Tyler Perry's Post-Megxit Bond With Harry And Meghan Was Deeper Than We Knew

After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle,  Duke and Duchess of Sussex's tumultuous and highly publicized departure from their post as senior royals, it seemed like the couple and their infant son, Archie Harrison, had no one and nowhere to turn. Across the pond, comedian and actor Tyler Perry made sure that wasn't the case, becoming a close confidant, housemate, and eventual godfather to the couple's second child, a daughter named Lilibet Diana.

On an episode of the "Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa" podcast, Perry revealed that he felt a kindred connection to the former "Suits" actor as she struggled to assimilate into the monarchy. He explained that he had a contentious relationship with his father, and Meghan's plight spoke to him. The two actors shared a publicist long before Meghan and Harry left the royal family, so Perry used that connection as his chance to reach out to Meghan.

"I sent them a note," Perry explained, "and said if you ever need anything, I'm here. She called months later and just talked to me like I was their therapist. We had a great conversation."

Tyler Perry's friendship with Meghan and Harry, Duchess and Duke of Sussex, continued to blossom after that fateful phone call. The former senior royals' departure from the U.K. coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving them floundering for a safe spot to hunker down after they lost their royal security. Meghan said Perry offered the couple to live in his $18 million Beverly Hills mansion while they found their footing in the States.

"We didn't have a plan," Meghan recalled in the couple's 2021 bombshell interview with Oprah (via the BBC). "We needed a house, and [Perry] offered his security as well, so it gave us breathing room to try to figure out what we were going to do." Perry's home is a stunning eight-bedroom, 12-bathroom villa situated on 22 acres with sprawling backyard views of Los Angeles, but the comedian said he was more concerned about offering the couple safety than lavish comfort. 

"It is very important for people in this business to have a safe place to land," Perry told Kelly Ripa on her podcast. "To have a place where they can trust and talk freely and get advice that's not going to be biased or from somebody who wants something from them. They hid out at my house for a long time. It was so great. They were so happy. It was such a beautiful moment."

"Madea" mogul Tyler Perry and former "Deal or No Deal" model Meghan Markle might not have been the likeliest of pairings, but as the duchess explained in a 2022 cover story for The Cut, "Sometimes, you can tell your life story to a stranger on a plane as opposed to some of the people that are closest to you." And, while this distance offered security at a time when Harry and Meghan's royal relatives were seemingly at odds against them, it wasn't long before Perry was welcomed into the Markle and Mountbatten-Windsor family with open arms.

Harry and Meghan's first child, Archie, wasn't even a year old when the ex-royals moved into Perry's Beverly Hills estate. The couple celebrated their son's birthday at Perry's home in May 2020, a few months before Harry and Meghan would move into their own California residence. One year later, on June 4, 2021, the couple welcomed their second child, Lilibet Diana. Harry and Meghan asked Perry to be her godfather.

Perry recalled their conversation in Harry and Meghan's Netflix docuseries, saying, "I go, 'Whoa.' I had to take a minute to take that in. And I thought, 'I'd be honored. I'd be absolutely honored'" (via Express). Lilibet's christening was done by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Reverend John Taylor of the Episcopal Church. Around 20 to 30 people attended the small ceremony that solidified Perry's place in Harry and Meghan's family forever.