The Truth About Meghan Markle's Relationship With Ellen DeGeneres

In a move that no one saw coming, Meghan Markle dropped by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" for a surprise interview. The Duchess of Sussex appeared on the show on Thursday, November 18, where she dished about everything from her family's failed attempt at Halloween, to why she was once referred to as Krusty the Clown.

The unexpected interview was Meghan's first since she and Prince Harry sat down to talk with Oprah Winfrey last March. At the time, the two talked about what it was like to step back as senior royals and start fresh in a different country. But on "Ellen," the chat seemed to be much more lighthearted and fun. It felt more like two friends catching up with each other.

Of course, that's probably because Meghan and DeGeneres have apparently been friends for quite some time. In fact, the two met long before Meghan even began dating Prince Harry.

Meghan Markle and Ellen DeGeneres' first encounter was out of the ordinary, although DeGeneres admitted to having no recollection of it. In an interview with Best Health Canada in 2017, Meghan shared that it was DeGeneres who convinced her to get her dog, Bogart. She said that she and DeGeneres visited the same animal shelter at the time, and the host told her to bring home the dog she was playing with during said visit.

"Now, I don't know her, but Ellen goes, 'Is that your dog?' And I said, 'No,' and she's like, 'You have to take that dog,'" Meghan recalled. "And I said, 'Well, I'm deciding.' And she's like, 'Rescue the dog!' It's sort of like if Oprah tells you to do something." During Meghan's interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," the royal also shared how she went on auditions on the same Warner Bros. lot on which the show was being filmed.

"The security guards would always say, 'Break a leg! We hope you get it!' So the drive in today was very different," Meghan said, reminiscing about the time she worked as an actor. "I think they probably said it to everybody. That's how nice they were."

After Meghan Markle and Prince Harry decided to move from across the pond, they found a home in the private community of Montecino in Santa Barbara, California, which also happens to be where Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi live. This effectively makes them neighbors-slash-BFFs, so DeGeneres took it upon herself to offer Meghan some parenting advice.

During her November 18 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Meghan told the host that little Lilibet Diana is "now teething," and that she is on the hunt for "anything to relieve that." DeGeneres had a cheeky suggestion, saying, "Tequila? Anything," to which Meghan responded: "That's auntie Ellen for ya!" "That's why I don't have kids," DeGeneres responded. But, jokes aside, DeGeneres seems to be nice to Meghan and Harry's bundles of joy. On the show, DeGeneres mentioned that she met baby Archie when she flew to London in 2019.

"I spent the afternoon with Prince Harry and Meghan. It was an honor for them to meet. They're so amazing... I hate it, I see them get attacked and it's not fair. They're just two of the most down-to-earth, compassionate people. They're doing so much good for the world," DeGeneres shared. "I got to hold little Archie, the baby. I fed Archie, I held Archie... He weighs 15 pounds, which, the exchange rate, I believe, is 17 dollars here."