Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Make Star-Studded Outing Amid 'Spare' Backlash

02/05/2023 09:30 am EST

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were on hand for their famous friends' special milestones. TMZ reported that the couple attended Portia De Rossi's recent birthday party, which turned into a surprise vow renewal ceremony. As the publication noted, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex live nearby De Rossi and her wife, Ellen DeGeneres, in Montecito, California. Additionally, Meghan previously appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in November 2021. 

Harry and Meghan were two of the famous guests at the birthday party. At the event, De Rossi surprised everyone, including DeGeneres, by emerging in her wedding dress so that the couple could renew their vows. Kris Jenner officiated their vow renewal as the celeb-packed crowd looked on. Brandi Carlile even performed during the party. DeGeneres called De Rossi, whom she wed in 2008, the "greatest gift" for the surprise. 

While it's interesting to see Harry and Meghan mingle with their famous neighbors, their connection with DeGeneres and De Rossi isn't totally unsurprising. In November 2021, the Duchess of Sussex made an appearance on the final season of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. During her appearance, she showed off her fun side as she engaged in one of DeGeneres' classic prank segments in which she did whatever the host told her to do in front of the vendors at the Warner Bros. lot. Of course, Meghan and the former talk show host also share a connection thanks to their shared Montecito neighborhood. 

Meghan and Harry's appearance comes amid the backlash for the prince's memoir, Spare, which was released in January. Due to the controversy surrounding the memoir, it's unclear whether the couple will attend King Charles III's coronation, which will take place in May. Even though he has been speaking out about the royal family in both his book and in the Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan, Charles reportedly wants his son in attendance. However, the matter has prompted strife between him and Prince William, who isn't as keen on having Meghan and Harry there for the historic event. 

"The family is split, and all the indications are that Harry is being advised to agree to nothing at this stage and 'play it long' right up to the last minute, which is making negotiations with him very difficult," a source told the Daily Mail. "Harry's camp made clear that the idea that he would just attend the Coronation and behave himself but then be stripped of his titles was a total non-starter. While he might decide at some point to discard his titles of his own volition, he objects to the idea of being forcibly stripped of them."

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