Serena Williams’ Met Gala Appearance Without Meghan Markle Raises New Questions About Their Friendship

For years, Serena Williams and Meghan Markle have publicly celebrated their close friendship. But their appearance at the 2026 Met Gala has now sparked fresh speculation about where things stand between them.

While the two stars were seen at the same high-profile event, insiders claimed they spent little time together throughout the evening. Instead, attention quickly shifted to who the Duchess reportedly chose to spend most of her night with. According to a source close to the event, social dynamics at the Met Gala are rarely accidental, making every interaction worth noticing.

As if the Duchess of Sussex’s absence from the 2026 Met Gala had not already fueled speculation, Serena Williams being spotted alongside Emma Thynn and Edward Enninful only added to the chatter. The internet is now buzzing with fresh questions over whether one of Hollywood’s most visible and publicly supportive friendships has quietly cooled behind the scenes.

According to exclusive reports from RadarOnline, an insider told the outlet why the once-close bond has now been affected. They explained that the tennis legend was repeatedly posing with Thynn and Enninful, and spending most of the event with them is “definitive proof.”

The insider mentioned that their coordinated appearance would certainly grab her attention. They claimed that the Suits actor did not attend the event because she was allegedly not invited. They said, “At a night like the Met Gala, nothing about who you stand beside is accidental – it is one of the most carefully observed stages in the celebrity world.”

The source continued that Williams’ decision to spend time with Emma Thynn and Edward Enninful inevitably proves that her bond with Markle has cooled. They added, “Whether she intended it that way or not, the visual narrative suggests a shift in loyalties, or at the very least a rebalancing of where those personal alliances now sit.”

One of the reasons that makes this rumor so prominent is that Markle was once close friends with the former British Vogue Editor-in-Chief. However, in 2022, they had a disagreement when she demanded to be on the cover of Vogue magazine. But when Enninful could not meet her expectations, their friendship came to an end, as per The Daily Mail.

Likewise, she had a fallout with Thynn over her status, as her claim of being the first black woman to be married into an aristocracy was false. During an episode of Ladies of London (via The Express), Lottie Kane, a designer, said about Emma Thynn: “She's the first black woman to be married into an aristocracy. I think Meghan Markle tries to claim that, but it was actually Emma.”

In 2013, the British socialite became the Marchioness of Bath after marrying Ceawlin Thynn. On the other hand, Markle married Prince Harry in 2018, becoming the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

In the same report by RadarOnline, the insider reminded the outlet about Serena Williams and Meghan Markle’s intertwined public image. The two have appeared together so many times that they are “regularly framed as confidantes, almost a united front navigating fame and scrutiny together.”

They emphasized that in a high-profile event such as the Met Gala, when their “connection is absent,” and if it is replaced by other friendships, “people are going to read into it.”

The source said, “The Met Gala operates as a social barometer – it is where relationships are quietly endorsed, recalibrated, or, in some cases, allowed to fade without a word being spoken.” Since the five-time Tour Finals winner was seen closer with Thynn, it made people think that the old friends are not close anymore.