Meghan's magic circle! They're glossy, glamorous and ever since their old pal married a Prince their fortunes have rocketed - along with the help of some not-so-subtle name-dropping and oodles of shameless PR
As they assembled in New York earlier this year for that lavishly OTT baby shower, the Duchess of Sussex’s closest friends revealed themselves to be a tight-knit group, elegant and soignee like Meghan herself.
Now the members of her inner circle have shown they have something else in common with the new Duchess – a decidedly entrepreneurial spirit.
From fashion and beauty to fitness and acting, the careers of Meghan’s confidantes have gone from strength to strength since her relationship with Prince Harry first went public.
The undisputed Queen Bee of Meghan’s inner circle is glossy Jessica Mulroney, who has been described as fashion royalty in her native Canada
Little-known names have become VIPs thanks to money-can’t-buy publicity from the Windsor wedding and that £330,000 baby party.
Only yesterday, long-time Meghan friend Misha Nonoo opened her first pop-up fashion boutique in Central London, something that might have seemed impossible just two years ago.
Even established A-listers such as Serena Williams and George Clooney seem happy to discuss their friendship with the Duchess – while promoting fashion lines and television shows, of course.
When it comes to Meghan’s magic circle, it seems, everyone’s a winner…
When the Duchess stepped out of the baby shower at New York’s Mark Hotel, she chose to wear a branded baseball cap from Abigail Spencer’s recent TV series Rectify. The pictures were immediately broadcast around the world. Janina Gavankar has landed several big screen roles over the past 12 months, with film industry website Deadline describing 2018 as ‘great year’ for the actress
She was unknown in Britain until two years ago, but yesterday Misha Nonoo opened a fashion boutique in Marylebone, one of the smartest addresses in London.
Much like her Royal friend, Nonoo is thoroughly in tune with her feelings and plans to host events including what she describes as ‘intimate workshops’ and ‘group sound healing using crystal bowls’.
It is quite a turnaround in fortune, and the Meghan factor seems to be decisive.
In 2016, with her business struggling, Nonoo explained that she was ‘tired and disillusioned’ with the fashion industry.
But her prospects were transformed in an instant when Meghan hooked up with Harry and wore the Nonoo-designed Husband Shirt during the couple’s first public outing at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto.
She was unknown in Britain until two years ago, but yesterday Misha Nonoo opened a fashion boutique in Marylebone, one of the smartest addresses in London. Much like her Royal friend, Nonoo is thoroughly in tune with her feelings and plans to host events including what she describes as ‘intimate workshops’ and ‘group sound healing using crystal bowls’
Nonoo is credited with setting up Meghan and Harry’s first date, something she has refused to confirm or deny.
But the designer cryptically described the Husband as ‘the shirt that sealed the deal’ in an Instagram post, and has since been unapologetic in linking her designs to the Duchess.
When Meghan wore Nonoo’s Saturday Skirt at the launch of the Grenfell charity cookbook last September, the savvy designer took full advantage, updating its description on her website to include: ‘Recently worn by Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.’
In another social media post, she pictured her friend wearing a blue shirt and superimposed a yellow cartoon finger pointing to the Misha Nonoo logo. ‘It’s all in the details,’ she commented.
Even established A-listers such as Serena Williams and George Clooney seem happy to discuss their friendship with the Duchess – while promoting fashion lines and television shows, of course
Her publicity efforts have certainly done her brand no harm.
Nonoo’s Instagram following has shot up by a third to 96,000 in the past year alone, while her attendance at Meghan’s baby shower in February promptly led to an appearance on NBC’s Today show as a fashion designer.
New buzz around circle’s Queen Bee
The undisputed Queen Bee of Meghan’s inner circle is glossy Jessica Mulroney, who has been described as fashion royalty in her native Canada.
Married to Ben Mulroney, the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, the 39-year-old mother-of-three had a successful career as a brand consultant and bridalwear specialist, as well as a regular gig as a fashion contributor on TV show CityLine.
International fame had been elusive, however – until she was credited as the unofficial stylist to her friend, the Duchess.
Since then, Mulroney’s rise has been inexorable.
Shortly before the Royal Wedding, she announced an expanded role with Canadian department store Hudson’s Bay, for which she is a spokeswoman.
Then, in October, she bagged a contract with ABC’s Good Morning America, a breakfast show which attracts 4.5 million viewers a day and is certain to make her a household name in the Royalty-obsessed United States.
She has even been appointed a strategic adviser for popular dating app Bumble, alongside Meghan’s friends Serena William and actress Priyanka Chopra.
There is no doubting the strength of Mulroney’s bond with the Duchess – the two are said to speak on the phone every day.
Meanwhile, Mulroney’s social media accounts have surged in popularity. Her number of Twitter followers has doubled to 10,000, and on Instagram the number has increased five-fold to nearly 300,000, which will do no end of good to the brands she promotes.
He started his career working on a MAC make-up counter, and as recently as February 2017 had a relatively meagre 11,800 followers on Instagram.
But things changed dramatically when Daniel Martin did Meghan’s make-up for the Royal Wedding.
