Serena Williams Jokes That She Doesn’t Know Meghan Markle

The tennis champion smoothly avoided talking about her friend’s new life in Los Angeles. Serena Williams isn’t about to let her friendship with Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, get put underneath a microscope.

While making a guest appearance on Naomi Campbell’s YouTube show, No Filter with Naomi, the tennis champ dodged a question about the duchess’s recent move to L.A. with hilarious ease.

“Are you happy that your girlfriend’s moved to America? Meghan Markle,” Campbell asked.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, don’t know nothing about that,” Williams responded, not missing a beat.

“I mean, they’re on the West Coast,” Campbell continued. “It’s a big deal!”

“Never seen her, never heard of her, don’t know her,” Williams said, before whistling her way out of that conversation. You can watch the moment in the video above starting around the 32-minute mark.

Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, arrive for the wedding ceremony of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle

The duo became friends long before Meghan became a duchess. Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian attended Meghan’s royal wedding in Windsor, and Williams even hosted Meghan’s baby shower.

For the duchess’s part, she has been a strong supporter of Williams, attending her matches at the U.S. Open, for instance.

Williams also previously expressed a protective nature towards her royal BFF. “I didn’t know there was negative media out there. Any time I see her name attached to anything, I don’t read it,” she said at a 2019 Wimbledon press conference.

“She couldn’t be a better friend to me. Low moments, high moments, she’s always there, and that’s all I want to be to her.

Meghan and Prince Harry reportedly made the move to the duchess’s hometown toward the end of March, aligning with their official decision to step down as senior working members of the British royal family.

Earlier this month, the couple was spotted delivering groceries to at-risk individuals in the city amid the escalating coronavirus pandemic.

At the time, a source close to the Sussexes told BAZAAR.com, “In many places, volunteers—which are needed now more than ever—are serving incredibly long hours to support others.

The couple is grateful for all of those volunteers, and inspired by the frontline workers, essential workers, and people everywhere who are committed to responding to needs of their communities in this crisis.”