The phrase "a real friend of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe someone who has a genuine and supportive friendship with another person.
Example: "She has always been a real friend of mine, standing by me through thick and thin."
Alternatives: "a true friend of" or "a genuine friend of".
"He's been a real friend of New York Vietnam Veterans.
Greeting him with an embrace and kisses Monday evening on the steps of the Fortaleza, the 16th-century palace that is the governor's residence, she called Mr. Pataki "a real friend of Puerto Rico and a real friend of mine".
"I'm a real friend of America who doesn't happen to confuse friendship with sycophancy," he said in an interview.
"This general was a real friend of the Afghan people who lost his life to help the security of the Afghanistan people," Mr. Karzai said.
The first C.E.O., Al Hart, was a real friend of Frank Sinatra's and famously opened the vault on a Saturday and got the ransom money.
He was asked about whether the US was a real friend of Germany, following revelations that Merkel's phone had been monitored.
It's easier to break with a Facebook friend than a real friend; the work of a split second to delete a mobile-phone contact.
Assemblyman Félix W. Ortiz, a Brooklyn Democrat, introduced Mr. Cuomo as "a real friend and a real hero of the Hispanic community," and declared that no governor in recent times had been more supportive of Latinos.
And so Christian and Elias, who is malleable and confused but grateful for the solidarity of a real friend, start building pipe bombs after school, using gunpowder from discarded fireworks and instructions downloaded from the Internet.
And that's a sure-fire sign of a real friend.
I guess a flopped plan is also part of a real friend experience.
