Inside Prince Harry's close friendship with Coldplay's Chris Martin

Prince Harry and Coldplay singer Chris Martin have been pals for way over a decade, with Duke of Sussex even giving the Glastonbury headliner a mention in his 2023 memoir, Spare.

The pair were first pictured publicly together in 2014 when Chris, 47, had written a song for the inaugural Invictus Games. In a photograph shared on Coldplay’s Twitter, Prince Harry, 39, joined the band in the recording studio ahead of the song’s release.

The song was performed by a choir at the Invictus Games Opening Ceremony and was based on William Ernest Henley’s 19th-century poem, Invictus.

Harry enlisted the help of Chris and his bandmates once again for his Sentebale concert at Kensington Palace back in June 2016. The concert was held to raise money and awareness of HIV.

Harry joined Coldplay on stage for their last song, Up & Up, which is from their 2015 album A Head Full of Dreams.

At the end of the performance, Harry shook hands with Chris before grabbing the microphone and telling the crowd: "Thank you to Coldplay – thank you so much, you've rocked the palace, you've rocked the palace."

The pair’s friendship also extends to their personal lives. Years before they were first seen together, comedian Ricky Gervais revealed he had enjoyed a drink with them following one of his stand-up shows.

Writing on his blog in 2010, Ricky said: “Hammersmith (Apollo) was great... Had a drink after the show with Chris Martin and Prince Harry. As you do.”

Fast forward to 2019, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle expressed their gratitude to Chris as they rang in the New Year.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared a montage of photos recapping their 2019 on their Sussexroyal Instagram account.

They wrote: “Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and thanking you for your continued support! We’ve loved meeting so many of you from around the world and can’t wait to meet many more of you next year. We hope 2020 brings each of you health and continued happiness.”

In a nod to them using Coldplay’s song Clocks in the background, the couple continued: "Special thanks to Chris Martin and Coldplay for allowing us to use one of their songs."

Two months later, in February 2020, Buckingham Palace announced that Harry and Meghan would step back from being working members of the Royal Family.

In June of that year, the couple moved to Montecito, California, just 63 miles away from where Chris lives in Malibu.

It seems that Harry and Chris’s friendship strengthened during this time as the royal gave the Coldplay frontman a mention in his bombshell memoir, Spare.

In the 2023 book’s acknowledgements, the duke gave a special thanks to his wife Meghan Markle, their children Archie and Lilibet, as well as his mother-in-law Doria.

He then thanked Chris, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, James Corden, Nacho Figueras and his wife Delfina Blaquier for their “unwavering friendship and support".