Tyler Perry was one of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s closest allies following their decision to quit royal life.

Despite the fact they had never met in person, he offered the couple his Beverly Hills mansion – and their friendship has developed to such an extent that he is a godfather to their daughter Lilibet.

In an interview on the Today show in September 2022, Tyler spoke about his bond with the Sussexes and revealed why he feels so ‘inspired’ by them. The filmmaker said: “What I know about the two of them – and I wish the world knew – how much these two people love each other.

“They found each other, out of all these odds against them finding each other, they found each other. The love they have is really, really moving and I wanted to do anything I could to support them.” He added of Meghan and Harry’s relationship: ‘If I don’t have that, what she and Harry have, I don’t want it. That’s really amazing.”

Last year, filmmaker Tyler spoke further about his friendship with Harry and Meghan during an appearance on Kelly Ripa’s podcast. He revealed that he had first reached out by sending the couple a note for their wedding , saying that he “got the tremendous sense” at the time that, for Meghan especially, things were “overwhelming”. “I sent them a note … and just said, ‘If you ever need anything, I’m here,’ and she called months later and just talked to me like I was a therapist you talk to and we just had a great conversation,” he said of the Duchess.

Harry and Meghan announced they were exiting the royal family at the start of 2020 and quickly relocated to Canada. In the midst of early Covid their location was revealed and Meghan reached out to Tyler to take him up on his offer.

He promptly arranged for a private jet to ferry the family to Southern California and offered up his own Beverly Hills home to them, complete with security detail. “They hid out at my house for a long time,” Tyler told Ripa. “It was so great.”

They also managed to keep the move a secret from the press: “They don’t even know, so weeks and weeks they were there,” he added. “They were so happy. It was such a beautiful moment.” Meghan, meanwhile, spoke about her connection with Tyler in the Netflix show Harry & Meghan, saying: “I’d never met him before.

He sent me a letter before the wedding just saying he was praying for me. And that if I ever need anything, he would be there. Months and months and months went by. And then one day when we were in Canada, I had called him.

Finally, after years at that point, first time we ever spoke, and I was just a wreck. I was just crying and crying. Sometimes it’s easier to just open up to someone who knows nothing at all. And that was that moment with me and Tyler.”