Actress Mandy Moore Discusses Her Friendship With Meghan Markle

This is Us star Mandy Moore opened up about her “lifetime ago” friendship with Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. According to Today, Moore met Markle back in the mid-2000s when she worked on a movie that Markle’s ex-husband, Trevor Engelson, was producing. Engelson directed rom-com Licensed to Wed in which Moore starred alongside Robin Williams and John Krasinski.

Markle and Moore became quick friends and even spent New Year’s Eve together that year with a group of fellow actor friends. Moore gushed about what a kind and wonderful woman Markle is, smiling as she recalled fond memories the two had shared.

“Her ex-husband was a producer on a movie that I worked on, so I met her back in 2006 and spent a lot of time with them, a lot of time with her, and she is a lovely, generous woman,” Moore said of Markle in a candid interview with Access.

During the interview, Moore was surprised by a sweet throwback picture of her and Markle when they were young. In the photo the two are shown smiling and sipping champagne while surrounded by other actors.

Moore and the now-duchess discovered they had a lot in common and became quick friends. They vacationed in Jamaica together and attended film premieres and photography exhibits.

“We spent a lot of time in Jamaica where some of the movie was shot,” Moore recalled. “We spent quite a bit of time — I think we spent New Year’s with them that year. We spent some time over the summer in the Hamptons with them.”

Even though time has taken the two friends in different directions, they still take the time to catch up, and Moore thinks of Markle very fondly. Moore shared her excitement for her royal friend and the way her life has evolved.

When Moore reached out to her old friend to congratulate her on her engagement to Prince Harry, Markle was very gracious. She even told her that she watches This is Us regularly and loves the show, which Moore was thrilled to hear. To those speculating about what Markle’s true personality is like away from all the spotlight and glitz and glam, Moore tells them that the duchess is just a normal girl.

“She was very kind and said that she really likes ‘This Is Us.’ She watches the show, so that was pretty cool,” Moore shared, laughing. “She’s just a normal, regular girl.”