His Instagram following immediately leapt to 70,000, and he has admitted: ‘That wedding put me in a whole other stratosphere on social media that I can’t understand.’
He started his career working on a MAC make-up counter, and as recently as February 2017 had a relatively meagre 11,800 followers on Instagram. But things changed dramatically when Daniel Martin did Meghan’s make-up for the Royal Wedding
It seems that he does understand the power of name-dropping, however. Now a brand ambassador for Dior and Honest Beauty, he is one of only a few friends to regularly speak about the Duchess in public.
He caused a stir on social media when he shared an image of the avocado toast Meghan had served him on a visit to Kensington Palace in January.
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Alongside the picture, he wrote: ‘Thank you Meghan for being the consummate hostess this weekend and still being the #avocadotoast whisperer. YUM!’
He also shared a photograph taken during her baby shower, which revealed rattles, bibs and stork-shaped cookies put out for guests.
Last month, he appeared in an American television special called Harry and Meghan Plus One, fronted by another of Meghan’s friends, TV host Gayle King
Martin’s celebrity clients now include A-list actresses Elisabeth Moss and Jessica Alba.
Last month, he appeared in an American television special called Harry and Meghan Plus One, fronted by another of Meghan’s friends, TV host Gayle King.
Martin revealed that before Meghan became a Royal, ‘there were times when no designers would send her anything… because she wasn’t an A-list actress or she wasn’t doing movies’.
As The Mail on Sunday revealed last month, celebrity trainer Taryn Toomey’s workout business, The Class – which counts actresses Jennifer Aniston and Naomi Watts among its fans – was one of the few organisations promoted by Meghan and Harry’s Instagram account for its services to mental health and wellbeing.
Eyebrows were raised as Toomey runs a lucrative fitness company rather than a charity.
As well as The Class sessions in New York and Los Angeles, Toomey offers eye-wateringly expensive ‘retreats’ in exotic locations such as Mexico and Mustique, where a four-night stay can cost £3,600.
As well as The Class sessions in New York and Los Angeles, Taryn Toomey offers eye-wateringly expensive ‘retreats’ in exotic locations such as Mexico and Mustique, where a four-night stay can cost £3,600
Formerly a fashion industry executive, 48-year-old Toomey sells health-themed accessories and skincare products on her website, such as a £1,200 peach moonstone necklace and a £270 anti-ageing serum.
After Meghan and Harry’s @SussexRoyal Instagram account unfollowed all other accounts last month – including Clarence House, Kensington Palace and Invictus Games – they directed followers to ‘explore’ a hand-picked number of wellness-focused accounts, including Toomey’s.
That endorsement has resulted in thousands of new fans, especially following the birth of baby Archie, and The Class now boasts more than 112,000 followers on Instagram.
Toomey was among the guests invited to Meghan’s baby shower, and arrived carrying several gift bags. Last week she was busy promoting another four-day retreat at the Four Seasons in New York, for which she is currently taking a non-refundable deposit of £1,458 per person – which doesn’t include accommodation.
Described only as the ‘mysterious woman in orange’ at the time, Janina Gavankar managed to slip under the radar at the Royal Wedding.
Best known for her roles in US drama series True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, the actress, 38, could hardly be described as a household name in the UK.
But everything changed when she spilled the details of the wedding in an interview shortly afterwards.
In the gushing article, accompanied by plenty of glossy photographs, she claimed she did not intend to draw attention to herself in the bright orange dress with fringed cape (although she did post plenty of pictures of herself in the outfit online).
‘It’s so funny that a moment where I didn’t care if people noticed me is strangely the moment that people noticed the most in my life,’ she said.
‘It was such a beautiful day and a carefree night, and it was a very powerful day in history. And I think everybody felt it across the world.’
Gavankar has landed several big screen roles over the past 12 months, with film industry website Deadline describing 2018 as ‘great year’ for the actress.
In October, it was announced she had been cast opposite Hollywood star Ben Affleck in his latest film.
The success of Gavankar’s Instagram account is also telling. Her number of followers has tripled since it emerged that Meghan and Harry were dating in 2016. And she has gained 20,000 followers in the past year alone.
Perhaps it was an innocent gesture of friendship, but it has certainly helped promote Meghan’s friend and fellow actress Abigail Spencer.
When the Duchess stepped out of the baby shower at New York’s Mark Hotel, she chose to wear a branded baseball cap from Spencer’s recent TV series Rectify. The pictures were immediately broadcast around the world.
The pair have been friends for many years. Abigail co-starred with Meghan in legal drama Suits and contributed to her friend’s now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig.
She has claimed to be ‘deeply private’ about their friendship but occasionally forgets this.
‘I have known her for years… We were born on the same day, hours apart, in the same year,’ Abigail told one interviewer.
‘She’s a trusted friend and one of the most glorious people I have ever met.’
In another TV interview, she gushed: ‘Meghan Markle is one of the loveliest human beings on the planet, in the world.
‘I’m just so excited that the world will get to experience her loveliness, and I really think that with her platform for charity and her fortitude – she’s going to have a great moment to change the world. If anyone can do it, it can be her.’
