‘Girls Night!’ Inside Meghan Markle’s Friendship with Kerry Washington amid Birthday Celebration

Meghan Markle helped Kerry Washington celebrate her birthday with a girls’ night in, inspiring a look back at their years-long friendship.

Washington turned 48 on Jan. 31, and the Duchess of Sussex attended the spiritual-themed bash that Jessica Alba posted video of to TikTok on the same day. Meghan, 43, was spotted sitting next to the Scandal alum at a long table as Alba walked in with plates of doughnuts lit up with candles, and she briefly appeared in other shots of the party, where guests participated in activities like meditation and journaling. 

“Happy Born Day to my girl #KerryWashington,” The Honest Company founder wrote in part online with festive emojis. “There’s nothing like that fill-your-cup type of #girls night 💗”

Washington also shouted out a cause close to Meghan’s heart in her Instagram post with photos from the celebration with friends, and she said that her “birthday wish” was for followers to consider donating to the Altadena Teen Girls’ Fire Rescue.

On Jan. 13, the Duchess of Sussex quietly volunteered with the new relief group working to create a sense of normalcy for teens affected by the Eaton Fire, one in the series of wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area in January. Meghan and Prince Harry had contributed to the charity through their Archewell Foundation before the Duchess of Sussex went to volunteer, and Washington pledged to match her Instagram followers’ donations to the cause, “an amazing organization helping young girls to rebuild a historic community,” in her birthday post.

Meghan and Washington — who follows the Duchess of Sussex Washington on her new Instagram account unveiled on Jan. 1 — have seemingly known each other for years.

Washington posted a throwback photo of them together to support Meghan’s 40 x 40 initiative in 2021. The pitch invited people to donate 40 minutes of their time to women re-entering the workforce, timed to the Duchess’ 40th birthday that year, and her pal posted a picture of them together.

The shot showed the friends at a New York City dinner in 2013 celebrating Washington’s cover that April of Elle magazine (an era overlapping with Meghan’s tenure starring on Suits!), and she wrote on social media then how she was supporting 40 x 40.

“Happy Birthday to this beautiful 👑, Meghan Markle. On her 40th birthday, I will be joining The Duchess of Sussex by donating 40 minutes of service to grassroots organizers and organizations on the ground fighting for change. Fighting for our democracy. Fighting for our rights and our voices to be heard as we re-enter into the workforce and a new election season,” Washington wrote in part on Instagram.

In August 2023, Meghan, Washington and Kelly Rowland attended one of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour concerts at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. There, the trio posed for photos showing that they adhered to Beyoncé’s “birthday wish” that her fans all wear fabulous silver fashions to the shows 8.23 – 9.22″ in honor of her 42nd birthday that Sept. 4.

The Duchess of Sussex and Washington were recently spotted spending time together at the 2024 Paley Honors Fall Gala in Beverly Hills on Dec. 4, celebrating their friend, Tyler Perry. 

As seen in a video obtained by Hello! magazine, Washington and Meghan grooved in their seats during the live auction segment of the night honoring Perry, whose table they sat at. 

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Perry, 55, is the godfather of Meghan and Prince Harry’s 3-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet, and recently directed the new Netflix movie The Six Triple Eight starring Washington.

The film follows Washington as Lt. Col. Charity Adams, the commanding officer of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only unit made up of Black women in the Women’s Army Corps sent to Europe during World War II. The Six Triple Eight premiered on Netflix just a few days after the gala on Dec. 6.