For most people, meeting a celebrity will likely leave you feeling star-struck and overwhelmed. But the Royal Family, who have met with some of the iconic figures in history, are more used to leaving others awe-stricken.
While there are plenty of hilarious tales of stars meeting royalty over the years, some have formed lasting bonds and well-documented friendships.
We look at our favourite celebrity-royal friendships, ranging from pop stars, fashion icons, famous sportspeople and everything in between.
32 celebrities the royals are good friends with
Sir Elton John
Elton John's bond with Princess Diana is one of the most famous royal friendships.
The singer famously rewrote the lyrics to his song, Candle in the Wind, and performed it at a special tribute to the late Princess of Wales at her funeral in 1997. The moving track went on to become one of the best-selling songs of all time, and Elton has maintained a close bond with Diana's sons.
In his biography Me, Sir Elton described how the pair first met, recalling a party for Prince Andrew in 1981 when they both "immediately clicked" while dancing. No surprise, considering how many of Princess Diana's most memorable moments revolved around dance.
Ellie Goulding
British pop star Ellie Goulding enjoys a close friendship with several members of the Royal Family.
The Grammy nominated singer had the privilege of performing at Prince William and Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding, and she also attended the weddings of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
They hang out outside of big events too, proving their real friendship. Ellie went on holiday with Princess Beatrice to Jordan in 2018.
Dame Judi Dench
King Charles and Queen Camilla have been enjoyed a close friendship with acting royalty Judi Dench for many years.
In 2023, Dame Judi attended the inaugural Queen's Reading Room Literary Festival at Hampton Court Palace.
And in 2018, in memorable photos, Judi and Camilla enjoyed tucking into an ice cream together at the former holiday home of Queen Victoria on the Isle of Wight.
Having a friend like Judi Dench pays off, too, as the Oscar-winning legend has publicly defended the family, slamming controversies from Netflix's The Crown as "crude sensationalism."
Dame Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley thinks the Royal Family are Absolutely Fabulous, and it seems like there's a mutual affection.
Sharing moments with several royals over the years, including Prince Edward, King Charles and the late Queen Elizabeth, Dame Joanna has always been full of praise for her royal friends.
Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, she once described Charles as "quite exceptional" and she shared anecdotes with Sky News presenter Kay Burley from the several times she's stayed with King Charles, including the fact that "at Sandringham, your car is taken away but by the time it’s brought back to you at the end of your trip or visit, it’s full of petrol and it has been cleaned." He's truly the host with the most.
Eddie Redmayne
Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne has long moved in the same social circles as the royals, having attended school with Prince William.
The star of The Danish Girl revealed to The Daily Mail that, while he was at Eton with Prince William, the Prince of Wales was actually a bit of a target - and he also let slip that his closeness with the future King affords him the right to call him an informal nickname.
"I always felt slightly sorry for Will because everyone wanted to tackle the future King of England. He took all the hits."
James Blunt
Singer James Blunt has a long history with Prince Harry, which is why it wasn't a surprise to those in the know when he was invited to the 2018 wedding of Harry and Meghan Markle.
An interesting Prince Harry fact: Harry and James Blunt served alongside each other as officers in the British Army in the mid-2000s.
Per The Sun, the singer was also personally invited by Harry to attend the Invictus Games, the charitable foundation set up by the Duke of Sussex for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans.
Aside from his friendship with Harry, James Blunt's wife, Sofia Wellesley, also has a relationship with the royals - she is the daughter of Lord and Lady John Henry Wellesley, and the granddaughter of the eighth Duke of Wellington.
Cara Delevingne
Supermodel and actress Cara Delevingne has enjoyed friendships with a number of royals over the years.
A regular at events hosted by the likes of King Charles, the model supports many of the royal's charities, but she also enjoys a close friendship with Princess Eugenie. The pair have been spotted on many nights out together, and she practically stole the show at Eugenie's wedding when she turned up in a full suit and tails. Cara is said to also be friends with Prince Harry.
Tom Hardy
British actor Tom Hardy has established strong ties with many of the Royal Family, and a friendship with Prince Harry has been teased with several appearances over the years.
Tom has actually spoken about their bond.
"It’s deeply private," he told Esquire, adding, "Harry is a f—ing legend."
The Mad Max: Fury Road star has also enjoyed a good bond with Harry's dad, King Charles, as he has served as an ambassador for The Prince's Trust.
