The A-List Stars That Have Reportedly Left Harry & Meghan's Social Circle

The decision Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, made to leave their roles as senior royals in 2020 negatively affected many of their familial relationships. Yet, the Sussexes' dwindling relationships may be reaching beyond their feuds with folks in the royal family. A source close to the royals, Paul Burrell, told Closer that "Harry and Meghan's circle is getting smaller and smaller" (via The U.S. Sun) and many celebrities seem to be distancing themselves from the couple.

Burrell was the late Princess Diana's butler for a decade — from 1987 until her death in 1997. In his interview with Closer, he shared insight into the duke and duchess' friendships, saying, "I think the A-list stars are dropping like flies."  He added, "Oprah [Winfrey] no longer seems involved with them and some other celebrities have also dropped them." Amal and George Clooney allegedly didn't invite them to their Albie Awards last fall. Another couple, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, didn't attend Prince Archie's birthday party last month, despite reportedly receiving an invitation. Other celebrity friends of the couple, like Elton John and James Corden, are simply not around, since they live in the U.K. and Harry and Meghan now live in California.

According to royal author Phil Dampier, Harry "doesn't look happy... losing some of his friends must be a factor," per The U.S. Sun. Dampier noted that part of Harry's problem may be his apparent increasing desire for exclusively A-list friends.

Before marrying a royal, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, was an actor with a high-profile set of friends. Yet Meghan's personal A-list friend group may be shrinking, too. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, ex-wife of Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, recently gave Meghan an embarrassing brush-off. Meghan has referred to Sophie as a "dear friend" and hosted her on her podcast, "Archetypes" in 2022, according to the Daily Mail. On the episode, Meghan reminisced about "[giggling] like schoolgirls" with Sophie. Yet, in an April interview with The Times, Sophie claimed that she simply "knows" Meghan and said that they haven't "spent much time together."

It's clear why royal family members like King Charles III and William and Catherine, Prince and Princess of Wales, are keeping their distance. They were surely unhappy to lose the couple as working royals, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, also shared startling revelations about the family in his 2023 memoir, "Spare." But the reason the couple is reportedly losing their Hollywood friends is less clear. 

From Paul Burrell's perspective, it's a result of Harry and Meghan losing A-list status themselves. "Back in the day, the A-listers were riding on the moment," Burrell explained (via The U.S. Sun). He added: "Harry and Meghan were the most popular couple in the country at one time ... but there's since been a decline." Maybe some of the Sussexes' famous ex-friends were only after good PR from the start.