Who knew the Duchess of Sussex and this comedian were former classmates? Meghan Markle and Billy Eichner joked about her acting career, and we have to agree with what they said. The pair — who both attended Northwestern University at the same time — met at the London premiere of Disney’s The Lion King this month where they exchanged niceties and even a few jokes.
Both Markle and Eichner studied theatre at Northwestern University, but obviously, their life trajectories went in completely different directions after graduation. Eichner has appeared in shows like Parks and Recreation and American Horror Story. He’s also the host of the truTV series Billy on the Street with Billy Eichner. In Disney’s live-action Lion King, he voices Timon. Markle, on the other hand, went on to have a starring role on the USA Network series Suits before marrying Prince Harry.
Eichner had previously shared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! how nervous Beyoncé was to meet the royal. This time, however, the actor opened up about his experience meeting the Duchess of Sussex on Today with Hoda and Jenna. “Meghan and I both went to college together — we were both theater majors at Northwestern,” Eichner told the hosts. “We didn’t know each other when we were there, but we were there at the same time.” As a clip of the pair meeting at the premiere played in the background, Eichner went on to explain their conversation and share a few funny details.
“In the middle of this huge royal premiere you’re looking at, right there we’re having a very casual conversation about our acting teachers at Northwestern,” he said. The Lion King star went on to send a shout-out to his former acting teachers before offering a few more details about his conversation with the royal. “She said to me, ‘Congrats on your career,’ and I said, ‘Congrats on your career,’ and she said, ‘Well, things took a little turn,’” Eichner said, before laughing at the recollection of Markle’s joke. “A great turn! It worked out for everyone.”
The actor then went on to sing the praises of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, saying, “She was lovely, and they were so cool and down to earth. You would never know that they’re royals.”
Originally posted on SheKnows.
Kate Middleton—2018
Middleton made headlines when she wore a knee-length red dress with a white lace Peter Pan collar by Jenny Packham after she gave birth to her second son, Prince Louis, in April 2018. Though longer than Kate's dress, Princess Diana also wore a red dress with a white collar when she gave birth to her second son, Prince Harry, in 1984. Like the rest of the royal births, both Middleton and Diana wore their dresses when they presented their newborns at the Lindo Wing in London.
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Princess Diana—1984
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Meghan Markle—2018
Markle turned heads when she wore a blue-and-green plaid Burberry coat on a visit to the Edinburgh Castle with Prince Harry in February 2018. Many considered the outfit to be a nod to a near-exact look that Princess Diana wore to the Highland Games in Bute in 1987. For the games, Princess Di wore a button-up dress with almost the exact same length, pattern, and color palette as Markle's.
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Princess Diana—1987
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Kate Middleton—2017
For the 20-year anniversary of Princess Diana's death in 2017, Middleton wore a floral-green Prada dress with sleeves and a high neckline. Considering the look was for a service at Diana's memorial garden in London, many suspected that the look was a tribute to a similar floral-green dress that Diana wore to at a rehearsal dinner for her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981.
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Princess Diana—1981
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Meghan Markle—2018
Markle looked like a modern fashion icon when she paired her cream coat with a matching white beret to a Commonwealth Day celebration in March 2018. Little did fans know, the hat choice was a tribute to one of Princess Diana's favorite designers and milliners, Stephen Jones, who is responsible for Markle's beret and many of Princess Di's looks. Though her hat wasn't the same color as Markle's, Princess Di famously wore one of Jones's berets to the Braemar Highland Games in September 1982.
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Princess Diana—1982
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Kate Middleton—2013
Middleton kept Princess Diana's memory alive when she wore a blue polka-dot dress after she gave birth to her first child, Prince George, in 2013. The look was a clear tribute to the polka-dot blue dress that Princess Diana also wore after she gave birth to her first child, Prince William, in 1982. Though Di's dress is a touch longer, falling short of her ankles, it's clear that Middleton wanted to pay tribute to her would-be mother-in-law.
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Princess Diana—1982
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Meghan Markle—2019
Markle wore a Princess-Diana-reminscent outfit in 2019 when she wore this red wrap coat over a purple tea-length dress with a subtle thigh-high slit on a visit to Birkenhead with Prince Harry. Princess Di wore the same color pallette two decades earlier on a visit to Hong Kong, where she also matched a tea-length purple skirt with a red jacket.
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Princess Diana—1989
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