Idris Elba Says Meghan Markle Was Best Dancer at Her Wedding to Prince Harry: She 'Had a Lot of Fun'
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Lia Toby/Getty, Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Idris Elba; Meghan Markle
Though Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's 2018 royal wedding was anything but private, when it came to their intimate evening reception, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were carefree as they dominated the dance floor.
Idris Elba, who not only attended the wedding but was the DJ during the reception, revealed that there was one person in particular who let loose that night.
"I think Meghan was the one that was really letting it go," Elba, 50, told ET Canada recently when asked who was the best dancer at the royal party.
"You know, she was real … she just had a lot of fun. It was her wedding. So she had the greatest time," the actor added.
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Jeff Spicer/Getty; Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Idris Elba; Meghan Markle
The Beast actor added that he was "so nervous" ahead of the DJ gig, as the stakes were high going into a royal event.
Despite the pressure he felt, Meghan, 41, eased his worries and helped him choose the music for the night. "Meghan sent me a playlist with some bare tunes on it," Elba said on BBC Radio 1Xtra in 2019.
Though he initially kept the night's setlist to himself, saying only that "there was some West Coast on it," the Luther actor eventually shared two of the songs that made the cut.
Whitney Houston's "I Want to Dance with Somebody," which was the royal couple's first dance song, and Dr. Dre's "Still D.R.E.," were among the hits from the star-studded night, Elba revealed.
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He said that guests "went off" at Houston's 1987 hit during an appearance on BBC's 1Xtra Rap Show last year, and added that "Still D.R.E.," which he said was "Meghan's choice," was another big hit.
For Elba, the DJ gig was high stakes not only because it was a royal wedding reception, but because of his relationship with the bride and groom.
"[Harry and Meghan are] good friends and I wanted to make sure they had a great time, so there was a lot of pressure," he told the Daily Mail in 2021.
He added, "This wasn't like my cousin's wedding. This [reception] wasn't at the community hall … this was a big, big deal."
Gareth Fuller/Getty Images Sabrina Dhowre Elba and Idris Elba
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According to a source, the reception — which was held at the historic Frogmore House, where the Duke and Duchess later went on to live in 2019 and 2020 — was a star-studded, high-spirited gathering.
"It was a huge dance party; everyone was letting loose and had a blast," a source told PEOPLE at the time. "Just a fun night and not stuffy at all."
All the stars were getting in on the fun, with Meghan's longtime friend Serena Williams playing beer pong — "she's super old-school like that," the source said — and George Clooney taking the helm behind the bar.
"George Clooney hopped behind the bar and was mixing drinks for guests," the source added of the Casamigos tequila co-founder.
