Serena Williams Cleverly Avoids Question About Meghan Markle Amid Royal Drama: ‘You Tried’

Awkward! Serena Williams had no problem shutting down a reporter who asked about her close pal Meghan Markle amid the current royal family drama. Following her match at the Australian Open on Monday, January 20, the tennis superstar cleverly avoided answering a question regarding the Duchess of Sussex and husband Prince Harry‘s recent bombshell announcement.

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“Yeah. I have absolutely no comments on anything with that,” the 38-year-old sternly stated, according to New York Times writer Ben Rothenberg, who tweeted a transcript of the exchange. “But good try. You tried. You did good.” Yikes!

Although Serena remained tight-lipped regarding her longtime pal’s royal family rift following the news that Meghan, 38, and Harry, 35, are officially stepping back from royal duties, the tennis champion previously chatted about the former Suits actress. Following her tough loss at the Wimbledon women’s singles final in July 2019, Serena praised Meghan for being so supportive.

“She’s such a great friend and a great person as well. And always positive, no matter what,” the On the Line author — who first met the royal beauty at a Super Bowl party in 2010 and later reconnected at a flag football game for the Celebrity Beach Bowl in 2014 — told reporters during her post-match press conference, noting Meg’s support and friendship is “great.”

Despite Serena shutting down any chance for gossiping, other celebrities couldn’t help but dish their opinions on Meghan and Harry’s announcement — which revealed their plans to become financially independent from the royal family, as well as split time between the U.K. and North America while raising their 8-month-old son Archie. Hugh Grant chatted about the hot topic on Andy Cohen‘s SiriusXM show “Radio Andy.”

“I’m rather on Harry’s side, I have to say,” the 59-year-old shared with Andy, 51, during the show on January 13. “The tabloid press effectively murdered his mother [Princess Diana], now they’re tearing his wife to pieces.” The Notting Hill actor continued, “I think, as a man, it’s [Harry’s] job to protect his family, so I’m with him.”

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Sharon Osbourne, on the other hand, had a different opinion as she discussed the royal couple’s news during a recent episode of The Talk. “They should be able to do what they want. It’s 2020,” the former music executive, 67, stated. “However, his family are royal, for thousands of years. And to respect that family, you go to your family; you tell them how you feel; you say, ‘Let’s sort this out.’”

Despite what anyone else thinks, we hope Meghan and Harry are happy!