Prince Harry leaves Meghan at home to attend Super Bowl with cousin Princess Eugenie

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Prince Harry watched last night’s Super Bowl in Los Angeles with his cousin Princess Eugenie – but there was no sign of Meghan Markle despite a host of Hollywood stars including Kendall Jenner, Jay-Z and Justin Bieber.

The Duke of Sussex, 37, sat in the stands with his cousin at the SoFi Stadium to see the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in a fourth-quarter comeback at Super Bowl LVI – but Meghan was not in attendance. 

Some Twitter users initially mistook Eugenie for Meghan, but the Duchess was not there. The couple, who wed in 2018 and live less than two hours away from the stadium in a $14million Montecito mansion, are parents to Archie, two, and eight month-old Lilibet – so it is likely that Meghan was at home looking after the children while her husband went to the showpiece game.

Harry and Eugenie, 31, sat in luxurious leather seats inside a private box at the stadium and wore face coverings in accordance with Los Angeles County rules which require KN95 or N95 grade masks for large outdoor events.  

The presence of the two royals at the star-studded event – which also hosted the likes of Ryan Reynolds, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Charlize Theron, Rebel Wilson, Ellen DeGeneres and more – was announced by the NFL, whose UK Twitter account shared a photo of them and wrote: ‘Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie in the house at #SBLVI.’ 

The Duke of Sussex, who showed no allegiance to either side, wore a white T-shirt and dark jacket and was seen resting his shoes on the barrier in front of him. There was also no sign of Eugenie’s husband Jack Brooksbank.

Harry and Eugenie were two of the few famous famous pictured wearing masks while sat down – with others such as Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Kanye West, Beyonce and Rita Ora all seen without them. It could be as a result of Harry’s concerns over the Covid-19 situation after his father Prince Charles was diagnosed with the virus last week.

Eugenie paired her mask with a baseball hat, jeans and a blazer, and had a bottle of Aquafina water on the barrier in front of her. Harry also had a glass in front of him on the barrier but its contents could not be seen. 

Eugenie and Harry are known to get on well, and 40-year-old Meghan actually knew the Princess before she had even met Harry – something she revealed during the couple’s bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview in March 2021.  

Eugenie is thought to have been the first member of the Royal Family to have seen Harry after he and Meghan left Britain and moved to North America two years ago – and he quarantined with her last summer when returning to unveil the statue of his late mother Princess Diana at Kensington Palace in London with his brother Prince William.

Harry also visited her at her Frogmore Cottage home in Windsor last April when he flew home for his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral. He had previously lived there with Meghan following their marriage at the nearby castle. 

Also last night, Dr Dre led a crew of all star rappers at a nostalgic Super Bowl half-time show, which threw back to their community hip-hip roots. NWA co-founder Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J Blige and Kendrick Lamar teamed up for the event which also saw a surprise appearance from 50 Cent in front of the 70,000 crowd.

Harry and Eugenie grew up at the same time playing in parks and went on family ski holidays together due to the close bond between their mothers Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson. This led to a strong friendship that continues today – with Eugenie seen as one of Harry’s allies within the Royal Family.

‘Out of all the Queen’s grandchildren, Harry and Eugenie have one of the most natural connections,’ Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote in the Sussex biography Finding Freedom. The book also describes them as the ‘closest of friends’.

‘Like Harry, Eugenie is loyal, honest and great fun,’ the book continues. ‘The two had many nights out together in London, sneaking into back entrances of clubs, such as Mahiki, where Jack once was manager, or Tonteria, where in one of the VIP cave areas they downed shots from Mexican skull shaped glasses and a giant frozen margarita (with multiple straws).’

Harry has always confided in Eugenie and she was said to have been among the first to know about his relationship with Meghan, whom she already knew through their mutual friend Misha Nonoo.

‘Not only did he trust her implicitly, but friends said that she gives great advice and has always been ‘beyond wise’ for her years,’ Scobie and Durant wrote.

Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank, who married in October 2018, just six months after Harry and Meghan, went on double dates with the couple in Toronto and London.

