Duke and Duchess of Sussex join star-studded guests at Ellen DeGeneres’s surprise vow renewal

Following a string of high-profile interviews to publicise his new memoir, Spare, last month, the Duke of Sussex has since had a more quiet couple of weeks. Now, however, Prince Harry has been pictured with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, for the first time since the divisive book was published, as the couple attended the surprise vow renewal of Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi.

The MailOnline reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were among guests invited by De Rossi to her birthday party at the couple’s Montecito mansion (not far from Harry and Meghan’s own California home), after the Australian-American former actress turned 50 on 31 January. In an unexpected twist, Kris Jenner officiated a vow renewal for DeGeneres and De Rossi, who are close friends of the duke and duchess. The American comedian and former talk show host has been married to De Rossi since 2008.

DeGeneres posted a video on Instagram in which De Rossi can be seen walking through the crowd in a white bridal gown, before her wife exclaims, ‘Oh my god!’, before De Rossi laughs, ‘Surprise’ as she takes her wife’s hand. DeGeneres captioned the video: ‘Portia surprised me at her birthday party by renewing our vows. Thank you @KrisJenner for officiating and @BrandiCarlile for performing, and Portia for being the greatest gift to me, even on your birthday.’

Kris Jenner is seen in the video welcoming attendees ‘to Portia’s birthday party, and to the new home of one of my favourite couples.’ Worth a reported $70 million, the couple only recently moved into the property where the event took place. The video shows attendees assembling in a bright, high-ceilinged dining room with a mix of classical and contemporary art adorning the walls, with a wide doorway opening onto a sunlit garden.

Images shared by the MailOnline showed Harry and Meghan smiling and applauding as they joined guests to watch the special moment, marking their first public appearance together since the RFK Ripple of Hope Awards in New York in December.

The TV star’s eponymous chat show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, concluded in May last year, after airing for almost three decades. The Duchess of Sussex was among the guests to appear on the final season in 2021, opening up about her new life in California and her and Harry’s two young children, Archie and Lilibet. DeGeneres also convinced the duchess to take part in a prank, when she walked around vendor stalls with the TV host giving her instructions through an earpiece. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have kept a relatively low profile since Harry’s media appearances for Spare, with their Archewell website having recently made two announcements relating to different projects: publicising the The Archewell Foundation’s work with The Mission Continues Los Angeles Service Platoon to mark a ‘Day of Service’ in honour of Dr Martin Luther King Jr; and the announcement of Smart Works (a UK charity for which the duchess has been patron since 2019) releasing its inaugural Female Unemployment Index: ‘a report that examines the challenges women face when looking for work’. It has also been reported that Harry will appear as a guest speaker at an ‘immersive two-day summit’ for business leaders in San Francisco in March, in his capacity as Chief Impact Officer for BetterUp. Tickets for the event reportedly cost $995.

With its candid account of childhood trauma, teenage trysts and his experiences with illegal drugs, Harry’s memoir caused quite the stir, reportedly becoming the fastest-selling non-fiction book on record on the day of its release. It has also been divisive in its portrayal of the Royal Family, and the light it sheds on members including Prince William, due to Harry’s account of tensions with his brother. The MailOnline adds that Meghan is said to have raised ‘gentle concerns’ about the book and how it might be received. It is not yet known whether the couple will attend King Charles III’s coronation in May.