Last week saw Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, celebrate turning 41 – and to mark the special occasion, her close friend, actor and director, Tyler Perry, took to Instagram to post a moving tribute to her, saying she's endured things that would have 'broken' many others.
Alongside an image of Meghan crouching down to accept flowers from and speak to a young girl, Tyler shared a poignant caption about his pal.
"I've had a front row seat in your life for the past few years," he began. "I’ve watched you endure things that would have broken a lot of people. I'm so incredibly proud to see how happy you, your husband, and your kids are now."
He also used an endearing nickname for Meghan too, writing: "It fills me with joy to say Happy Birthday Princess Meghan."
So far, the post has garnered over 98,000 likes and thousands of comments from fellow well-wishers wanting to send their best to the Duchess.
Tyler and Meghan's friendship certainly runs deep and far beyond IG shout outs too – when the Sussexes first moved over to America, after making the bold decision to break away from the royal family and their senior working roles, they initially stayed in Tyler's eight bed mansion in LA whilst looking for a permanent spot of their own.
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Both Meghan and Tyler also jointly share a friendship with TV host, author and personality Oprah Winfrey, with whom the Sussexes gave a tell-all interview about leaving royal life behind. It's thought that perhaps Oprah was responsible for connecting the two initially.
As well as receiving a birthday tribute from Tyler, Meghan also featured on Instagram Stories shared by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – who wrote "Wishing a happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex!" – and Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, who similarly said "Happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex!"
The Queen however did not share a public post to celebrate Meghan this year (although we're sure she reached out to her in private).
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
