Gloria Steinem Had A Close Friendship With One Of The UK's Most Controversial Royals

Journalist, feminist, and social and political activist Gloria Steinem died on September 2, 2026, at the age of 92. As the world mourns her passing, the media is also looking back on Steinem's impressive life — and her celebrity relationships. One in particular stands out: Steinem's friendship with Meghan Markle. The activist was no stranger to controversy, so it's not really that shocking she took the Duchess of Sussex under her wing after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's abrupt exit from the U.K. The former "Suits" star wasn't exactly the most popular person around at the time, but the two women bonded after banding together to cold call voters ahead of the 2020 election.

"Meghan, I owe this friendship to you," Steinem said in a 2022 feature they did together, for Vogue, in support of women's reproductive rights. "Because I did not realize that in California, where I was sheltering on a friend's ranch, we were neighbors. Or at least what is called neighbors in California, which means you're, what, a half-hour away." Shortly after they befriended each other in 2020, Steinem was asked about her budding friendship with the duchess during an interview with "Access Hollywood." "[Meghan is] smart, authentic, funny, political," Steinem remarked, per Fox News. Speaking to People in 2022, the feminist noted that the media's portrayal of the royal was wildly inaccurate, bluntly pointing out, "Maybe it's the British tabloids that are the problem."

Meghan was equally fond of her fellow feminist. In the Vogue feature, she shared that, after news of the overturning of Roe v. Wade broke, her first call was to Steinem, "Because in all of it, she reminds me that when you have anger, you have to channel that energy into something that makes a difference. That's what activism is." 

In the wake of Gloria Steinem's death, Meghan Markle took to Instagram to share a poignant tribute to her longtime pal. Meghan lost many friends when she became a royal, and even after Megxit, many A-list stars reportedly left the Sussexes' social circle. Having Steinem around must have been wonderful for the Duchess of Sussex. In fact, she revealed in her tribute that the political activist spent plenty of time with her family over the years. "Privately, she was even better than you would imagine — spending Thanksgiving with our family, introducing me to one of my best friends (forever the champion of female friendship), loving our children with her whole heart, counseling me during hard times, and giving extraordinary advice and perspective with a cup of tea and an unrivaled cheekiness and wit," Meghan noted. 

It's easy to see why the two got so close. They were both ardent feminists determined to make the world a better place for women and girls everywhere. The former "Suits" star wasn't shy about proclaiming herself a feminist in her official royal family bio, when she married Prince Harry in 2018, despite The Firm usually veering away from anything that even hints that they're getting political. "I am proud to be a woman and a feminist," Meghan's bio read, per Teen Vogue. 

In 2020, she and Steinem recorded a conversation about women's rights and feminism, discussing how being a feminist isn't limited to being female. "As I've gotten older I've been able to understand that it's not mutually exclusive to be a feminist and be feminine," the As Ever founder admitted, to which Steinem responded, "Well, you can be a feminist and be masculine and a guy," per Harper's Bazaar. Touché.