Oprah just opened up about her surprising friendship with Meghan Markle's mum
And the unexpected gift that she gave her new friend...


And the unexpected gift that she gave her new friend...
One of the best things to come out of the royal wedding - aside from those stunning official photographs - was the unexpected but not unlikely friendship between Meghan's mum, Doria Ragland, and Oprah Winfrey.
While the wedding reception and royal after party undoubtedly brought these two together, it looks like there was a budding friendship before the nuptials, with Meghan's 61-year-old mother reportedly spending a day at Oprah's home before the big day.
Some thought that Oprah was trying to conduct an exclusive interview with the now Duchess of Sussex's mother, especially after she emerged from their afternoon together holding gifts, but Oprah has rubbished the rumours, explaining to Entertainment Tonight at the premiere of her new series, Love Is, that it's just a normal friendship.
'The story was that Meghan's mom had come to my house and she left laden with gifts,' Oprah explained. 'You know what the gifts were? First of all, she's great at yoga, so I said, "Bring your yoga mat and your sneaks in case we just want to do yoga on the lawn." So one of the bags was a yoga mat and the other was lunch.'
And the other 'gifts'? They were kumquats - small orange fruit from Oprah's garden.
'She said, "I love kumquats"', explained Oprah. 'And I said, "I have a kumquat tree! You want some kumquats?" So it was a basket of kumquats, people. For all of the people who said I am getting her gifts and I'm trying to bribe her for an interview—they were kumquats. If kumquats can get you an interview, I’m all for it!'
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Well that's cleared that up.

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.
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