Prince Harry 'dropped' his good friends once he started dating Meghan Markle, comedian says
2025-02-07
Category: entertainment

Prince Harry cut ties with some longtime friends the moment he started dating Meghan Markle, comedian Jack Whitehall claimed.&nbsp; During a podcast interview, Whitehall, 36, gave a glimpse into his friendship with the Duke of Sussex, 40. "I’ve come into contact with a couple of [the royals] in the past. I was quite good friends with Harry back in the day. Pre-Meghan, when he was a terror," the comedian said on the "Jase &amp; Lauren" podcast.&nbsp; MEGHAN MARKLE MARRIAGE LED PRINCE HARRY TO REPORTEDLY LOSE TOUCH WITH PALS WHO 'KEPT THEIR DISTANCE': EXPERT  When asked if Harry "dropped his mates" when he started dating the "Suits" star, he replied, "Yeah." Although Whitehall admitted he "had a few nights out" with the royal, he shared that he wasn’t present during the infamous night when Harry reportedly played strip billiards with showgirls in Las Vegas.&nbsp; "I was quite good friends with Harry back in the day. Pre-Meghan, when he was a terror."  "I mean, I wasn’t, I wouldn’t say, part of the inner circle, to go back to a Vegas analogy," Whitehall added. "But no, I had a few nights out with him when he was quite fun." The "Bad Education" star said, like the Invictus Games founder, he has also "retired" from his young bachelor days since becoming a father.  The Duke and Duchess of Sussex share two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3. MEGHAN MARKLE ENLISTS BILLIE EILISH TO HELP TEEN DEVASTATED BY LA FIRES AFTER BEING LABELED 'DISASTER TOURIST' Reps for Harry and Markle did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.&nbsp; This isn’t the first time Harry has been reported to have lost touch with his friends after he began dating Markle, 43.  In August 2023, King Charles’ former butler weighed in on why the reported rift between Harry and his "mates" occurred.&nbsp; LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Grant Harrold, who worked for the monarch for seven years when he was the Prince of Wales, claimed Harry axed friendships that he and Prince William once shared. "I know quite a few of Harry’s friends who don’t hear from him at all…" Harrold said on behalf of Spin Genie, according to the New York Post. Per the outlet, the Duke of Sussex missed longtime friend Jack Mann’s wedding, though Mann attended Prince Harry and Markle's wedding in 2018.  Harrold also said the same distance in Prince Harry’s friendships exists in his relationship with his brother, Prince William.&nbsp; "They were both very sociable boys," Harrold said. "And that’s what’s so sad about it now, how they’ve gone from best of friends to nonexistent really. They have become so distant." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER  He continued, "They were best friends, and they had the same friends, too. You’d see them in the pubs together," Harrold added. "It was a great time for them." Harry and Markle moved to the U.S. in 2020 after stepping back from their royal duties, but according to British royal expert Hilary Fordwich, the distance was already growing between Harry and his friends. "One of the very first falling outs was when he introduced Meghan to his Eton [College] friends back in 2016 during a Sandringham country estate shooting party," according to Fordwich. "Ever since then, the friends have kept their distance, as has Harry." The prestigious Eton College is "where the sons of elites are groomed for former national leadership. Indeed, 20 British prime ministers attended Eton," Fordwich explained at the time.&nbsp; CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Stanton, Stephanie Nolasco and Ashley Papa contributed to this report.