Meghan Markle news: Serena Williams opens up about their friendship in Time 100 Most Influential People issue

Serena Williams has opened up about her friendship with Meghan Markle, saying they keep in regular contact and even trade recipes.

Williams, 43, spoke about her friendship with the royal in the Time’s 100 Most Influential People issue.

The tennis star has been friends with the Duchess of Sussex since the pair met at the Super Bowl in 2010 in Miami, but the pair didn’t become “fast friends” until their second encounter at the Super Bowl in 2014 in New York.

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But now things are different and Williams revealed how close she and the Duchess of Sussex are now, telling Time: “So we’re trading recipes.”

“I’m always like, ‘Girl, what are you doing today?” she continued.

Both Meghan and Williams live on large properties with their families, Meghan in Montecito, California with her husband Prince Harry, and their two children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three, and Williams on a ranch in Florida with Ohanian and daughters Olympia, seven, and Adira, 20 months.

The pair both grow fruit and vegetables on their properties and keep bees.

“I never thought I had a green thumb,” Serena said. “We get so much honey it’s insane.”

Meghan most recently shared her own green thumb and bee-keeping skills on her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, Season 2 of which airs later this year.

Despite not forming an immediate friendship, the ladies recalled the start of their friendship during an episode of Meghan’s defunct podcast Archetypes.

Meghan said: “I show up and I see you walking toward someone. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, who is Serena Williams going to talk to?’ I looked behind me and when I turned around, you were there right in front of me… We became such fast friends.”

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Since then the pair has openly supported one another’s ventures with Meghan regularly attending Wimbledon to watch her friend play, including in 2019, and both attending the same events, including the 2024 ESPY Awards in California in 2014.

Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian also attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding on May 19 at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 2018.

Following Harry and Meghan’s explosive Oprah interview in 2021, Williams described Meghan as a “selfless friend” who “leads by example with empathy and compassion”.

“She teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she’s experienced,” she said.

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Fast-forward to 2025 and Meghan and Williams have now been friends for over a decade, sharing the highs and lows of each other’s lives.

The pair are both close to each other’s children, with a photo of Serena playing Candy Land with Princess Lilibet in March shared on Meghan’s Instagram Stories.

“When the aunties come to celebrate …and to play! Love you @serenawilliams,” read the caption.

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Williams was also one of the lucky recipients of a hamper of products from Meghan’s Ever after range, sharing her haul on social media.

“I’m so excited for this,” Williams said. “Jam… oh my gosh, crepes!”

When she spotted the tea she said: “You know I love my tea. The one you drink and the one I serve.”

It isn’t known with A-listers will appear in the second season of With Love, Meghan. Williams would certainly thrill fans if she were to appear.

Season 1 of the show included Mindy Kaling, Roy Choi, Alice Waters, Abigail Spencer, and Daniel Martin.

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