Meghan Markle and Michelle Obama Cement Their Friendship in First Hang

Meghan Markle and Michelle Obama have both managed to navigate the dissolve of their private lives with grace, but that’s not the only thing they have in common. The pair, who are both humanitarians and activists, have formed a friendship from afar and, last night, they finally cemented it with their first hang out. Markle and Obama had a secret run-in last night after the former First Lady’s book tour stop in London.

When Obama finished her conversation about Becoming, her memoir which traces her life as the first lady and as a mother, she met up with mom-to-be Markle. Pregnancy was one of the things they bonded over, as well as parenting and female empowerment, which both women have been vocal about. “They spoke at length about the importance of supporting and empowering women across all cultures and communities,” a source told the Evening Standard. “They also talked about shared experiences of pregnancy and raising children, plus shared causes including girls’ education.”

This isn’t the first time Obama has spent time with members of the royal family, but it was her first meeting with Markle. Previously, she and former president Barack Obama shared dinner with Markle’s husband Prince Harry, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2016. While Markle and Obama hadn’t met until last night, the former First Lady has reached out in one way. Recently, she offered some advice to Markle during her transition into a public figure, telling Good Housekeeping that, “Like me, Meghan probably never dreamt that she’d have a life like this, and the pressure you feel—from yourself and from others—can sometimes feel like a lot… So my biggest piece of advice would be to take some time and don’t be in a hurry to do anything.”

Obama also confirmed that Markle, who has so far made feminism her and Prince Harry’s principal guiding belief, is in a position to make a real change. “What I’d say is that there’s so much opportunity to do good with a platform like that—and I think Meghan can [maximize] her impact for others, as well her own happiness,” she said, “if she’s doing something that resonates with her personally.”

Perhaps one day Markle and Obama will take up a cause together. That would be the definition of a power duo.