Serena Williams Praises Meghan Markle’s Strength, Reveals That She Flew With Newborn Archie To Watch U.S. Open
Serena Williams gushed about what a good friend Meghan Markle is to her during a recent interview with Access Hollywood, posted to their YouTube channel. According to Serena, Meghan didn’t let the new responsibility of taking care of a newborn stop her from showing up at the U.S. Open to support her friend, and she didn’t leave her baby boy behind to do so, either.
Serena and the Duchess of Sussex became good friends years ago when Meghan was still working as an actress. After Meghan married Prince Harry, the former Suits star’s life changed in major ways. She had to change her country of residence and her royal role came with many new responsibilities. She had less than a year to adjust to her major life change before a newborn was added to the mix. However, through all of this, Serena says that Meghan has maintained their relationship and gone above and beyond to be the best friend that she can be.
According to Serena, Meghan even flew all the way to New York and back to England with a newborn baby to cheer her on at the U.S. Open back in September. As noted by Cosmopolitan, this is a big revelation because many people assumed that Meghan had left the then-4-month-old Archie behind in England. The Duchess of Sussex was getting mommy-shamed for supposedly abandoning her newborn to watch a tennis match. However, Serena didn’t just prove the mommy-shamers wrong, she also made the case that Meghan is worthy of praise for doing something that many mothers, herself included, wouldn’t be able to do.
“I just really think she’s the strongest, literally, the strongest person I know, and the nicest, sweetest,” Serena said. “She flew all the way with a newborn to see me play in New York and flew all the way back that night, and I probably couldn’t have done that.”
The topic of Meghan’s candid comments about living in the public eye also came up during Serena’s interview. While filming the documentary special Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Meghan admitted that the constant scrutiny she’s faced since joining the royal family has been difficult for her. A concerned Prince Harry even compared the way the British press has been treating his wife to what his mother experienced before her untimely death. Serena was asked if she can relate to the pressures that Meghan talked about. While many celebrities deal with their fair share of negative press, Serena said she doesn’t think most have it as bad as Meghan.
“I’m not sure that many people can relate on that level,” she said. “I don’t think I can.”
In addition to praising Meghan for enduring two long back-to-back flights to cheer her on, Serena also talked about how the Duchess of Sussex is always there for her when she needs someone to talk to.
“I call her, text her anytime crying, upset, and she’s there,” Serena said. “Doesn’t matter what she’s going through, she sets time away, and she’s so amazing.”
