Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Reportedly Sent Idris Elba & Sabrina Dhowre A $9K Wedding Gift

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry could not attend Idris Elba’s wedding to Sabrina Dhowre this weekend, but they were sure to send a generous gift. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are close friends with the actor, who happened to perform as a DJ at their nuptials back in May. Meghan and Harry reportedly sent Elba and Dhowre a $9,000 painting as a gift in lieu of attending their three-day-long wedding ceremony in Morocco, according to Harper’s Bazaar.

Elba married his beloved actress and model girlfriend at the Ksar Char-Bagh hotel in Marrakesh on April 26. The British royal couple could not see their friend exchange vows with Dhowre due to the impending birth of their first child this month, but they made up for their absence with a stunning piece of art by the Connor Brothers.

The alleged $9,000 artwork shows a blonde woman in a bright yellow 1950’s-style dress leaning against a black and white spiraling background. The bottom of the painting reads, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

Back in February, Elba explained his friendship with the Duke and Duchess during an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. People‘s Sexiest Man Alive revealed that Harry’s father’s charity, The Prince’s Trust, helped him a great deal when he was starting out as a young actor.

“Harry and I, we’ve hung out a couple of times through his dad…So I do a lot of work with them, Harry and Prince William a few times,” Elba said, according to The Cut.

Aside from acting, Elba also happens to be a professional DJ. Harry reportedly asked the actor personally to perform at his wedding to Meghan on May 19, 2018.

“Harry came to a couple of parties that I DJ’ed, and he was like, ‘Hey man, what are you doing on the date [May 19]’ And I was like, ‘Nothing.’ He goes, ‘Hmm, would you DJ at my wedding?’ I was like, ‘Is this a joke? Are you joking?’ And he’s like, ‘Serious,'” Elba recalled of the encounter.

Dhowre attended the royal wedding alongside her now-husband.

Harry and Meghan missed quite the celebration over the weekend. In addition to the official ceremony on Friday, Elba and Dhowre hosted a “colours of the Souk” themed dinner at a resort called Amanjena on April 25, Today reported. Then, to wrap up the weekend, the newlyweds hosted an all-white party on Saturday meant to reflect “the atmosphere of a festival” at the Mandarin Oriental. The wedding reportedly also included special performances from Motown legend Diana Ross.