32 Celebrities Who Got to Meet the British Royal Family

Here’s a chicken-or-the-egg dilemma for you: Do celebrities get more starstruck when meeting royals, or do royals get more starstruck when meeting celebrities? Whatever the case, so many of our coolest singers, actors, and performers have gotten to shake hands, chat, and even party with members of the British royal family. It’s kind of a rite of passage. Here are 32 times the worlds of celebrity and royalty collided.

Elton John

Sir Elton John is an absolute mainstay of the British Royal Family. He hung out with Princess Margaret as early as the ’70s, then famously sang “Candle in the Wind” at Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997. His relationship with the royals hasn’t ebbed since, and he’s been pictured having a nice chat with King Charles, Queen Elizabeth and the Sussexes in the intervening years.

Tim McGraw

British royals aren’t typically associated with country music, but there were signs that Prince Harry had an affinity with the very American genre years before his move to California. His second annual Invictus Games in 2015 were held in the U.S., and at a reception for them, he got to meet the legend Tim McGraw—sans signature cowboy hat.

James Blunt

James Blunt has been fast friends with Princess Eugenie for years, but that’s far from his only link to the Royal Family. The British singer performed during the closing ceremony of Prince Harry’s inaugural Invictus Games, attended Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding, and got to meet the late Queen several times over the course of his career.

Michael Bublé

Canadian crooner Michael Bublé got to chew the fat with Queen Elizabeth II after participating in the Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool, England, circa 2009. Years later, Bublé hung out with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2024, at an event ahead of the 2025 Invictus Games held in Canada.

Meryl Streep

The legend Meryl Streep, looking like a real-life angel, shook elegant gloved hands with Queen Elizabeth II at the 1980 London premiere of Kramer vs. Kramer. In 2007, Streep had another royal moment when she helped present an award for his environmental work to then-Prince Charles in New York.

Winnie Harlow

Winnie Harlow enjoyed a traditional fish lunch with Prince William, Heidi Klum, Billy Porter and Tobe Nwigwe during the royal’s visit to South Africa for the 2024 Earthshot Prize Awards. Then, behind the scenes of the actual awards, the model took a lovely selfie with him.

Emerald Fennell

Emerald Fennell’s portrayal of a young Camilla Parker-Bowles on The Crown wasn’t always the most flattering, but the Queen is nothing if not forgiving. In 2022, the two women got to connect IRL during a reception thrown by Camilla at Clarence House to mark International Women’s Day.

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise had the immense honor of meeting Princess Diana in 1992, along with his then-wife Nicole Kidman. Since then, the American actor has gotten to spend quite a bit of time with senior royals, including the late Prince Philip, plus Prince William and Princess Kate.

Drew Barrymore

Charlie’s Angels Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore got to hang out with Prince Charles at St. James’s Palace in London circa 2000, when he hosted them for dinner. At the time, the American actresses were celebrating the U.K. premiere of their movie, which benefited The Prince’s Trust. ABC News somewhat hilariously nicknamed Liu and Barrymore “Prince Charlie’s Angels” at the time.

Anna Wintour

The British Queen of fashion got along famously with the British Queen of, well, the Brits. Anna Wintour and Queen Elizabeth II were pictured giggling together in the front row at a Richard Quinn runway show in London in 2018. They’d met before, of course, when the Queen presented the editor with her Dame Commander title in 2017.

Dua Lipa

Dua Lipa and Queen Camilla may not be the most likely friendship pairing you could think up, but they had a really lovely chat at the 2022 Booker Prize for Fiction ceremony in London. The two women, matching in black eveningwear, were smiling wide and appeared to thoroughly enjoy each other’s company.

Joe Jonas

Joe Jonas and Prince William spent a handful of hours together in Maun, Botswana in 2010, when they learned about the Coaching For Conservation Project. As part of the visit, they even ended up playing soccer (ahem, football) together, which is certainly one way to bond with the future King of Britain!

Cameron Diaz

Cameron Diaz sadly missed out when her Charlie’s Angels costars Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore got to hang out with Prince Charles circa 2000. But she made up for it in style when she and fellow Hollywood bombshell Gwyneth Paltrow attended a drinks reception hosted by Prince Philip in 2011.

Emma Thompson

Being British film royalty, Emma Thompson is naturally a fixture in royal circles. Among some of her most memorable moments with members of the Firm were, in no particular order: hanging out backstage with Kate and William at the 2021 Earthshot Prize Awards, being made a dame in 2018, and being a guest at Charles and Camilla’s Coronation.

Jennifer Garner

Movie and TV star Jennifer Garner attended the BAFTA “Brits To Watch” event in London in 2011. Also on the guest list were Prince William and Princess Kate, then known as Duchess Kate (or Kate Middleton, more informally). Garner was photographed chatting with both William and Kate on the night, and the conversation seemed to be going swimmingly.

