Meghan Markle and Priyanka Chopra enjoy girls' night out while Prince Harry is on royal duty

Of late she's been rubbing shoulders with British royalty, but Prince Harry's girlfriend Meghan Markle also has connections in Bollywood.

While Harry has been on royal duty in the Caribbean, the 35-year-old has been enjoying a girls' night out with bestie Priyanka Chopra.

The Quantico star, who is already an A-list actress in India, posted a photo of the pair sipping cocktails in a dimly lit bar.

Striking a casual pose, the two actresses, who were joined by film producer Mubina Rattonsey, smiled for the camera.

"Girls just wanna have fun.. @meghanmarkle @mubinarattonsey #LAlife," wrote the Baywatch star.

The pair, who have been friends for a while according to Mail Online, have shared pictures together before, and the former Miss World appears to be something of a trusted confidante of the Suits star.

The laid-back evening out might have been just the respite Markle needed, after finding herself at the centre of media attention since Prince Harry went public with their romance last month.

In a bold and unprecedented official statement, the prince then expressed concern for his girlfriend's safety, claiming she was being hounded by newspapers and trolled on social media.

Kensington Palace released the statement on 8 November. It accused the tabloid press of harassing Markle and her family, and writing false stories about the couple.

It read: "[Prince Harry] has rarely taken formal action on the very regular publication of fictional stories that are written about him and he has worked hard to develop a professional relationship with the media, focused on his work and the issues he cares about.

"But the past week has seen a line crossed. His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public – the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments."

Prince William however, has reportedly said that his "hot-headed" brother's statement only "served to fuel speculation" about how serious Harry is about the Suits actress, and may backfire in the long term.