When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married at St George’s Chapel in Windsor back in 2018, the ceremony looked less like a traditional royal wedding and more like one of Hollywood’s biggest nights.
Among the high-profile guests were Oprah Winfrey, David and Victoria Beckham, Idris Elba, James Corden, Serena Williams, Elton John and James Blunt. Yet even among such famous company, George and Amal Clooney stood out as perhaps the ultimate power couple in attendance.
At the time, Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, were not yet planning their move to America, but their connections to the entertainment elite already appeared firmly established.
Now, nearly a decade later, much of that celebrity inner circle is said to have drifted away, and insiders claim the apparent collapse of Harry’s friendship with George Clooney has been especially difficult for him to accept.
‘One of the friendships that’s really lingered painfully for Harry is this one with George,’ a source tells us. ‘He genuinely thought the four of them – Harry, Meghan, George and Amal – had formed a strong bond, and he expected that relationship to continue once they settled in the US.
‘Don’t forget, George was even being mooted as godfather [to Prince Archie] for a while, there was a lot of talk about them teaming up for charity endeavours, and it seemed like a love-in for the ages in entertainment and transatlantic terms. So the fact they got so brutally ghosted was a real tough pill for both Harry and Meghan to swallow, to this day they still can’t wrap their heads around it.’
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The Sussexes and the Clooneys initially appeared united by their shared interest in humanitarian causes and philanthropy. Shortly after Harry and Meghan’s wedding, George, 65, and Amal, 48, hosted the couple at their Lake Como villa in Italy; a gesture that fuelled speculation about just how close the two couples had become.
At the time, a source said, ‘George and Amal were so happy to host Meghan and Harry. Harry and George have a special bond and friendship.’ George later defended Meghan publicly during her pregnancy with Archie in 2019, criticising the media’s treatment of her and comparing it to the scrutiny faced by Princess Diana.
However, by 2023, many royal watchers believed cracks had begun to appear. George and Amal publicly showed support for the Royal Family by attending The Prince’s Trust Awards only months after the publication of Harry’s memoir, Spare.
Later that same year, reports emerged suggesting Harry and Meghan had also been left off the guest list for the Clooneys’ Albie Awards, despite the event celebrating philanthropy, a cause once thought to unite the couples.
According to insiders, communication between them has since all but disappeared. ‘It stings, big time,’ the source says. ‘Both Harry and Meghan have tried to reach out, together as well as separately, but their calls have either gone unanswered or, on the rare occasions they’ve gotten through, it’s been a case of George and Amal fobbing them off with some type of excuse.
‘Meghan is very upset, too, and whilst they haven’t lost total hope that one day the friendship can be resolved, they’re past the point of groveling or reaching back out. The brutal and hurtful bottom line is that they’re not interested in associating with Harry and Meghan, who have zero choice except to suck it up and move on with their lives.’
Meanwhile, George has continued appearing alongside senior royals. Just weeks after King Charles visited the US, the actor travelled to London for The King’s Trust Awards at Buckingham Palace, where he was seen greeting the monarch. Amal is also said to have bonded with Queen Camilla during the event.
Speaking at the ceremony, George praised Charles’ recent trip to America, saying, ‘I am very proud to be here in support of the King, who was just in my country and performed rather well.’
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Insiders now claim Harry suspects Prince William may somehow be behind the distancing. ‘Harry insists he has no idea why George suddenly ghosted him, although he does believe William is somehow to blame. He just isn’t clear what reason George is using to justify what appears like having ghosted him,’ the source says.
‘And make no mistake, Harry does feel really put out by it. The guy was at his wedding, and then suddenly he won’t answer his calls. It’s very painful because there’s no explanation, so Harry’s been left to fill in the blanks.’
We’re told Harry has found the situation increasingly frustrating as George shifts his own priorities toward activism and charitable work – something the Duke reportedly feels aligns closely with his own ambitions through projects like the Invictus Games.
‘Here they are, both devoting themselves to helping the world with very similar goals and political views and yet they’re worlds apart because George has iced him out for reasons totally unknown,’ the insider says.
‘He’s hurt, and he’s angry because, truth be told, Harry would love to be working with him and teaming up. He says they could have so much impact together, but obviously that’s not going to happen when he can’t even get an invite to George’s parties.’
They add, ‘Obviously, George is a very powerful and popular figure, so Harry can hardly complain about the situation or say something that’s negative without it filtering back. But he has made it known that he considers him to be pretty shallow for the way in which he’s handled things.’
However, sources close to the Clooneys reportedly see matters very differently, insisting their decision to step back had more to do with avoiding drama than taking sides.
‘George and Amal don’t like to talk about it, they consider this type of pettiness beneath them, and any type of debate about the situation would be something they’d see as petty and childish,’ the insider says.
‘But it’s well established at this point that they got tired of the Sussexes’ pettiness, and it didn’t sit well with them that they’d be painted as Team Sussex if they kept associating with Harry and Meghan. So they cut the cord and moved on, which turned out to be a smart play in the end, given how things have worked out since.’
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