How Long Have Meghan Markle and Ellen DeGeneres Known Each Other?

Meghan Markle is returning to the talk show circuit, but only for her longtime friend Ellen DeGeneres. The Ellen Show just shared a sneak peek of Markle appearing on the daytime talk show reminding the world that the Princess and host have actually been friends for years.

In the teaser clip for the interview, Markle reminisced about when she used to come to the Warner Bros. plot—where The Ellen Show is filmed—for auditions. “What was so nice is the security guards here would always say, ‘Break a leg! We hope you get it!’” Markle recalled. “So the drive in today was very different.”

The pair also discussed the car Markle used to drive when she was still auditioning back in the day, an old Ford Explorer Sport, which Markle joked “had a life of its own.” She explained that, at one point, the key stopped working on the driver side and she was unable to use the door. “After auditions I would park in the back of the parking lot and I would open the trunk and climb in and then pull it shut behind me and crawl over all my seats to get out," she explained, laughing. "That's how I would come to and fro."

Markle and DeGeneres seemed very close as they chatted on their matching white chairs, which is fitting since they’ve actually been friends for years. Back in 2017, when DeGeneres discussed Markle’s engagement to Prince Harry on her show, she shared how she met Markle years earlier at a dog shelter. Markle told Best Health that DeGeneres walked in with her wife Portia de Rossi and asked Markle if the dog she was looking at belonged to her. Markle said no and DeGeneres replied, “You have to take that dog.” Markle took DeGeneres’ advice, adopted the dog, and named him Bogart.

The two have remained close since and these days, they are even neighbors in Montecito, so while it’s a little strange to see the Princess on a daytime talk show, think of it as a favor for an old friend.