© GETTYGeorge Clooney not as close to Harry as Meghan is with Amal: 'Like a confidante'
The superstar last week turned 60, with celebrities and fans across the globe wishing the Hollywood legend happy birthday. He had previously described turning 60 as being "better than dead" and that he was "not thrilled" to be reaching such a milestone. Among the stars to send their best wishes was his former ER co-star Julianna Margulies, who teased George over his age as she is seven years younger than him.
And it's likely that their other friends would have also delivered a celebratory message to the actor and producer, including Harry and Meghan, who are considered close friends of George and his wife.
But according to one source George and Harry are not actually as close as Amal and Meghan, with the latter reportedly "like a confidante" to the Duchess of Sussex.
Reports of how deep the relationship between the Clooneys and the Sussexes are have raged over the years, particularly in the aftermath of Harry and Meghan's spectacular wedding in 2018.
At the time, journalist Rachel Johnson quoted an insider as saying that the Clooneys remarked they "don't" know Harry and Meghan, when asked by a fellow guest of how they knew the happy couple.
© GETTYGeorge Clooney and wife Alma at Harry and Meghan's wedding
But the same year, a Kensington Palace insider claimed Amal and Meghan were "much more friendly with each other and talk more regularly than George and Harry do", noting that the ladies had "become really close friends".
According to InStyle, the source added: "It helps they're both UK-based now, but they have been able to relate on a lot about their lifestyles, especially how to deal with being thrust into new situations in the public spotlight.
"Amal is like a confidante to Meghan."
It would appear that the alleged remarks from the wedding may be off the mark, because in 2019 George was one of the first people to congratulate Harry and Meghan when their first child Archie was born.
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© GETTYGeorge Clooney and Alma were among a host of celebrities at the wedding
Archie, who was born on May 6, shares his birthday with George, and this sparked speculation that the film star could become the newborn's godfather.
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Reacting to the news, George joked on his 58th birthday that "it's a big day for me, and now some royal child has been born".
He continued on Extra: "It's kind of irritating, if you think about it.
"Cause I've already had to split [my birthday] with Orson Welles, Sigmund Freud, and now this [baby] comes in.
"I'm moving down the line very quickly."
© GETTYPrince Harry and Meghan Markle on their last royal duty last year
He claimed to "just know them" when asked about their relationship with the then-royal couple, adding to the MailOnline: "We live not too far from one another and we have dinners and stuff and we're friends with them for all the reasons that you're friends with anybody.
"They're just really nice, fun, kind people, they're a very loving couple, and they're going to be great parents."
To further cement their relationship, the couples also holidayed together after the royal wedding, which was attended by a host of other celebrities including James Corden and Idris Elba.
Pro-Sussex biography Finding Freedom detailed the holiday, which saw Harry and Meghan travel on George's private jet to Lake Como in Italy.
The Clooneys' villa there is reportedly worth around £100million, and George was recovering from a motorcycle accident while the Sussexes stayed.
© EXPRESSA selection of royal weddings across the generations
Harry and George, the 2020 book claimed, share a love of motorbikes, and while Meghan and Alma "spent a lot of time relaxing by the pool", their husbands chatted about the movie icon's collection of vehicles.
A source told the book's authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand: "Harry took one of them out with one of his protection officers.
"George recently had an accident, so he wasn't back on his bike yet.
"The Duke and Duchess weren't the only guests that weekend.
"Eugenie and her fiance, Jack Brooksbank, were already at the villa when Harry and Meghan arrived, their visits overlapping briefly."