When actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry isn’t making magic in the studio, he’s stepping up to help others. He appeared on the Today show recently to discuss his latest work, A Jazzman’s Blues. During the discussion, the hosts asked him about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and the time they spent at his Beverly Hills home following their decision to step down as senior members of the royal family and leave the UK in 2020.
“It was a very difficult time for them,” the 53-year-old Perry said. “What I know about the two of them, that I wish the world knew, is how much they love — 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 just wanted to do anything I could to support them.”
He added, “If I don’t have that, what she and Harry have, I don’t want it. That’s really amazing.”
If you recall, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took leave from being working members of the royal family that year, they needed somewhere to stay. They also needed protection for themselves and son Archie at the time, as their royal security detail was removed.
Perry and Markle forged a connection when he reached out to her after marrying Prince Harry in 2018. She told The Cut in a recent interview that Perry said “he understood what this meant, and that he could only imagine what it was like,” in reference to her new life as a member of the royal family. He also extended an open invitation for support and advice whenever she needed it.
Markle would soon take him up on his offer and filled him in about her family’s struggles. “Sometimes, you can tell your life story to a stranger on a plane as opposed to some of the people that are closest to you,” the mother of two told The Cut.
He would offer them refuge at his estate during the incipient stages of their relocation to the US. Eventually, they bought a home in Montecito, Calif. in 2020. It’s reportedly a nine-bedroom mansion 95 miles north of L.A. that they purchased for $14 million.
As the supportive friend he’s been, Perry sent them a thoughtful housewarming gift. It was a piano, with the directive to “Write the soundtrack for your life.”
And during Markle’s birthday back in August, the award-winning director celebrated her in an Instagram post, further making it known that they have a true friendship.
“I’ve had a front row seat in your life for the past few years. I’ve watched you endure things that would have broken a lot of people,” he wrote. “I’m so incredibly proud to see how happy you, your husband, and your kids are now. It fills me with joy to say Happy Birthday Princess Meghan.”