Spencer’s Instagram following has soared from just 100,000 in March 2016 to nearly half a million today, with a notable surge after she appeared at the Royal Wedding last year. Her fan base has proved invaluable. Indeed, audience uproar helped Spencer save her TV show Timeless from cancellation by NBC not once, but twice.
Serena Williams was the reigning queen of tennis when she met Meghan at a Super Bowl party in Florida almost a decade ago. But since she became a mother, the 37-year-old has struggled to reclaim the top spot. A knee injury has caused her to pull out of a succession of tournaments, including the Italian Open earlier this month.
So it’s no wonder that Williams is now turning her attention to off-court ventures such as her S by Serena clothing line – and her friendship with Meghan is proving a useful asset.
Williams’s brand was given a boost last year when the Duchess wore one of its oversized blazers during her first Royal tour in Australia. It was quickly promoted on Instagram, where the label captioned a picture of Meghan: ‘Duchess Meghan in our Boss Blazer. A collection fit for Royalty. Click the bio link to shop our royal collection and be the ROYAL that YOU are.’
It’s no wonder that Williams is now turning her attention to off-court ventures such as her S by Serena clothing line – and her friendship with Meghan is proving a useful asset
Last month, in a lengthy interview with influential style journal The Business of Fashion, Williams revealed the blazer has become one of her label’s best-sellers and made sure to mention that she was responsible for planning the Royal baby shower.
She also said she designs the clothes with Meghan in mind, claiming: ‘Listen, if we’re giving our stuff to Meghan, it has to be the highest quality that we can get. So that’s what I tell our team internally, “We have to make sure it’s super high quality that, you know, is fit for a royal princess!” ’
The S by Serena website even features a Meghan lookalike modelling its clothes on its front page.
And, of course, Williams has enjoyed a social media boost too. Last January she had 7.3 million Instagram followers and that has now shot up to nearly 11 million.
Like her best friend Oprah Winfrey, who last month announced she was collaborating with Prince Harry on a television series about mental health, CBS anchor Gayle King has hardly been reticent in capitalising on her new Royal connections
Like her best friend Oprah Winfrey, who last month announced she was collaborating with Prince Harry on a television series about mental health, CBS anchor Gayle King has hardly been reticent in capitalising on her new Royal connections.
Her membership of Meghan and Harry’s inner circle is all the more surprising given King’s admission that she and Meghan had only become friends ‘over the last few months’.
After receiving an invitation to the baby shower in February, the 64-year-old breathlessly spilled the beans on her show, divulging that the gang had taken part in activities such as flower arranging, and that ‘a good time was had by all’.
The following month, Gayle reportedly signed a new $11 million (£8.7 million) deal with CBS – despite the network’s falling ratings – doubling her previous $5.5 million (£4 million) salary.
Six weeks later, she caused some consternation among UK broadcasters when she flew to Windsor where she reportedly spent time with Meghan and Harry in the week before Archie’s birth and recorded footage for her CBS special, Meghan and Harry Plus One, which aired in the US last weekend. No wonder CBS bosses feel Gayle is worth her weight in gold.
With few details leaking out of the Royal Wedding evening reception last year, Hollywood superstar George Clooney must have been mortified when an American gossip column reported how he danced with Meghan before jumping behind the bar to serve A-list guests shots of Casamigos.
That, of course, is the tequila brand he sold to Diageo for $1 billion last year – with a promise of a further $300 million depending on the drink’s performance.
In February, George again found himself in the headlines while promoting his TV mini-series, Catch 22, a new version of Joseph Heller’s classic novel.
With few details leaking out of the Royal Wedding evening reception last year, Hollywood superstar George Clooney (pictured with wife Amal Clooney) must have been mortified when an American gossip column reported how he danced with Meghan before jumping behind the bar to serve A-list guests shots of Casamigos
Stand out in yellow like Amal in custom Stella McCartney
There are fewer sartorial situations as tricky to navigate as getting dressed for a wedding. It's in these times that we turn to our favorite (and most stylish) stars to offer up some inspiration and, as always, Amal Clooney proved more than up to the task...
Amal attended Harry and Meghan's nuptials wearing a custom Stella McCartney midi dress. With its cap-sleeves, cinched-in waist and pencil skirt silhouette, Amal's dress is as flattering as it is fabulous! We love the high-low detail to the bottom of the dress; adding a touch of playful tailoring to an otherwise classic shape.
Want to emulate Amal? We've made it easy for you by rallying up similar dresses from your favorite brands below. Top off your look like Amal with a matching hat (complete with veil, of course!) and you're good to go.
The conversation turned to Meghan and, eager to defend the Duchess, Clooney said: ‘She’s a woman who is seven months pregnant and she is being pursued and vilified and chased in the same way that Diana was. It’s history repeating itself. And we’ve seen how that ends.’
His comments were broadcast around the world, providing a much-welcome publicity boost for Clooney, who has not starred in a major movie since Money Monster in 2016.
If the Duchess was at all miffed by the actor’s comments, she certainly didn’t hold it against his wife, Amal.
The following week the human rights lawyer was spotted arriving for Meghan’s New York baby shower in a £1,400 red jumpsuit before reportedly offering the mother-to-be a ride back to London on the couple’s private jet.