George and Amal Clooney
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle enjoy a close friendship with George and Amal Clooney, proving that they might be one of the most impressive foursomes in history. It's thought that separately Harry and George Clooney met through their philanthropy.
George and Amal brought their unparalleled star power to the wedding of Harry and Meghan in 2018, with Amal stunning in her bold, yellow Stella McCartney ensemble.
Serena Williams
Tennis legend Serena Williams has been a vocal support of Meghan Markle, with the two striking a friendship back in 2014.
Well before Meghan was a royal, the actress joined forces with the athlete for a charity beach bowl tournament in the United States.
"We are both the same age, have a penchant for hot sauces, and adore fashion, but what connects us more than those things is perhaps our belief in exceeding expectations - our endless ambition," Meghan wrote on her now-deleted blog, The Tig, per People.
Serena Williams and her tech entrepreneur husband, Alexis Ohanian, attended Harry and Meghan's wedding in 2018.
Priyanka Chopra
Love Again actress Priyanka Chopra enjoys a close friendship with the Duchess of Sussex, and was among the many stars at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.
She and Meghan met at the Elle Women in Television dinner in January 2016, with the Citadel telling Elle, "She's always been someone who's so just aware and interested in the world."
"I met her three or four years ago and that's what we bonded on—was how much we feel like we contribute to that as public people. I really feel like that's what she was born to do and I hope this gives her the opportunity do that."
Joss Stone
Pop and soul singer Joss Stone might have seemed like a surprise guest when she appeared at Prince William and Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding - and then again for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2018 nuptials.
However, Joss has enjoyed a friendship with the princes since they were all teenagers.
Joss is an ambassador for Sentebale, a charity founded by Harry and Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso to help young people affected by HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
At the 2016 Sentebale charity concert, Joss even joked about the Duke of Sussex's dance skills, telling Hello!, "He’s quite shy in that way, but it depends. Last time I was singing in Lesotho he started a conga line, so I wouldn’t put it past him.
"He’s a fun human being."
Giovanna Fletcher
Podcaster and author Giovanna Fletcher, wife of McFly popstar Tom Fletcher, has become a recent addition to Kate Middleton's circle of friends.
The two first hit it off during Kate's first-ever appearance on a podcast in 2020, when the Princess of Wales appeared on the star's Happy Mum Happy Baby podcast to share her experiences of motherhood.
The pair reportedly got on so well that the podcast was initially scheduled to last for 45 minutes, but the time kept rolling due to the natural spark between the pair.
It's thought the pair have stayed friends as Giovanna joined Kate for her Shaping Us event years later.
Victoria Beckham
The Beckhams are something of an alternative Royal Family for Brits, so it makes sense that Victoria Beckham is friendly with various members of the family. One in particular is the Princess of Wales.
According to E!, "Kate and Victoria have a lot in common as they both adore art and interior design."
And while their husbands bonded over sport, an unnamed source told the outlet that "Kate and Victoria talk about fashion, design, and parenting."
Kate has shown subtle signs of support for Victoria over the years, often wearing the popstar-turned-designer's clothing.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie is no stranger to the royal family, having received an honorary damehood from the late Queen Elizabeth in 2014, however, what is perhaps unexpected is the bond she has formed with Queen Camilla.
While calling them close friends might be a stretch, several outlets report that Angelia and Camilla hit it off due to their shared interests in work with combating sexual violence around the world.
Liza Minnelli
If there's one person who could possibly relate to the scrutiny Princess Diana faced, it's Liza Minnelli.
A legend since birth - with her mother being the similarly-hounded and equally-celebrated Judy Garland - Liza once claimed to be "lucky enough to count Princess Di as a friend" (per The Standard.)
She added, "We'd bump into each other at premieres or events where she'd be the guest of honour. We'd fall into conversation then we'd meet for tea."
Michael Jackson
When your life is an unusual as that of Michael Jackson and Princess Diana, friendships can be formed quite quickly - even if that friendship was a long-distance one.
In 1988, Diana attended a performance of Michael Jackson's at Wembley, and the pair would only meet that once but it was enough to form a lasting friendship.
Per Smooth Radio, MJ spoke to Barbara Walters about the meeting in 1997.
The icon had cancelled a song, Dirty Diana, from his set as a sign of respect for the Princess. The song is about a groupie. But when they met, he revealed Diana asked if she was going to "do Dirty Diana" and when he revealed he had axed it from the set, she said "No! I want you to do it."
