In the royal engagement special on TLC calledWhen Harry Met Meghan, the network will interview some of the closest insiders to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's relationship, including one of Markle's former co-stars. So, who is Meghan Markle's friend Abby Wathen? The actor starred with Markle on a 2013 film called Random Encounters, which is where their apparent friendship began. Since the start of Markle's royal relationship, Wathen has made a habit of speaking out in support of her actor friend.
She recently claimed in an ITV documentary on Markle and Prince Harry's relationship that Markle "always knew she would be successful" in terms of her career. "We became instant friends. She always knew she would be successful, she just … knew it," Wathen claimed, according to Ireland's Independent. "She knows what she wants and she gets it." Wathen also claimed that Markle wasted no time following the wrap of their shared film to book another job, saying, "She told me that she had booked for a pilot for immediately after Random Encounters ended." According to the Mirror, Wathen claimed to have been there with Meghan through some of the difficult parts of her life, including her divorce from former husband Trevor Engelson.
"Meghan and I bonded because I was married and she was getting married. I was invited to her wedding but I couldn’t go, Wathen claimed, according to the Mirror. "Then we both went through divorce, so we bonded on that too. I was destroyed, but she was empowered. She took her power back. It wasn’t the right relationship for her, so she moved on."
Wathen also praised Markle for being a joy to work with on the film's set. "It was great to work with her because she's a pro, and it's great to work with pros ... It was lovely," she said in a Channel 4 documentary about the royal engagement, according to Elle magazine. "We sat in my trailer and just giggled. She's just vivacious."
Wathen herself seems to be a relatively successful actor, though she hasn't achieved the same kind of fame Markle had reached even before her high-profile relationship. According to Wathen's IMDb page, she's worked on a few short films this year and has also been a recurring character through the past few years on the Amazon drama, The Bay. Her career spans the past 15 years, with no lulls in her résumé, even though she hasn't skyrocketed to household-name status just yet.
For now, Wathen seems to be one of the only people close to Markle who is offering up her thoughts on the relationship and the actor in general — at least one of the only ones who will allow her comments to go on the record and not ask to remain anonymous. There's actually not a lot on the record about Markle talking about Wathen, so perhaps they aren't actually as close as Wathen says. Or, maybe Markle just prefers to keep her friendships private. Either way, Wathen has never seemed gossipy or dramatic in her statements to the press — simply proud of and happy for her old friend. That must be refreshing for Markle whose own half-sister regularly drags her online.
According to TLC's site, When Harry Met Meghan: A Royal Engagement, which airs Dec. 12 at 9 p.m. ET, will showcase everything from the Harry and Markle's individual childhoods to Markle's work as a human rights advocate. Along with Wathen, the hour-long special will also have interviews from Samantha Markle, Meghan's estranged half-sister, Queen Elizabeth's former press secretary, Dickie Arbiter, and experts on the British constitution who will touch on the unique situation the couple enters into, as well as the royal life Markle will have once the two officially tie the knot. And, more of Wathen's apparent insight into Markle and details of the friendship they reportedly share will likely become more apparent when the TLC documentary airs.
