For a long time, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex called stylist Jess Mulroney one of her closest friends.
But for some time it has appeared as though the Canadian fashion specialist has slipped out of the Duchess’ inner circle. The pair were once seemingly inseparable, and Jess, 44, played important roles in Meghan’s major life events.
Indeed, Jess’s three children, Ivy, Brian, and John all played roles in Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding, as flower girl and page boys respectively – and Jess also attended Meghan’s star-studded baby shower in New York when the Duchess was pregnant with her first child, Prince Archie.
Meghan is also reported to have brought Jess along when she and Harry undertook an official royal tour to Australia, Tsonga, and New Zealand – and said “to have played an ‘influential’ role in Megxit,” per the Daily Mail.
However, the pair do not seem to have been close for some years now, with Meghan reported to have distanced herself after Jess was accused of racism by a fellow influencer.
However, her close friendship with the Duchess began crumbling in 2020, when Jessica was accused of “problematic” behaviour after her head-to-head with lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter. In an 11-minute video posted on Instagram, Sasha alleged Jessica had threatened her connections with brands and sponsors after the women sent each other messages regarding a misunderstanding over a Black Lives Matter post.
“If you go to the press over this nonsense and threaten to go to your followers, I won’t be afraid to go to brands and tell them what you are doing to me,” Jessica said in a text message to Sasha, which promptly marked the beginning of her downfall.
Despite issuing three public apologies, and releasing all of her text messages and emails to Sasha, she was dropped by Good Morning America and Canadian TV network CTV, where she hosted her wedding-themed reality TV show I Do Redo.
At the time, it was reported Meghan had cut ties with Jessica, but just a few months later, the mother-of-three posted an update on her friendship with the Duchess of Sussex on her Instagram Story. “’I’m going to tell this once and for all. Meghan and I are family. She is the kindest friend and has checked up on me everyday,” Jessica wrote. Six months later, she posted a snap of the flowers she had received from Meghan on her 41st birthday, with a sweet card that read: “LUCKIEST FRIEND XXXX, THX MM.”
But less than a year later, Jessica hinted that her friendship with the former actress had soured, as she shared a cryptic quote on Instagram about losing important people from her life. “Life changes. You lose love. You lose friends. You lose pieces of yourself that you never imagined would be gone. And then, without even realizing it, those pieces come back. New love enters. Better friends come along. And a stronger, wiser you, is staring back in the mirror,” it read.
In 2022, speculation was rife that Jessica and Meghan’s friendship had cooled after she posted another quote, this time suggesting she had reflected on a problematic relationship. “You are not too sensitive. Your are not overreacting. If it hurts you it hurts you,” the quote read, with Jessica writing: “’I wish I had a seen this a long time ago. I hope it makes a difference in your day too.”
The nail in the coffin of their friendship happened last year, when Meghan and Harry returned to Canada for the One Year To Go event ahead of the 2025 Invictus Games. Despite having a jam-packed schedule, Meghan failed to meet up with her former pal Jessica, with the Sussexes preferring to spend time with Canadian crooner Michael Buble and his wife Luisana instead.
And now eagle-eyed fans have noticed the deafening silence from Jess since Meghan officially recently returned to Instagram. Jess is not following her once incredibly close friend on her account where she has shared three highly personal posts: one of the Duchess running on a beach to mark the new year, the trailer for her new lifestyle show for Netflix – the release of which has been postponed in light of the devastating wildfires in LA – and a tribute to her dog Guy, who recently passed away.
Do you have a story to tell? Email: emma.mackenzie@reachplc.com
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