Stuck on "Connecting to the realm..." in 1.16.4

Connecting issue

Subscription for my Minecraft realm was purchased 11/9 and i have not successful connected to the realm yet. 

My internet connection is stable and i have been able to play different online games with no trouble. Other than that, i have been playing on Minecraft realms (including my own) on the exact same network with early patches. 

My friend is nor able to connect to the same realm.