Serena Williams has ignited fierce speculation over her once-close bond with Meghan Markle after appearing at the Met Gala alongside Emma Thynn and Edward Enninful – a high-profile show of allegiance sources told RadarOnline.com is “definitive proof” the tennis ace’s friendship with the Duchess of Sussex has cooled.
Williams, 44, attended the May 4 fundraiser at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in a silver metallic gown, posing repeatedly with Emma and Edward.
Their coordinated appearances drew attention due to the absence of 44-year-old Meghan Markle, who did not attend the event and is not believed to have been invited.
The gala, one of the most visible events in global fashion, has increasingly become a stage not only for style but for shifting alliances within celebrity circles.
One insider close to the event told us: “At a night like the Met Gala, nothing about who you stand beside is accidental – it is one of the most carefully observed stages in the celebrity world.
“Serena choosing to spend so much time in close formation with Emma and Edward, both of whom have been linked to a cooling in their relationships with Meghan, inevitably reads as more than coincidence.
“Whether she intended it that way or not, the visual narrative suggests a shift in loyalties, or at the very least a rebalancing of where those personal alliances now sit.
“You have to remember how intertwined Serena and Meghan’s public images once were – they were regularly framed as confidantes, almost a united front navigating fame and scrutiny together.
“So when Serena appears in such a high-profile setting and that connection is absent, replaced instead by other prominent friendships, people are going to read into it.
“The Met Gala operates as a social barometer – it is where relationships are quietly endorsed, recalibrated, or, in some cases, allowed to fade without a word being spoken.”
Williams’ closeness with Thynn was on full display in the lead-up to the gala, with the pair sharing moments from their preparations and arriving arm-in-arm at pre-gala celebrations hosted by Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez.
Thynn, who became the Marchioness of Bath following the death of her father-in-law in 2020, has long been a fixture in fashion and society circles and previously appeared on Williams’ podcast.
Enninful, meanwhile, has also been the subject of reported distance from Markle after their collaboration on the 2019 Vogue issue she guest-edited.
In September 2025, Enninful appeared to confirm a shift when asked about working with Markle again, saying: “Meghan and I had a great moment with the issue we did, but I feel like I have done it and I wouldn’t necessarily repeat myself.”
The comment followed earlier reports of disagreements over a proposed magazine feature which was ultimately scrapped, as well as speculation the duchess had sought a more prominent editorial position than was offered.
Comparisons between Markle and Thynn have also persisted, particularly around lifestyle branding.
Thynn has run her Emma’s Kitchen cooking series from Longleat House since 2015, while Markle’s 2025 Netflix project With Love, Meghan prompted online debate over similarities in its tone and presentation.
When asked about such comparisons in the past, Thynn declined to engage, saying simply: “No comment.”
Despite the current speculation, Williams and Markle share a long history. The pair first met in 2010 and reconnected in 2014, with Markle later writing they “hit it off immediately.”
Williams attended Markle’s 2018 wedding to Prince Harry and her 2019 New York baby shower, and has spoken publicly about their bond.
In 2021, she said: “We have known each other for a long time, but we really are relying on each other a lot recently.”
She also described Markle as “the strongest person” she knows and “the epitome of class and strength.”
Yet one source told us: “Friendships at this level are often communicated through appearances as much as words – and right now, the signals look very different from what they once were. In other words, it seems Meghan is now dead to Serena and their bond is over.”