Beyoncé Was Nervous to Meet Meghan Markle at Lion King Premiere

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(Image credit: NIKLAS HALLE'N)

published 19 July 2019

I am still crushing hard over the meet-and-greet between two royal goddesses, Meghan Markle and Beyoncé. And now we know even more details on what happened: Billy Eichner, who plays Timon, gave us all the behind-the-scene deets in an interview last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. "We were all kind of nervous, even Beyoncé," he said. I'm shocked—I didn't even realize Beyoncé GOT nervous—but, I mean, relatable.

"In the days leading up to you, they email you a protocol of how you're supposed to greet Prince Harry and Meghan and they're very intense about it," he added. Among other things, attendees were instructed to refer to Meghan and Harry as "your royal highness" and not address them until shaking their hands.

Of course, Beyonce went right ahead and called Meghan "My princess," because she does what she wants and also that title is much better.

"I completely freaked out, although they were very very nice and totally chill and down to earth and lovely," said Billy (again, understandable). But apparently they actually bonded in a major way, which is actually a really sweet detail: "Meghan and I went to the same college in Northwestern. We were both theater majors. I didn't know her when we were theater. So we had this strange conversation about our acting teachers."

So there you have it. Meghan was down-to-earth, and friendly, and made everyone feel really welcome and appreciated. No surprise.

Here's video of that iconic Beyoncé-Meghan moment (it's around the five minute mark, if you want to fast-forward), as well as meet-and-greets with other castmembers and interviews with the cast:

Ah-MAZE-ing.

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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.