The Princess and her then-boyfriend were at a party at Soho House in Toronto in 2016 when Harry and the Suits star were first seen together. Eugenie was instrumental in keeping their relationship secret.

In the explosive tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview, in which Harry and Meghan criticised the Royal Family, Eugenie was singled out for praise.

Meghan said: ‘Eugenie and I had known each other before I had known Harry, so that was comfortable […] We’re friends with them as a couple.’ 

The Sussexes, Eugenie and Jack were all guests at Misha Nonoo’s lavish Rome wedding in the summer of 2019.

They also have mutual friends in singer Ellie Goulding and George and Amal Clooney, who were guests at Harry and Meghan’s nuptials. Jack is European Director of Casamigos, the tequila brand co-founded by George.

Harry and Eugenie’s relationship was said to have also survived any possible strain in 2018 when he and Meghan allegedly told senior royals they were expecting their first child together at Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank’s wedding. The official announcement came just days later.

Harry attended the match two years after he stepped down as a senior royal with Meghan in early 2020. 

They are now carving out a niche for themselves with deals worth tens of millions of pounds to produce content for Netflix and also have a deal with podcast company Spotify. 

Harry is also set to publicly spill all on his relationship with his estranged family in an explosive $20million memoir due to be published later this year after he collaborated with Pulitzer-winning ghostwriter JR Moehringe.

The book is set to be released during his 95-year-old grandmother the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, celebrating 75 years since she ascended to the throne, and also comes a year after his grandfather Prince Philip died aged 99. 

Earlier this month, Harry made an appearance plugging his employer, mental health startup BetterUp. He spoke on a virtual panel alongside the company’s chief executive Alexi Robichaux and Meghan’s friend, Serena Williams.

Meanwhile, the royal family is battling scandal surrounding Eugenie’s disgraced father Prince Andrew, who is facing a civil rape claim in the United States from Jeffrey Epstein’s victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre.  

 

Andrew denies the charges against him. He retired from public life in the wake of a disastrous TV interview in 2019, and faced further disgrace after his close friend Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of being a paedophile last year. 

The disgraced prince was also stripped of his military titles and royal patronages by the Queen. Andrew, 61, must now fight the claims of rape and sexual assault in the US courts as a private citizen.   

Meanwhile ehe 56th running of the NFL’s showpiece event saw home team the Rams taking on the Bengals. The half-time show was also a home event for Lamar, Dre and his protege Snoop, all of whom are from Southern California.

The pair kicked off the performance with a rendition of their collaborative song The Next Episode, performed on top of a white community housing set complete with low rider cars.  

A performance of west coast rap anthem California Love followed, with Dre singing the lyrics to song by the late Tupac Shakur, another of his rap disciples, while scores of dancers performed in front of the stage.

In a unexpected twist, rapper 50 cent, real name Curtis Jackson, appeared hanging upside down before joining the party with a performance of his hit song In Da Club.

R&B queen Mary J Blige followed, showing off her incredible vocal range as she performed on top of the set roofs alongside slickly choreographed dancers in sparkling one piece costumes.

Lamar followed with his own crowd of group of dancers dressed in all black suits, wearing sashes reading ‘Dre Day’.

Finally, Eminem appeared and treated crowds in the capacity stadium to a rendition of Lose Yourself. The crew reassembled on the roof for a final performance of Still Dre. 

The Super Bowl, one of the biggest cultural events in the US, featured the usual Hollywood star power, with blockbuster film trailers and celebrity-filled adverts appearing during the many commercial breaks.

A 30-second slot at this year’s Super Bowl reportedly costs about £5 million.

This year’s offering saw Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd team up for a humorous crisps advert, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Salma Hayek become Greek Gods to sell BMWs, and original cast members of the Sopranos recreate their famous opening credits for Chevrolet.

Mike Myers also reprised his role as dastardly comic villain Dr Evil for an Austin Powers themed sketch to promote electric vehicles.

The Super Bowl was opened by actor Dwayne Johnson, who channelled his former pro-wrestler persona The Rock to welcome the world to the game.