Hollywood mogul Tyler Perry provided a home and security for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they moved from Canada to the US, the couple revealed.

Perry, 51, was perhaps best-known for creating the Madea character – a tough, elderly African American woman who starred in a series of films – but now presides over an entertainment empire.

Oprah Winfrey is said to have been one of his mentors during his rise from struggling actor to billionaire producer.

During their keenly-awaited chat with Winfrey, Harry and Meghan confirmed it was a Los Angeles mansion owned by Perry they fled to when leaving Canada early last year, days before the first Covid lockdown.

They later bought a home in nearby Montecito, where they are living now. Speaking to Winfrey, the couple told how Perry provided them with security after their UK tax payer-funded protection was removed.

Speaking of their departure from British Columbia, Canada, Meghan said: “We didn’t have a plan. We needed a house and he (Perry) offered his security as well so it gave us breathing room to try to figure out what we were going to do.”

Harry added: “The biggest concern was while we were in Canada, in someone else’s house, I then got told, short notice, that security was going to be removed. By this point, courtesy of the Daily Mail, the world knew our exact location.

“So suddenly it dawned on me, ‘hang on a second, the borders could be closed, we’re going to have our security removed, who knows how long lockdown is going to be, the world knows where we are, it’s not safe, it’s not secure, we probably need to get out of here’.”

Harry said the couple’s “UK security” was withdrawn due to a “change in status”, a move he pushed back against.

He told Winfrey he received confirmation that the risk had not changed, but his security was still withdrawn.