Meghan Markle Is “Desperate” to Become Friends with Taylor Swift, Royal Expert Says

Meghan Markle and Taylor Swift collage — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Could “The Squad” be getting a new addition to its roster? According to royal expert Kinsey Schofield, if Meghan Markle has her way, that will be so—and Taylor Swift’s newest BFF would be Meghan herself.

Meghan Markle in Canada in February 2024 — Can you blame Meghan (seen here in Canada last week) for wanting to be friends with Swift? It sure seems like fun

“Meghan is desperate to be Taylor’s friend,” Schofield said on GBN America, and per The Mirror. “Meghan invited Taylor Swift on her podcast by sitting down and writing her a handwritten letter begging her to be on ‘Archetypes.’”

Meghan interviewed the likes of Issa Rae, Mariah Carey, Serena Williams, Mindy Kaling, and Paris Hilton on her 12-episode Spotify show; Marie Claire reported last year that Swift turned down Meghan’s offer for reasons unknown. That said, Meghan is launching a new podcast—this time with Lemonada Media—so maybe all is not lost when it comes to having Swift as a podcast guest? (The release date and topic du jour of Meghan’s new podcast is heretofore still unknown.)

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Taylor Swift performing in February 2024 — Swift, seen here performing this month in support of her Eras Tour, allegedly turned down an appearance on Meghan's podcast "Archetypes"

Meghan must not have been too miffed by Swift’s alleged no—when Swift’s Eras Tour came through L.A. last August, Meghan was on hand with her friend Lucy Fraser, singing along to Swift’s “You Belong with Me.”

“It was important for Meghan to release to gossip sites here that she was there [at the concert],” Schofield said, per The Daily Express. “She wanted people to know.”

Schofield suggested that Meghan might be taking tips from Swift on how to wow the public, as Swift did this month at the Super Bowl. Schofield “went on to suggest Meghan would have been inspired by Taylor’s presence at the Super Bowl, where she was treated like rock ‘n roll royalty as she cheered on her boyfriend Travis Kelce,” The Mirror reports. “[Schofield] said Meghan would have been watching it all play out and thinking ‘How do I do that?’ on such a level.” Schofield added that Meghan “wants to be like Taylor Swift marketing-wise,” and marketing certainly seems to be on the brain: it feels as though Meghan is at the beginning stages of a rebrand, starting with the launch of Sussex.com, their revamped website, and the announcement of her new podcast deal.

“Taylor went from villain to hero, and I’m sure Meghan is looking at that transition and thinking, ‘How can I do something similar?’” Schofield said.

Members of Swift’s squad include (but are certainly not limited to) Gigi Hadid, Cara Delevingne, Sophie Turner, Ice Spice, Blake Lively, Sabrina Carpenter, Selena Gomez, and more—and Meghan would certainly make a compelling new addition to the group.

Taylor Swift and the Squad — "The Squad," in part

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.