Serena Williams

With Serena Williams a legendary tennis champion and Queen Elizabeth II famously a devoted tennis fan, it was only a matter of time until the two women’s paths crossed. In 2010, the Queen greeted Williams at Wimbledon alongside fellow champs Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Miles Teller

Miles Teller got to speak with Prince William and Princess Kate at a 2022 London screening of his movie Top Gun: Maverick. Following the event, the actor famously told Jimmy Fallon that he had gotten “lost” in William’s eyes as they were talking, and called the royal couple “disarming.”

Harry Styles

It’s an unspoken rule of being a British superstar that, at some point, you’ll get to meet various members of the Royal Family. Harry Styles has been treated to several such encounters, both solo and as part of One Direction. Alongside his bandmates, he met Prince William and Princess Kate at the Royal Variety Performance in 2014, then he talked to Prince Harry at the premiere of his film Dunkirk in 2017.

Ayo Edebiri

Ayo Edebiri became something of a meme when she reacted with a deeply puzzled face to something Prince William said at the BAFTAs in 2024. Next to her, Phoebe Dynevor seemed pretty worried, while Sophie Wilde looked almost shocked. Oh, to have been a fly on that wall…

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus lived the coolest full-circle moment. In 2006, her on-screen character Hannah Montana performed for the (fake) Queen of England, and in 2009 Cyrus performed for the real-life Queen at the Royal Variety Performance. Afterwards, she got to shake the monarch’s hand and have a short conversation.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman met Princess Diana with her then-husband Tom Cruise in the early ’90s. And in 2011, the Australian actress met Diana’s grown-up son Prince William with his wife Princess Kate. Kidman and William got to talking at the BAFTA Brits To Watch event that year.

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie, in a coat-dress worthy of Princess Kate herself, met Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2014. The monarch presented the actress and activist with an honorary damehood, given to her for her humanitarian work—in particular towards U.K. foreign policy and towards ending sexual violence in conflict zones.

Margot Robbie

Margot Robbie once went to a party at Suki Waterhouse’s… house, and was ushered in by a friendly redhead. Yes, the redhead in question was Prince Harry, but it took the actress a while to realize that. “He’s not wearing a crown though, like, I don’t know he’s a prince!” she told Jimmy Fallon when questioned about it. Fair enough?

Emma Watson

Emma Watson and Prince William have had a lot to talk about over the years, since their advocacy causes overlap. In 2014, they had a conversation during a dinner celebrating a cancer research hospital, and in 2021 they met again when Watson attended the inaugural Earthshot Prize Awards.

Lady Gaga

Though they made an incongruous pair, Queen Elizabeth II appeared unfazed by Lady Gaga’s (literally) flamboyant choice of outfit for the Royal Variety Performance in 2009. Gaga, dressed head-to-toe in flame red, sweetly bowed to the monarch as the latter congratulated her on her performance.

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish (and her brother and collaborator FINNEAS) met Princess Kate in one of her most memorable dresses ever. The brother and sister duo connected with Kate at the London premiere for No Time to Die in 2021—since Eilish performed the film’s eponymous song.

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon spent an afternoon with Prince William in Beverly Hills circa 2011. At the time, they were both guests at the home of Steve Tisch, for an event celebrating a conservation initiative. For the occasion, Witherspoon was radiant in a cherry-red ruffled mini.

Marilyn Monroe

Isn’t it wild to think that Queen Elizabeth II reigned long enough to meet both Marilyn Monroe and Miley Cyrus? In 1956, the monarch shook the Hollywood star’s hand, with both women looking resplendent in floor-length gowns. Their short hairstyles were similar, too, if you discount the Queen’s addition of a tiara.

Victoria Beckham

David and Victoria Beckham are so entwined with the royals that they’re practically part of the family. For instance, the couple was famously invited to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2018 wedding. Personally, I particularly enjoy the photo of Victoria’s meeting with the Queen with her Spice Girls costars circa 1997.

Rihanna

Rihanna and Prince Harry spent a substantial amount of time together in 2016, when the future Duke of Sussex visited the superstar’s home country of Barbados. In particular, they attended a celebration concert together, as well as an event hosted by the Barbados National HIV/AIDS Commission.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift and Prince William’s friendship runs so deep that the singer even hosted him and his two oldest children backstage at her Eras Tour in London in 2024. But it all started in an unforgettable way—which William would much rather we all forgot, by the way: when Swift coaxed the royal into joining Jon Bon Jovi on stage with her to sing “Livin’ on a Prayer” together in 2013. You can’t make it up.

Beyoncé

Beyoncé has met King Charles, as well as Prince William and Princess Kate, many times over the course of her career. But judging from the photos, the singer appeared to have an especially lovely connection with Meghan Markle when the two women met in 2019 at the London premiere for The Lion King. So sweet!