Meghan Markle ‘Death to Serena Williams’ After Close Bond
Serena Williams has sparked fierce speculation about her once close bond with Meghan Markle after appearing alongside Emma Thynn and Edward Enninful at the Met Gala – a high-profile show loyalty sources told RadarOnline.com is the “definitive proof” that the tennis star’s friendship with the Duchess of Sussex has cooled.
Williams, 44, attended the May 4 fundraiser at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in a silver metallic dress, repeatedly posing with Emma and Edward.
Their coordinated appearances drew attention due to the absence of 44-year-old Meghan Markle, who did not attend the event and was believed not to have been invited.
The gala, one of the most visible events in global fashion, has increasingly become a stage not only for style but also for shifting alliances within celebrity circles.
An insider close to the event told us: “On a night like the Met Gala, nothing is a coincidence who you stand next to – it’s one of the most carefully observed stages in the celebrity world.
“Serena choosing to spend so much time working closely with Emma and Edward, both of whom have been linked to a cooling in their relationship with Meghan, inevitably reads as more than a coincidence.
Whether she intended it that way or not, the visual narrative suggests a shift in loyalties, or at least a rebalancing of where those personal alliances now sit.
“You have to remember how intertwined the public images of Serena and Meghan once were – they were regularly portrayed as confidantes, almost a united front navigating fame and criticism together.
“So when Serena appears in such a high-profile setting and that connection is missing, replaced instead by other high-profile friendships, people will read into it.
“The Met Gala serves as a social barometer; it is the place where relationships are quietly endorsed, recalibrated or, in some cases, can fade without a word being spoken.”
Williams’ close bond with Thynn was on full display in the lead-up to the gala, with the pair sharing moments from their preparations and arriving arm in arm at pre-gala celebrations hosted by Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez.
Thynn, who is the Marchioness of Bath following the death of her father-in-law in 2020, has long been a fixture in fashion and social circles and previously appeared on Williams’ podcast.
Enninful, meanwhile, has also been the subject of reported distance from Markle following their collaboration at the 2019 Fashion song she guest edited.
In September 2025, Enninful seemed to confirm a shift when asked to work with Markle again, saying, “Meghan and I had a great moment with the issue we had, but I feel like I did it and I wouldn’t necessarily repeat myself.”
The comments followed previous reports of disagreements over a proposed magazine article that was ultimately dropped, as well as speculation that the duchess had sought a more prominent editorial position than was offered.
Comparisons between Markle and Thynn have also persisted, especially in the realm of lifestyle branding.
Thynn has been helming her Emma’s Kitchen cooking series from Longleat House since 2015, while Markle’s 2025 Netflix project With love, Meghan led to an online debate about similarities in tone and presentation.
When asked about such comparisons in the past, Thynn declined to elaborate, simply saying, “No comment.”
Despite current speculation, Williams and Markle share a long history. The pair first met in 2010 and reconnected in 2014, with Markle later writing that they “hit it off immediately.”
Williams attended Markle’s wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 and her baby shower in New York in 2019, and has spoken publicly about their bond.
In 2021, she said, “We’ve known each other for a long time, but we’ve been really relying on each other a lot lately.”
She also described Markle as “the strongest person” she knows and “the epitome of class and strength.”
Still, a source told us, “Friendships at this level are often communicated as much through appearances as they are through words — and right now the signals look very different than they once were. In other words, it seems like Meghan is now dead to Serena and their bond is over.”
