So far as star-studded guest lists go, you’d be hard pressed to find a more impressive roll call than the carousel of famous faces who turned up to St George’s Chapel in 2018 to see Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get wed. Indeed, as the A-listers descended on Windsor, it was like a night at the Oscars – with Oprah Winfrey, George and Amal Clooney, David and Victoria Beckhamand Serena Williams all counted among the glitterati guests. So far as optics went, Harry and Meghan had bridged the divide between royalty and celebrity. They were at the top of the showbiz pile.
However, six years later, it’s safe to say that the dynamics have changed – despite all efforts to the contrary. The pair’s once solid friendships with power couples like the Clooneys and the Beckhams have ostensibly bitten the dust – evidenced by the fact that neither George and Amal, nor David and Victoria, have included them in any social engagements in years. Indeed, the Beckhams in particular have made their allegiances known – upping their involvement with Harry’s estranged family over the past year and even attending a state banquet at Buckingham Palace earlier this month.
Meanwhile, newer friends like Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia di Rossi – who apparently welcomed Harry and Meghan into the A-list fold once they settled down in Montecito – have also reportedly taken a massive step back. Rubbing salt into wounds, the couple have now moved to the UK in response to Donald Trump’s recent reelection win. Despite Harry’s upped efforts to reingratiate himself in British life, it’s understood that Meghan has no intention of returning to the country that – she feels – made her feel so unwelcome. So, it’s safe to say she won’t be visiting Ellen and Portia anytime soon.
So, what does this mean for the Sussex’s showbiz ambitions stateside? According to our sources, Meghan in particular isn’t going down the social pecking order without a fight. Instead, she’s widening her net, calling in her connections, and setting her sights on a very famous couple who could just give her and Harry the 'cool factor' they so desperately need. Step forward Kourtney Kardashian and her rocker husband, Travis Barker.
'There’s been a noticeable shift towards getting out of their bubble and being more sociable,' says an insider close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who were left licking their wounds at the end of 2023 after a humiliating year that left them branded 'work-shy grifters' in Hollywood. 'Their kids and work are still the priority, but they’ve been broadening their scope. There is a big focus on them lightening up and being a bit more carefree. Kourtney and Travis certainly live that way in the public eye; they’re all over each other all the time and don’t care who sees. Meghan and Harry would never take it that far – it’s not their style – but being a little more ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ is appealing.'
Reaching out to Kourtney and Travis, who held a rockstar-studded wedding in Italy in 2022 and share one-year-old son Rocky, is relatively easy for Meghan, considering she’s already laid a great deal of groundwork with the reality star’s family. In 2023, her mum Doria Ragland was pictured cosying up to Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian at a charity do, shortly before Meghan herself was snapped socialising with the pair at Beyoncé’s LA tour dates.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, Kris was one of the lucky few to receive a sample of Meghan’s homemade jam, which she sent to 50 of her most high-profile friends to promote her new lifestyle and wellness brand, American Riviera Orchard. It’s no secret that the brand’s big launch has been waylaid in recent months – a frustration for Meghan that she’s hoping to rectify in 2025. So, as far as she’s concerned, having Kourtney on side would be even more useful, considering the latter runs her own lifestyle platform, Poosh – which, like Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, has copped flak for its focus on expensive products and 'woo-woo' Hollywood advice. Still, we’re told that Meghan believes that she and Kourtney share a great deal of brand synergy, and – if she wants to make next year her most successful one yet – it’s time to tap into that potential.
'Meghan really admires what Kourtney has done with Poosh,' say an insider close to the Duchess of Sussex, who’s reportedly fronting her own Netflix cookery show in the next few months to promote her brand. 'In a lot of ways, she and Kourtney are similar – they’re both these "granola types" that are super devoted mums. They also have some friends in common. Meghan knows that Harry would enjoy meeting Travis, and thinks they would all get along well. It will be easy because Kourtney and Travis have a place close to Montecito and they love it there, so Meghan’s plan is to invite them over for dinner.'
Meghan was recently pictured at a pink-themed baby shower in West Hollywood in honour of her friend, Samantha Stone, who’s the chief membership officer at Soho House. And, luckily for her, among the guests was designer Skye Hoppus, who’s married to Travis’ Blink-182 bandmate Mark Hoppus – bringing her one step closer to Kourtney’s inner circle. We’re told that Meghan is banking on her new friendship with Skye to open up even more doors, and really ingratiate her and Harry in the rock n roll subset of Hollywood.
Harry himself has already been upping his cool factor by hanging out with rapper and singer Jelly Roll, whom he’s enlisted to perform at his upcoming Invictus Games in Vancouver. But having a legendary band like Blink-182 involved in some capacity – even if they’re just friends hobnobbing with the Sussexes at the games – would be a feat that would well and truly put him and Meghan back in the big leagues.
'If Harry and Meghan do hit it off with Travis, it’s conceivable that Blink-182 would actually play a set at Invictus,' we’re told. 'Of course, that all remains to be seen, since their get together hasn’t even happened yet. But – ideally – Meghan would love to arrange a double date soon, and the games are in February, so you never know!'
The good news is, if her efforts fail, Meghan still has Khloe, Kendall and Kylie left on her Kardashian bingo card. The opportunities are plenty.