CBS host Gayle King and Meghan Markle‘s connection hasn’t been as highly publicised as other famous faces the Duchess of Sussex has rubbed shoulders with.
It’s not clear when they became friends. The CBS host attended Meghan Markle’s star studded baby shower in New York, and although Gayle didn’t attend her wedding to Prince Harry as a guest, it seems King grew close to the royal before she fell pregnant with Archie.
She also described having a soft spot for both Harry and Prince Willian after they lost their mother at a young age.
We take a look at every time Gayle King defended Meghan Markle and Harry for ‘speaking their truth’.
Gayle King’s TV special about Meghan Markle before her wedding
Weeks before the big day, Gayle King hosted a CBS TV special about the upcoming nuptials where she interviewed people who knew the future duchess. Titled, Meghan Markle: An American Princess, she went through Meghan’s life until 2018.
From her time at grade school to landing her role in legal drama Suits, all was uncovered.
She also spoke on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert around the same time where she said she had a soft spot for the princes. Gayle said the Duke of Sussex had transformed into “a grown ass man who is in love with someone who is very unexpected.”
Gayle King couldn’t help but praise Meghan Markle during the interview: “All of the things you think the royal family would [frown upon] and is so unexpected, they really have embraced her and I think this is great.”
Perhaps this peaked on the future royal’s radar?
Covering the big day
The CBS host did attend Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s special day but she wasn’t on the guest list. Instead she flew over to cover the event for This Morning and shared photos and clips on social media from her time at Windsor Castle.
Her longtime bestie, Oprah Winfrey, was invited to the wedding, though. Oprah had her own wedding disaster because she had to change her outfit last-minute as she felt it was ‘too white’ to be a guest dress, and rocked up in a blush pink Stella McCartney gown and vintage Philip Treacy hat.
Oprah is also close friends with the royal, and sat down with the couple for their tell-all interview in 2021.
Gayle King was one of the famous faces at Meghan Markle’s baby shower
The royal’s lavish baby shower, which was organised and paid for by her famous friends, was hosted in New York City.
Gayle King was one of the lucky celebrities who attended Meghan Markle’s baby shower – so they must have become close between this moment and her royal wedding.
Gayle opened up about going to the event on CBS afterwards.
She said: “A good time was had by all.”
Hosted by Serena Williams and Genevieve Hillis – Meghan’s sorority sister – it featured other famous faces like Amal Clooney, Priyanka Chopra and Suits co-star Abigail Spencer.
When quizzed what present she gave baby Sussex, she said: “If I told you, you know, I’d have to kill you.”
But later added: “I think I got something I think is very nice.”
Gayle also revealed Meghan Markle’s plans to not open the presents in front of her friends, with King telling CBS colleagues she wanted to open them with Harry together.
She kept a lot of the details private, but did reveal the results of the flower arranging activity they did together were donated to charities via Repeat Roses.
The CBS star added: “I thought that was a very sweet thing.
“I mean it just speaks to who she is. She’s very kind. She’s very generous, and a really, really sweet person.”
Defending the royals
Gayle has been in Harry and Meghan’s corner from the beginning, with King using her platform on CBS to defend the royals many times when Markle and and the duke faced backlash.
While their Oprah interview caused a stir around the world, Gayle said on CBS This Morning afterwards that “Meghan has documents to back up everything she said.”
However, some parts of the interview were later revealed to be false. The duchess claimed she was told Archie wouldn’t be made a prince because The Firm was changing the royal protocol with their baby. But it was always in place that the grandchildren of a monarch were prince and princess unless the sovereign stepped in – which the late Queen did for William and Kate. Archie was set to become a prince when Charles ascended to the throne, and later Lilibet when she was born, and this did happen.
Gayle also spoke out after Harry and Meghan claimed their lives were at risk during a ‘catastrophic’ car chase in New York.
She said: “I think it was a very unfortunate incident.
“It’s troubling to me that anybody would try to downplay what that would mean to them. That’s very troubling to me.”
CBS star on the royal feud
After the late queen’s death and funeral, Gayle said it seemed the Sussexes were working to mend the royal feud.
“There have been efforts on both sides to sort of make this right,” she claimed to Extra.
“Are they going to be drawn closer together or are they going to be drawn apart?” she added.
“I have no idea. I have no inside information on that, but I will tell you this: It was good to see Harry standing with his family.”
The rift deepened with the couple’s Netflix docuseries in 2022, but Gayle came out to defend them once again.
She said on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen: “It’s not a reality show. It’s not.”
Then when Harry attended King Charles’ solo without Meghan, she said she thinks the couple “should do what’s best for them”.
Gayle added: “Clearly they know what’s going on in their family life. They know what’s going on over there.”