woman and her speaking out about Meghan reenforces my positive opinion of Meghan.
That’s the thing – Meghan was already bigger than the BRF understood. She didn’t need THEM. Marrying in wasn’t her biggest accomplishment and that’s why these idiots were so ruffled – she wasn’t gracious enough, thankful enough, etc. because look at the people she had already surrounded herself with. Look at her connections and friendships. They didn’t give her her power, she already had it.
“They didn’t give her her power, she already had it.”
Which was exactly what she said at the forum with the “fab four” where Kate could barely put two words together and PwT’s American accented response to the “disputes” in the family. She knows who she is, she’s comfortable in her own skin, and has a sense of strength that attracted her to Harry.
@nedsdag are you talking about that heads together, summit thing when they put pale, pregnant English rose K, who had always been the star of the (Middleton-manufactured) W&K&H trio love-fest, on the stage with Harry and his new squeeze?
That was the last f-in time they ever did anything like that-I think we got like 10 pictures of just the 4 of them in the 3 years that followed.
MM is strength-to-strength personified, right next to Serena Williams, Oprah, there is a reason that these are MM’s friends…
I most certainly am. And everything you said in your post is absolutely correct about MM.
WOW. When Serena Williams, the Angela Merkel of the sports universe, says something like this, “I just think that she is the strongest person I know. I don’t know anyone else that could handle anything on such a global scale the way that she’s had to handle things that are just untrue – minute after minute. Not even day after day. Just minute after minute, another untrue allegation being thrown at her,”??
WTH was MM subject to? This is all fueling my MM conspiracy theory which is: every single factoid/story they shared in the Oprah interview was already known to the British press and H&M scooped all of them, left them flat-footed and reduced them to feebly “fact checking” the stories. I truly think that they wanted to empty the press arsenal and they have done.
H&M conspiracy theory part deux: Harry and W. truly hate (their father). When Harry said that he and W shared a tragedy (or whatever he said to Oprah) and that he thought his brother was trapped, he was signalling to W, using the interview: “I love you and I got your back, no matter what. I’ll forgive you and I will be here for you. F-Dad, the Middletons and the rest of them.”.
I think when it comes to Charles, Harry is the scapegoat and William is the golden child. It is far harder for the golden child to break free and forge their own path, and they’re likely to have been shaped by the narcissistic parent to be just like the narcissist. In William’s case, it’s not only his father; an entire royal establishment exists to prop him up at the expense of others. Who knows what he could have been if not for that? I don’t hold out hope for him, but I can understand why his brother does.
Has it ever been reported how Meghan and Serena met and became friends? Was it at a charity function? A mutual friend? Not that it really matters. It just piques my curiosity because I’m having a hard time trying to imagine a circumstance where their paths intersected.
They met at a charity related event, there’s an old post from Meghan’s blog talking about it
Love seeing Serena so supportive. I am among those who didn’t know she is as so empathic and supportive herself, and to see how truly emotionally mature and accessible she is with Meghan (and in general) is really cool.
And I am gonna be so petty for saying this, but I now want Serena to win Wimbledon one more time so that she can stare Kate in the face while Wiglet freaks out.