Meghan Markle And Amal Clooney’s Mysterious Friendship: An Investigation

Meghan Markle and Amal Clooney are officially 2018’s premier platonic power couple. After a previous high-profile rendezvous at the royal wedding, it’s now been reported that the Sussexes have flown out to the Clooneys’ fabled Lake Como villa, where they enjoyed the sort of upscale Italian mini-break that brings new meaning to the phrase ‘friends in high places.' But from whence did this A-list friendship spring? And how long have Amal and Meghan been sharing notes on humanitarian causes and blow dries with just the right amount of volume? We've done some digging to unveil the back story behind the pair's mysterious friendship: just knock back some of George's own-brand tequila (more on that later) and enjoy...

The hairdresser recommendation

As speculation surrounding all things royal wedding switches up a gear, one report suggests that royal bride-to-be Meghan has been introduced to a potential wedding hairdresser, Miguel Perez, by none other than international human rights lawyer, Amal Clooney. Cue a major spike in Google searches for ‘are Meghan Markle and Amal Clooney friends?’ Though the pair certainly, to paraphrase Love Island, made sense ‘on paper,’ given their mutual dedication to charitable causes and glossy blow dries, we have zero inkling that they’d even moved in the same circles, let alone enjoyed the sort of friendship that involves swapping haircare recommendations. Helpfully, the report in the Sun credited a mysterious ‘mutual friend’ with bringing them together...

The rumour debunking

Oh. After that initial flurry of speculation, Perez took it upon himself to sound the fake news klaxon and debunk this particular rumour on his Instagram account, confirming that he 'did not even meet Megan [sic]' and that the stories were 'all fake.' We couldn't help but wonder: did this mean that Meghan and Amal's friendship was fake news too?

The royal wedding

It did not. Fast forward to 19th May, and the Clooneys reigned supreme in the best dressed guest stakes at Harry and Meghan's wedding, with Amal opting for a bespoke creation by Stella McCartney in a sunny shade of yellow. Not only did the pair attend the Windsor ceremony, they also made the cut for the exclusive after party at Frogmore House, where George reportedly danced with two Duchesses (of Sussex and of Cambridge) but was brutally knocked back by another (Sarah, Duchess of York). Apparently bouncing back from this snub pretty quickly, George is also said to have to leapt behind the bar to dole out shots of his own-brand Casamigos tequila (which just happened to be stocked in ye olde Frogmore bar)...

The tequila connection

Though George and Amal certainly added to the star power of the occasion (see also: Oprah, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy), we still had some niggling doubts. Why, for one, did the Clooneys receive an invitation to a gathering so select that some of the groom’s family (and certainly none of the bride’s) didn’t even make the cut? Could it possibly have something to do with the fact that Princess Eugenie’s fiancé Jack Brooksbank, a friend of Harry from their time on London’s #partylad circuit, is currently a brand ambassador for… Casamigos tequila? And could this future sort-of-royal be the mysterious 'mutual friend' who brokered Meghan and Amal's power friendship? We'll probably never know the answer, but we certainly have our suspicions...

The 'very natural friendship'

Our next snippet of insight into Meghan and Amal's famous friendship came courtesy of a sourced report in People magazine, which landed just a few weeks after the royal wedding. ‘Meghan and Amal have known each other for a while and share many interests,' a source told the magazine, adding that 'Amal has been helping Meghan settle into London life. It was a very natural friendship from day one.'

The second royal wedding

Are Amal and George the most in-demand royal mates of 2018? Judging from a new crop of reports, the answer is yes: the couple are now rumoured to be attending Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s wedding in October, giving us a potential opening for a Clooney-Sussex photo opp. The tequila connection always wins out, it seems... although isn't this actually just the glamorous royal equivalent of inviting the CEO of your company along for your big day?

The Lake Como trip

And this is when we knew that things were getting serious. Yesterday, Italian magazine Chi reported that Harry and Meghan enjoyed a four-day jaunt to the Clooneys’ villa on Lake Como, where they had the privilege of meeting the elusive mini Clooneys, twins Ella and Alexander. Harry and George are thought to have spent their time shooting hoops on the basketball pitch, and one night the villa played host to a gala dinner, with a guest list of 15. Sadly, our invites were lost in transit, but cheers to friendship!

Look back at the best dressed royal wedding guests in the gallery below...