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Meghan Markle Slides Into Alison Hammond's DMs After Prince Harry’s Unexpected Antics

The Duchess sweetly slid into Hammond’s DMs, sparking a charming new connection born straight out of Harry’s viral antics.

(L) Meghan Markle speaks onstage during the 2025 TIME100 Summit; (R) Alison Hammond poses for her makeup artist. (Cover Image Source: (L) Getty Images| Jemal Countess for TIME| (R) Instagram| @ makeupbymikey)
(L) Meghan Markle speaks onstage during the 2025 TIME100 Summit; (R) Alison Hammond poses for her makeup artist. (Cover Image Source: (L) Getty Images| Jemal Countess for TIME| (R) Instagram| @ makeupbymikey)

Prince Harry’s December 3 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has been making waves, thanks to his goofy, unfiltered moment that instantly went viral. But now it’s Meghan Markle who’s stealing the spotlight, and all because of Harry’s lip-sync skills. After the Duke mimicked Alison Hammond’s iconic Great British Bake Off exchange with contestant Mark Lutton, Markle decided to make a new bestie-in-the-making. The Duchess sweetly slid into Hammond’s DMs, sparking a charming new connection born straight out of Harry’s viral antics.

Hammond recently appeared on Loose Women, where she delighted her fellow panelists with the anecdote of her virtual exchange with the Sussex. It all started when Markle tagged Hammond on Instagram after resharing a clip of Harry recreating her viral moment. Soon enough, the Duchess slid into her DMs with a sweet message, sending her into a frenzy. While on the show, Harry, along with Stephen Colbert, recreated the 2024 New Year's “Bake! B-A-K-E.” clip and shared it on Instagram.

Hammond was positively glowing as she told Loose Women, “Me and Megs are mates. We’re very good mates.” Dressed in a striking leopard print top, she recounted the moment with infectious excitement: “I’ll be honest with you, she ‘at-ed’ me in, so she knew who I was, first of all… So she is obviously following the Ham, do you know what I mean?” The audience erupted as she continued, “It came up on my direct messages, so I thought, ‘Oh my god!’… I have to say something… So I was like: ‘I love this!’” Hammond added that she wanted to keep it cool and not brag about it.

Alison Hammond during the NTA's 2025 at The O2 Arena. (Image Source: Getty Images| Kate Green)
Alison Hammond during the NTA's 2025 at The O2 Arena. (Image Source: Getty Images| Kate Green)

Soon enough, Markle replied to her with a red heart emoji. Fellow panelist, Coleen Nolan, couldn’t resist chiming in, “You’re basically royal!” Hammond wasn’t done manifesting, though. Riding high on her newfound duchess-approved friendship, she declared she’d love to see Markle and Harry on The Great British Bake Off, even daring to dream bigger by pairing them with William and Kate, a TV moment she suggested “could bring them together.” The Loose Women panelists gushed at the prospect and hyped her to soon interview Markle and Harry.

Previously, even Lutton shared his excitement with HELLO!, revealing how his phone blew up after the clip went viral, now standing with over 375,500 likes and 7000 comments. “I couldn’t really quite believe it was a legitimate clip. Yeah, it did blow up. I had so many messages from people sharing it with me. It’s been a nice little flashback to my time on Bake Off," he exclaimed. 

Image Source: Getty Images | Karwai Tang/WireImage
Prince Harry and Meghan visit the North Shore to dedicate a 20-hectare area of native bush to The Queen's Commonwealth Canopy. (Image Source: Getty Images | Karwai Tang/WireImage)

It’s not the first time Harry’s stint on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has stirred public interest. Previously, he sparked controversy after mocking Trump during a cheeky political bit disguised as a Hallmark Christmas movie spoof. Stepping onstage to audition as a “Gingerbread Prince,” Harry leaned into the absurdity, joking, “Well, you Americans are obsessed with Christmas movies… and you’re clearly obsessed with royalty, so why not?” When Colbert pushed back, Harry delivered the line that flipped the room: “I heard you elected a king.” The jab referenced recent “No Kings” protests and drew a mix of laughs, groans, and a few boos.

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