Mandy Moore's surprising link to Meghan Markle

Mandy Moore and Meghan Markle are a friendship match made in heaven. Photos / Getty Images

This is Us star Mandy Moore has opened up about her little-known friendship with Meghan Markle.

The American actress was asked about the now-pregnant Duchess during an interview with Today on Thursday, and described her as a "normal, regular girl".

Admitting it was a "lifetime ago" for both of them, Mandy, 34, told how they met when she was working on the film Licence to Wed in 2006, which was produced by Meghan's ex-husband Trevor Engleson.

Upon discovering Meghan had got engaged to Prince Harry in 2017, Mandy said she reached out to congratulate the Californian-born former Suits star - and discovered her old friend was a fan of her show This Is Us.

Revealing that they spent New Year's Eve together one year, Mandy recalled: "Her ex-husband was a producer on a movie that I worked on, so I met her back in 2006 and spent a lot of time with them, a lot of time with her, and she is a lovely, generous woman. We spent a lot of time in Jamaica where some of the movie was shot," she said.

Recalling just how close she became with the pair, she added: "I think we spent New Year's with them that year. We spent some time over the summer in the Hamptons with them."

She added: "It was another lifetime ago for both of us, but she's wonderful."

And Mandy said that she emailed Meghan to congratulate following the news of her engagement to Prince Harry last November.

Revealing that Meghan responded to say she was a fan of her TV show, Mandy said: "She was very kind and said that she really likes This Is Us. She watches the show, so that was pretty cool," Moore shared, laughing. "She's just a normal, regular girl."

This Is Us, which follows the lives of several families, is currently in its third series after being nominated for Best Television Series at the 74th Golden Globe Awards.