Meghan Markle & Ellen's New UK Friendship Is Already Causing A Stir: 'Not A Flex'

Meghan Markle has reunited with Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi in the U.K., but netizens aren't exactly pleased to see the two old friends back together. Less than a month after returning to Britain with Prince Harry and their two children, the Duchess of Sussex was pictured for the first time, catching up with her old neighbors at a local pub in Oxfordshire, on September 21, 2026. Page Six reported that Meghan was spotted "chatting and laughing" with the celebrity couple before saying goodbye and heading off. She was dressed in a light blue shirt and white jeans; Harry, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen.

Meghan Markle spotted in UK for first time since move as she mingles with fellow A-list transplant https://t.co/CsXtkLkARG pic.twitter.com/injWK99tqq

— Page Six (@PageSix) September 21, 2026

The outing suggests that Meghan Markle and Ellen DeGeneres are still close. The former "Suits" star and controversial talk show host have known each other since their chance meeting at an animal shelter in 2012, and they were neighbors in Montecito, where Harry and Meghan settled after leaving the royal family in 2020. Beyond their love of rescue dogs and shared neighborhood, Meghan and DeGeneres are also polarizing figures who have faced their fair share of scrutiny over the years. In 2021, DeGeneres was accused of creating a toxic workplace by some of her staffers, resulting in her massive fall from grace before she and de Rossi packed up their bags and moved across the pond in 2024. 

"The downfall is real, [Meghan Markle] is now at the level of Ellen [DeGeneres] who had to leave the US cuz Americans cancelled her," one user sounded off on X. Another snarked, "Hanging out with bully Ellen DeGeneres is not a flex, lol." Meanwhile, a third user reasoned, "Omg, she cant get anyone else to hang out with her except canceled bully Ellen. Maybe [they're] exchanging tips on how to bully people."

Meghan Markle's reunion with Ellen DeGeneres is the latest in a string of controversies since she and Prince Harry returned to the U.K. in August. Just weeks into their big move, King Charles III reportedly threw cold water on Meghan and Harry with an icy clarification on their royal status. A letter was sent on his behalf to government officials and military members, confirming the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would remain as nonworking members of the royal family. "There is no change to the current status of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex," it clarified (via People). "The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity. In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests."

But even if The Firm isn't eager to welcome them back, fortunately, Meghan and Harry still have some old friends who are willing to step in and help. Ahead of their move, a source told gossip columnist Rob Shuter's "Naughty But Nice" Substack that DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi even helped their former neighbors find their new home. "Ellen wasn't playing real-estate agent — she was much more useful than that," the insider claimed. "She told them where to look, what to avoid and which areas offered genuine privacy without leaving them isolated from London."

Harry didn't have much knowledge of the U.K. housing market, for obvious reasons. "He's never had to think about neighborhoods, privacy, security or whether a house actually works for his family," they pointed out. "Those decisions were always made around him." But ultimately, "Ellen and Portia gave him the real-world education nobody in the royal family ever had to."