Though they met the once, they had long phone calls after.
"She was extremely close by phone... I was still married to Lisa Marie [Presley]. Diana woke me up usually late at night… mostly after three in the morning! And then she held me for hours on the telephone. She talked about children, the press."
His former bodyguard later confirmed the pair would often speak into the small hours, telling the Daily Star "she was the only person in the world who could understand his life in terms of not being able to go anywhere."
Freddie Mercury
One of the most iconic friendships was that of Princess Diana and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, who used to love pairing up to get up to all kinds of protocol-breaking shenanigans.
Actress - and Freddie Mercury's pal - Cleo Rocos wrote in her biography that the legendary singer once smuggled the royal into a popular London gay bar.
Cleo Rocos' incredible story goes on to recall how they transformed the Princess into someone who instead resembled a "rather eccentrically dressed gay male model" so they could smuggle her in.
Princess Diana eventually made it into the bar and was able to order a white wine and some beer - going completely undetected.
Rod Stewart
King Charles and rock icon Rod Stewart might seem like an odd pairing, but the two have shared a friendship for many years.
The Maggie May singer has served as a long-time ambassador for Charles’s charity, the Prince’s Trust, and he’s been chosen to perform at two important royal family birthday parties: one, in 2002, for the late Queen Elizabeth, and in 2008, for Charles himself.
His Majesty is also pals with Rod's wife, Penny Lancaster. is chummy with Stewart’s wife, Penny Lancaster, too. The Mirror reports that Queen Camilla found the funny side in Charles' apparent pleasure at being seated next to the former model at an event in 2015.
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have reportedly enjoyed a friendship with Princess Beatrice.
The eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson reportedly met the famous couple through Beatrice’s now-ex, Dave Clark.
An unlikely source lifted the lid on the friendship in 2015 - an Uber driver who taxied the famous bunch around New York City.
Per E!, the driver revealed the group shared some laughs while discussing yachts, and Princess Beatrice mentioned her time on Oprah Winfrey's mega yacht.
Karlie Kloss
Princess Beatrice and Karlie Kloss have been friends for years.
When the model held a second wedding event in Wyoming in 2019, Karlie shared a series of Instagram stories. Among a sea of celebrity guests, including Katy Perry and Ashton Kutcher, Princess Beatrice was spotted with them.
The wedding was something of a reunion for the friends, who enjoyed a star-studded holiday to Jordan together in 2018.
Naomi Campbell
Supermodel Naomi Campbell has enjoyed a strong bond with the royals over the years, serving as an ambassador for King Charles' The Princes Trust charity and represented the late Queen as an ambassador for the Commonwealth Trust.
However, her closest friendships are reportedly with the Duchess of York and her daughters.
Naomi, who was invited to Princess Eugenie's 2018 wedding, forged a friendship with the Princesses after first bonding with Sarah Ferguson throughout the years.
Naomi and Fergie joined forces in 2012 for the "Fashion for Relief" dinner - an event for a non-profit launched by the supermodel.
Orlando Bloom
Actor Orlando Bloom and Prince Harry have both spoken about their friendship in the past.
Harry opened up about his friendship during a podcast with Dax Shepard, shortly after finding himself neighbours with the actor when he moved to California.
"Two days ago, Orlando Bloom sent me a message because he is just down the road and we sort of keep in contact because of the paparazzi," he revealed to Dax.
Orlando also portrayed Prince Harry in The Prince on HBO Max – a sitcom poking fun at the imaginary life of Prince George.
Orlando had hesitations about taking the role on, but it was his friendship with Harry that allowed him to take it guilt-free.
Speaking about Harry to Hollywood Reporter, he said “This guy is so nice, and I think he's got a great sense of humour. I hope he maintains that through this because they're sort of on a pedestal. We're showing real adoration to them in one form or another."
Dave Grohl
Rockstar Dave Grohl bonded with Prince Harry after being invited to perform at his Invictus Games ceremony in 2017.
They became such good pals that Harry was one of the first people to wish the rocker well after he famously broke his leg during a stage fall gone disastrously wrong.
"When I had my surgery here in London he was one of the first people to come visit me afterwards and he brought me a gift," the Foo Fighters rocker told BBC News.
What does one get when you are friends with royalty?
"He brought me this little pillow to put my iPad on while I was in recovery."
