Meghan Markle might be one of the most famous people in the world - but it hasn't stopped Ellen DeGeneres forgetting their first meeting.
The Duchess of Sussex and the talk show host, who will be presenting her final ever episode today, are very close pals now .
So much so that they spend time at each other's houses and kids Archie and Lilibet refer to Ellen as "auntie", despite the fact they are not related.
It may have been hard to imagine the pair becoming friends at first as Ellen used to mock Meghan in her comedy skits.
When the former Suits actress got engaged to Prince Harry in 2017, Ellen brought up Meghan's former role as one of the briefcase models on the American version of Deal or No Deal.
Taking a playful swipe at Harry’s new fiancee on her show, Ellen said: "Her name is Meghan Markle, she's from Los Angeles, she's an actress, she's been on General Hospital, she's been on CSI New York.
"And this is true - she was once the holder of case 24 on Deal or No Deal."
Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here .
With the audience bursting into laughter, Ellen then jokingly suggested that Harry had made the wrong choice, adding: "Which means if Harry had picked the other model could have gotten $1million. So, darn it."
According to Meghan, the pair first met at an animal shelter almost a decade ago and bonded over a dog.
However, Ellen doesn't actually remember any of the elaborate story despite a lot of details being revealed by the Duchess.
Meghan actually credits Ellen for adopting her dog Bogart, who is a Labrador-shepherd mix, as she was cuddling a pooch when the chat show host walked in with wife Portia de Rossi.
Recalling the encounter in an interview in Best Health in 2017, Meghan said: "Now, I don't know her, but Ellen goes 'Is that your dog?'
"And I said, 'No,' and she's like, 'You have to take that dog.' And I said, 'Well, I'm deciding.' And she's like, 'Rescue the dog!'"
"It's sort of like if Oprah tells you to do something. I'm sitting there holding him and she's like 'Have you thought of a name for him yet?' And I said, 'Well, I think I'd name him Bogart,' and she's like 'You're taking the dog home.'
"And she walks outside to get into her car but instead of getting in she turns around and comes and taps on the window glass and she yells 'Take the dog!' And so I brought him home. Because Ellen told me to."
It's a sweet tale, but Ellen has no recollection of that first meeting ever happening and has poked fun at the encounter.
"That's amazing. I mean, she adopted a dog because I told her to," said Ellen to her studio audience in 2017.
"I don't even remember the story actually, but obviously she does and she does whatever I tell her to do, so Meghan if you're watching, I have something else to tell you - invite me to that wedding."
The pair did go on to meet up again and have become incredibly close friends over the years.
Ellen visiting Meghan and Harry shortly after the birth of their son Archie and revealed she had held and fed the youngster and talked to the couple about wildlife conservation.
Recently, she also leapt to Meghan and Harry's defence on her talk show, saying it was "not fair" seeing them "get attacked".
"They are two of the most down-to-earth compassionate people, they're doing so much good for the world," she said.
Many believed Ellen would get the first sit-down chat with Meghan since she quit the royal family, but that honour went to the legendary Oprah Winfrey.
But Ellen did get her own TV interview with Meghan in November last year, where the Duchess of Sussex discussed her time as a struggling actress and how she drove to auditions in a Ford Explorer.
Meghan said she used to come to the Warner Brothers lot to audition all the time and even knew the security guards well enough that they would tell her to “break a leg”.
In what some viewers have claimed is a thinly veiled dig at Meghan’s acting prowess, Ellen replied: "But you auditioned that often that they knew you, to say 'Break a leg?'"
While discussing her second-born child Lilibet, Ellen jokingly suggested giving her tequila to soothe the pain of teething.
Meghan won't be there for Ellen's final ever show, which is coming to an end today after a staggering 19 seasons.
In a preview clip, the comedian is seen emerging from behind a screen to a cheery audience and is struggling to hold back tears.
Do you have a story to share? Email webfeatures@trinitymirror.com
