Meghan Markle ‘nowhere to be seen’ at Serena Williams’ baby shower

Is Meghan Markle’s friendship with Serena Williams on thin ice?

The Suits actress was nowhere to be seen at the tennis champion’s baby shower, despite Williams planning Markle’s baby shower in 2019, reports Page Six.

On Monday, Williams shared a sweet clip on YouTube in which she and her husband Alexis Ohanian revealed that they’re expecting another baby girl.

While it’s possible the Duchess of Sussex requested not to be filmed to keep her attendance under wraps, she couldn’t be spotted in the video and did not feature in any social media posts.

Page Six contacted Markle and Williams for comment.

In the video, the couple’s 5-year-old daughter Olympia was seen getting excited for the gender reveal, noting that she was on team pink.

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Her mum chimed in, “I’m a little nervous because I don’t have any contingency plan if it turns out to be a boy”.

For the big reveal, the 23-time Grand Slam winner wore a white top paired with a pink striped miniskirt that showed her growing baby bump.

Williams’ internet entrepreneur husband wore an X-Men graphic tee and black shorts, which seemed to be a hint that he was crossing his fingers for a boy.

At the baby shower, guests were seen walking through an arch of coloured balloons and, later on, digging into the food, busting some moves on the dance floor and chatting on bean bag cushions on the grass.

Markle’s absence was notable, considering Williams planned the Duchess’ baby celebration in 2019 at the Mark Hotel in New York when she was pregnant with her first child Archie.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, leaves the Surrey Hotel ahead of her baby shower at the Mark Hotel in February 2019, in New York. Photo / AP

“Planning something like that takes a lot of effort,” the tennis champ revealed to Business of Fashion.

“I’m a perfectionist, so I’m like, ‘Let’s make it perfect’.”

Williams and Markle became pals after hitting it off at the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami.

Williams was invited to Markle’s 2018 wedding to Prince Harry and the former actress travelled to New York to watch her friend play in the US Open in 2019.

Williams and Markle became pals after hitting it off at the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami. Photo / Getty Images

In 2020, when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit royal life and made the move from the UK to Montecito, Williams supported her longtime pal.

“Meghan Markle, my selfless friend, lives her life — and leads by example — with empathy and compassion,” she shared on Twitter in 2021, the day before the royal couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

“She teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she’s experienced,” she went on.

“I know first hand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of colour to minimise us, to break us down and demonise us.

“I want Meghan’s daughter, my daughter and your daughter to live in a society that is driven by respect.”