Inside Ellen DeGeneres' Relationship With Meghan Markle

When Meghan Markle surprised all with a guest appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" on November 18, 2021, the world learned just how far back the comedian-turned-host and the American actress-turned-duchess go (via People). Although their first meeting was chronicled in the book "Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Royal Family" by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the rapport between the two women was on full display as Meghan sat down for a televised chat with DeGeneres.

Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, who left the UK and their royal duties behind in early 2020, are even neighbors with DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi. Both couples live in the upscale Southern California haven of Montecito after Harry and Meghan bought comedian Dennis Miller's former home for $49 million, according to Page Six. But their friendship goes back way longer than just being new neighbors.

The year was 2012 and one day becoming part of the British royal family wasn't even a thought in Meghan Markel's mind. At the time, she was just an American actress starring in the TV series "Suits," while trying to make it big in Hollywood (via IMDb) — and maybe even adopt a dog.

Both Meghan and DeGeneres visited the same Los Angeles dog shelter at the same time and ran into one another, although they had never met personally before. According to "Finding Freedom," DeGeneres spotted Meghan cuddling with a Labrador and German Shepherd mix and told her the dog had to be hers, and that she and Portia de Rossi believed the dog already belonged to the future duchess. "You have to take that dog," DeGeneres reportedly said (via Mirror).

As Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote in their book, "Although Meghan didn't grow up with pets, Bogs, as she called him, became the object of her devotion and in heavy rotation on her Instagram feed. But she credits Ellen DeGeneres as the reason she adopted the Lab mix."

After all, how could Meghan say no to such a well-known name in Hollywood? "It's sort of like when Oprah tells you to do something," Meghan said of the experience. "I brought him home. Because Ellen told me to."

Back in November of 2020, Ellen DeGeneres began happily name-dropping Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as her friends and neighbors on her popular daytime talk show, explaining that it was Meghan who recommended that DeGeneres have two dancers to appear on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," according to Mirror.

DeGeneres even mentioned that she had visited Harry and Meghan while they still lived in London and animals were once again a source of conversation as they spoke of work at a wildlife conservation. "Meghan adores Ellen and loves the fact that she and Portia are huge animal lovers," a source told The Mirror. "She said they have stayed in touch since meeting in person and have become close."

Now that they live near one another in the same town, that friendship has continued and the pair has grown closer, leading Meghan to make her debut on her friend's talk show.

When Meghan Markle and Ellen DeGeneres sat down for an interview with her good friend Ellen DeGeneres on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," if it looked like two old friends sharing tidbits about their lives, that's because it was. And Meghan shared news about her baby daughter, Lilibet Diana, who was born in June of 2021.

Harry and Meghan rarely talk specifics about two young their children, two-year-old Archie and baby Lilibet, in public and we have yet to even see a picture of the little girl. But thanks to DeGeneres, we did learn little Lilibet has reached a milestone; she is now teething, and Meghan is looking for ways to relieve that painful problem (via People).

"Tequila, anything," DeGeneres told the mom of two, with Meghan cleverly responding with, "That's Auntie Ellen for you."

As for DeGeneres herself, at the end of the exchange she quipped, "That's why I don't have kids."