27 January 2023 , 16:28
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Meghan Markle and Ellen DeGeneres have become very close friends over the years, but the chat show host awkwardly doesn't even remember their first meeting.
The Duchess of Sussex has strong memories of their first encounter, which happened in a pet shelter in LA when she was an actress.
Ellen has confessed she has no memory of the chance meeting, but according to Meghan, she was responsible for pushing her to adopt her dog Bogart, a Labrador-shepherd mix.
Meghan recalled the encounter in an interview in Best Health in 2017, explaining: "Now, I don't know her, but Ellen goes 'Is that your dog?'
"And I said, 'No,' and she's like, 'You have to take that dog.' And I said, 'Well, I'm deciding.' And she's like, 'Rescue the dog!'"
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Meghan Markle and Ellen DeGeneres are close pals now (PA)"It's sort of like if Oprah tells you to do something. I'm sitting there holding him and she's like 'Have you thought of a name for him yet?' And I said, 'Well, I think I'd name him Bogart,' and she's like 'You're taking the dog home.'
"And she walks outside to get into her car but instead of getting in she turns around and comes and taps on the window glass and she yells 'Take the dog!' And so I brought him home. Because Ellen told me to."
While Ellen has no recollection of that first meeting ever happening, she has poked fun at the encounter.
"That's amazing. I mean, she adopted a dog because I told her to," said Ellen to her studio audience.
"I don't even remember the story actually, but obviously she does and she does whatever I tell her to do, so Meghan if you're watching, I have something else to tell you - invite me to that wedding."
Further down the line, the pair became close friends, with Ellen being introduced to Prince Harry and their children.
Shortly after Archie was born, Ellen and her wife, Portia de Rossi, went over to visit the couple and their newborn in London.
Meghan with her rescue dog Bogart (Meghan Markle/Instagram)Ellen revealed she had held and fed the youngster and talked to the couple about wildlife conservation.
An insider previously said: "Meghan adores Ellen and loves the fact that she and Portia are huge animal lovers.
"She said they have stayed in touch since meeting in person and have become close."
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Ellen also saw the kids at Halloween in 2021, when Archie transformed into a dinosaur and little Lilibet was a skunk.
Speaking on Ellen's show, Meghan said: "We were home and we saw you guys, which was great. But no, we wanted to do something fun for the kids and then the kids were just not into it at all.
"Archie was a dinosaur for maybe five minutes. Not even five minutes."
Ellen then revealed how Harry persuaded Archie, then aged two, to put his dinosaur costume on, saying: "Finally Harry talked him into putting the head on. But Lili was a skunk... it was so cute."
Ellen and Portia have met Archie and Lili (Getty Images for NARAS)Meghan replied: "She was a little skunk. Like Flower from Bambi."
Ellen also hinted at how close they were in 2020, saying she'd invited some dancers on to her show at Meghan's recommendation.
They may be pals, but it hasn't stopped Ellen from making jokes about Meghan to get a laugh from her studio audience.
After news of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex' engagement was announced, Ellen took aim at Meghan's past as one of the briefcase models on the American version of Deal or No Deal.
Taking a playful swipe at Harry’s new fiancee on her show, Ellen said: “Her name is Meghan Markle, she's from Los Angeles, she's an actress, she's been on General Hospital, she's been on CSI New York.
"And this is true - she was once the holder of case 24 on Deal or No Deal."
With the audience bursting into laughter, Ellen then jokingly suggested that Harry had made the wrong choice.
The Duchess of Sussex during a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show (PA)She continued: "Which means if Harry had picked the other model he could have gotten $1million. So, darn it."
During their 2021 interview, Meghan explained how she used to come to the Warner Brothers lot to audition all the time - and even knew the security guards well enough that they would tell her to "break a leg".
In what some viewers have claimed is a thinly veiled dig at Meghan’s acting prowess, Ellen replied: "But you auditioned that often that they knew you, to say 'Break a leg?'"
Ellen also leapt to Meghan and Harry's defence on her talk show, saying it was "not fair" seeing them "get attacked".
"They are two of the most down-to-earth compassionate people, they're doing so much good for the world," she said.