Geri Halliwell
From Ginger Spice to Royal Spice, Geri Horner (nee Halliwell) has enjoyed decades of good times with the Royal Family (also giving us one of the most memorable King Charles moments ever)
Famously, she was still at the peak of her mischievous Spice Girl heyday when she first met the future King, famously pinching his bottom in a most definite breach of protocol.
Charles, however, was enchanted by his friend and even wrote her a letter when she quit the band.
Per the Daily Mail, he reportedly said, "The group will not be the same without you. What will I do without your wonderfully friendly greeting"
Over the years, that friendship has blossomed, with Geri being photographed at numerous events with Queen Camilla, Charles, Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie.
Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie is synonymous with the rougher side of British life - making hit gangster films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch - but that doesn't mean he can't mingle with the upper classes too.
The director (and ex-husband of another type of royalty, pop queen, Madonna) reportedly enjoys a good friendship with the Prince of Wales.
Guy Ritchie was invited to the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and William was spotted frequenting Guy's pub, The Punchbowl, in 2009.
Demi Moore
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle bombshell Demi Moore was something of a surprise guest when Princess Eugenie married Jack Brooksbank in a star-studded ceremony in 2018.
While the actress isn't thought to have too much of a friendship with the princesses, she is reportedly close with Sarah Ferguson.
According to the Mirror, Demi and the Duchess of York bonded over an interest in Kabbalah. Some reports even suggest Fergie was so close with Demi that she felt comfortable contemplating a set-up between the actress and her ex-husband, Prince Andrew.
James Corden
Actor and talk-show host James Corden has been close friends with Prince Harry for several years.
The late-night host revealed all about his friendship during his own US show, The Late Late Show, after he attended Prince Harry and Markle's wedding in May 2018.
He said, "I’ve known Prince Harry about seven years now and it was wonderful. It was one of the most beautiful ceremonies I’ve ever been to. It was gorgeous, it was a whole affair, it was happy, it was joyous, it was uplifting."
Tom Cruise
Hollywood icon Tom Cruise has enjoyed a good relationship with the royals over the years, even sending in a video message during King Charles' Coronation Concert in May 2023.
However, out of all the royals, he has a strong bond with Prince William.
Speaking to the press on the Top Gun: Maverick red carpet, Cruise said, "We have a lot in common...We both love England and we’re both aviators, we both love flying."
The Prince and Princess of Wales also came out for the London premiere of Tom's Mission Impossible movie in 2022, and the star has joined Kate at Wimbledon in the past.
David Beckham
David Beckham has enjoyed a long relationship with the Royal Family, regularly representing the country at major events.
And his bond extends to some close friendships with the likes of Prince William and Prince Harry.
When asked in an interview by Esquire if he'd consider the royal brothers friends, he replied, "Yeah, I think I would. We've done a lot of functions together. It's a very normal relationship. With Harry, as well. They're very easy to get along with."
Having moved to the United States himself in the past, he also revealed whether he'd given any advice to Harry after his departure from royal life for California.
"I haven't spoken to Harry about him moving. We speak as friends and that's the most important thing for me," David told Entertainment Tonight in 2020. "I think he's enjoying being a young father for the first time and that's what we always spoke about. When you are a parent, it changes everything for you. He always needs to be happy."
David and Victoria Beckham attended the weddings of both Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.
Joan Rivers
Now, talk about opposites attract. Iconic, unfiltered diva Joan Rivers and King Charles reportedly enjoyed a strong friendship over the years, with Joan even attending his wedding to Camilla in 2005.
The late comic spoke about their relationship on Good Morning Britain in 2023. "He has the most fantastic voice, very mellifluous and deep,” she said. “I’d met him a few times. In fact, he wrote about me in his book, I can’t say what it is on morning TV because it’s a bit naughty.”
Barack and Michelle Obama
Diplomatically speaking, the President and First Lady of the United States always enjoy pleasant encounters with the British Royal Family.
However, it's fair to suggest that President Obama and First Lady Michelle had a special dynamic with the likes of Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton.
in 2016, when the Obamas worked alongside Prince Harry on the Invictus Games in Orlando, their dynamic included instigating a jokey social media war between the opposing sides, with the Obamas representing the American athletes and Harry championing the Brits.
Harry even got the late Queen in on the jokes, with Her Majesty appearing in a cameo video.
During a Good Morning America interview, Michelle showed the truest signs of their affections, saying, "He is truly our Prince Charming."
