Sophie Grégoire Trudeau had a surprisingly subdued and dismissive response when asked about her friendship with Meghan Markle.
The 49-year-old, who was married to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for about 18 years until their separation was announced in August 2023, did not have much to say about the Duchess of Sussex, 42. This was starkly different from the colorful description that Meghan once gave in the past about their friendship.
During an interview with The Times, Sophie was asked by writer Louise Callaghan about her friendships during her nine years as the wife of the Canadian leader.
"She’s funny," Sophie said about Michelle Obama. "She has a great sense of humor and also very deep values that I respect."
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau said she hadn't spent much time with Meghan Markle despite the Duchess of Sussex once gushing about her
Image credits: Sophie Grégoire Trudeau
When Louise asked Sophie about Meghan, she simply said: “I know her,” and she noted that she hadn’t spent much time with the wife of British royalty Prince Harry.
“She does not gush back,” Louise said, possibly referring to the time when the former Suits alum once gushed about Sophie.
The ex of the Canadian PM then shifted the conversation to Kate Middleton and said she felt terrible about her cancer diagnosis.
“My heart just sunk when I saw what was happening,” she said about the Princess of Wales’ health update.
Meghan Markle, the wife of Prince Harry, once said to the former first lady of Canada on a podcast episode, "I just absolutely adore you"
Image credits: Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images
Previously, it appeared as though Sophie was good friends with Meghan, especially after the latter gushed about her during a podcast.
Sophie, who shares three children with the Canadian leader, Xavier, 16, Ella-Grace, 15, and Hadrien, 10, once appeared as a guest on the Archetypes podcast, hosted by the Duchess of Sussex, in November 2022.
The pair mentioned how they first crossed paths at the Canadian Fashion Awards about seven years prior to the 2022 podcast episode. The former actress was based in Toronto at the time.
During the episode, Meghan reminisced about a family pool party with Sophie and said, “We swam, we drank wine, we splashed in the water. Then threw some pool floats in.”
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau was called a "dear friend" by Meghan Markle, who said they had known each other for years
"This was the other version of us. Both with wild curly hair and swimsuits and loose linen and huge belly laughs. Big cuddles with our little ones and quiet whispers of girl talk on the terrace, giddy, like absolute school girls. We were just having so much fun," continued the founder of the newly launched lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.
Calling Sophie a “dear friend,” Meghan said the former television host used to send her messages during her pregnancy and described her as someone who “cares deeply about her friends.”
"I just absolutely adore you. And Sophie and I have known each other for, gosh, how many years now since I was living in Toronto?" said the author of the 2021 children’s book The Bench.