Meghan Markle flew with Archie to cheer Serena Williams in US Open: 'I probably couldn't have done that'
Trust the Duchess of Sussex to not let motherhood stop her from supporting her friends in all the big moments of their lives. Serena Williams recently revealed that Meghan Markle, who has been close to her since they met at a Super Bowl party in 2010, flew to New York in September to watch her play in the US Open with her then four-month-old son, Archie Harrison.
Speaking to Access Hollywood, Serena hailed the Duchess of Sussex as "the strongest person I know" because she took a commercial flight with her infant son to watch her take on Canadian star Bianca Andreescu in the final of the tournament.
"She flew all the way with a newborn to see me play in New York and flew all the way back that night, and I probably couldn't have done that," she said.
During her spontaneous trip to watch the Tennis star in September, it was largely assumed that Meghan had left Archie back in London with his father, Prince Harry. Instead, she took her son with her in the flight that left Heathrow Airport at 9 am and arrived in NY just after 12 pm.
"It really does show you what an amazing person she is and that's just one of the many things she does for me," Serena said.
Serena added that while she thought it was "really cool to have a group of friends who are doing amazing things and face the same pressures you face with being in the public eye," she did not wholly condone how the Duchess was being treated by the British press.
"I'm not sure that many people can relate on that level, I don't think I can," she said. "I just think she's the strongest person I know, the nicest, sweetest..."
In the wake of her $500,000 New York baby shower earlier this year, Meghan was apparently extra-careful in ensuring that her visit to the United States remained on the "low-key" and discreet, a royal insider claimed in September.
"After all the big fanfare of her trip for her two-day baby shower, where paparazzi followed her every move and staked out The Mark Hotel to catch Meghan, her famous friends and the array of gifts arriving, it seems Meghan has learned her lesson," the insider told Page Six.
"She was in New York to support Serena, and catch up with a few other old friends, but was determined to keep everything very low-key and as under-the- radar as possible."