With her due date looming, the Duchess of Sussex is making the most of her free time by jetting off to New York to see her close friends. The 37-year-old royal, who is expecting her first child with Prince Harry, is set to have her baby shower this week and will be attended by the likes of Jessica Mulroney and Serena Williams. However, for those based in the UK, the mum-to-be will have another one when she returns home after her official trip to Morocco, revealed royal correspondent Omid Scobie.
He also told Good Morning America: "Today's baby shower is a reunion of sorts for Meghan. [Guests] include best pal Jessica Mulroney, actress and close pal Abigail Spencer has flown in and Priyanka Chopra is supposed to be flying in especially for this from London Fashion Week." He added: "It'll be a celebration with her closest friends." For the first party, a group of her closest confidantes are thought to be attending the lavish shower which will be held at The Mark hotel. Here at HELLO!, we take a look at all the potential invitees.
Jessica Mulroney
Meghan's dear friend is the daughter-in-law of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and a well-known Toronto personality and philanthropist. The pair first met years ago when the former actress moved to Canada to start filming her hit legal series Suits. Jessica has reportedly been Meghan's stylist since 2014, and the duo have since collaborated on many of the royal's most chic and sophisticated ensembles. The Canadian stylist was also Meghan's 'unofficial' Maid of Honour at her wedding to Prince Harry in May. Her children - twin sons Brian and John and daughter Ivy - were pageboys and bridesmaid at the royal wedding.
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Jessica Mulroney is believed to be throwing the baby shower
It is also thought that her friend has taken on the role of overlooking some of the Duchess' maternity looks during official engagements, and from her tour in Australia. Jessica regularly gives Meghan a helping hand with her looks, most notably including the memorable Nonie pink trench coat that the royal wore while visiting the Southbank Centre last year.
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Doria Ragland
There's no denying that Meghan has a very close relationship with her mother Doria. The Los Angeles-based yoga instructor has lived in California for years, where Meghan was born. She works as a yoga instructor and social worker and occasionally jets to London to see her daughter. As Meghan prepares to give birth in the spring, fans can expect to see more of Doria. The former Suits actress will no doubt want her mum on hand to help with her first child.
The royal has a super close bond with her mother Doria
Meghan previously named her mum as one of the ten people who has greatly impacted her life. In a Glamour magazine article published on 15 August 2017, the former TV star opened up about her mum saying: "My mum's a yoga instructor, but she does social work, as well, and she works specifically with the geriatric community. For me to watch this level of life-long sensitivity to nurturing and caregiving, but at the same time my mum has always been a free spirit. She's got dread locks and a nose ring."
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Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka and Meghan met in 2015 at a party, and it seems like the two have been close ever since. The Bollywood actress has previously spoken about their friendship, telling People: "I think friendships depend on people individually and how personal your relationship is. You can have work friendships, those are different. But when you have real friendships, like ours, it doesn't matter what people look at you as or where your world goes, you sort of just, stay friends. And I think that's what we're like." Speaking about first meeting the Duchess of Sussex, she continued: "We just became friends, like two girls would. I've always thought she was a super stylish girl. She's someone that I've always looked up to for her style. Always, before she got married. And I just think she's so well turned out always and she's so chic in what she wears."
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Benita Litt
The Duchess is godmother to her friends Benita and Darren Litt's two daughters, Rylan and Remi, who were also bridesmaids at the royal wedding, so she would be an obvious choice of guest. The royal even celebrated Christmas with Benita's family back in 2016 - the year before she celebrated with the Queen. At the time, Meghan took to Instagram to share a group family snap from the festivities, in which she captioned: "Fairy goddaughters."
Serena Williams
Serena Williams and Meghan go way back
The pair first became close in February 2014 when they played a game of flag football together at DIRECTV's Celebrity Beach Bowl. Speaking about their friendship, Meghan once said: "We're both the same age, have a penchant for hot sauces and adore fashion, but what connects us more than those things is perhaps our belief in exceeding expectations – our endless ambition." The tennis champ was one of the lucky guests who attended the royal wedding with her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
Amal Clooney
Amal and George Clooney at the royal wedding in May
Amal Clooney turned heads she attended the royal wedding with husband George Clooney. The pair have been friends for a while. According to a source, the human rights lawyer helped Meghan adjust to her new life in the UK. "Meghan and Amal have known each other for a while [and share] many interests," an insider said. "Amal has been helping Meghan settle into London life. It was a very natural friendship from day one."
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Oprah Winfrey
She was one of the many guests who attended the royal wedding in May. The presenter also invited the Duchess of Sussex's mother Doria to her home just weeks before the big day. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in June, Oprah revealed: "The story was that Meghan's mum had come to my house and she left laden with gifts. You know what the gifts were? First of all, she's great at yoga, so I said, 'Bring your yoga mat and your sneaks in case we just want to do yoga on the lawn.' So one of the bags was a yoga mat and the other was lunch."
Misha Nonoo
Misha was once rumoured to have introduced Meghan to Prince Harry
Misha is a close friend of Meghan's, and has previously been rumoured to be the matchmaker who introduced her to Prince Harry in 2016. The designer was once married to Alexander Gilkes, a New York based businessman and Eton College alum. Not only did Alexander attend school with Harry and his older brother Prince William; he is now in a relationship with tennis star Maria Sharapova. Elsewhere, the Duchess has also shown her support to Misha by wearing her designs on several occasions.
Abigail Spencer
Abigail Spencer with Priyanka at the royal wedding
The two stars became firm friends after starring in Suits together. In March, Abigail opened up about her friendship with Meghan, calling her "one of the loveliest human beings on the planet". She told People: "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."
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Markus Anderson
Markus Anderson with Meghan at the Invictus Games in Toronto
Meghan is close friends with Soho House consultant Markus Anderson, and is said to have enjoyed dates with Prince Harry at the private members' club in the early days of their relationship. When Harry and Meghan first made their public debut at the Invictus Games in Toronto in 2017, Markus accompanied his friend at the opening night of the tournament.
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Daniel Martin
He was the makeup artist responsible for creating Meghan's royal wedding makeup in May 2018. The pair have remained close, with Daniel even making a special trip to London at the start of the year. He was invited to her home in Kensington Palace, where the royal whipped up everyone's favourite brunch order - avocado on toast. The MUA has previously opened up about how the morning of the royal wedding went, telling Good Morning America: "We had breakfast. Guy, her dog, was with us. We were playing around with him. It was a very chill morning. Her mum [Doria Ragland] was there, which was amazing."
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