Meghan Markle’s friendship group has changed drastically since she was starring on Suits and married to Trevor Engelson

Friendships come and go in life as we move up in our careers and meet new people – and the Duchess of Sussex is no exception to this truth.

Meghan, 42, has experienced an enormous life change since she began dating Prince Harry in 2016, which saw her move from Toronto, Canada, to London, England, and marry into the royal family.

As she left behind her acting career and became a working royal, it’s perhaps no surprise her social circle changed somewhat.

Another life event that can change a friendship group is the beginning of a new relationship – or the end of an old one, as friends of said partner may remain in touch with the ex.

In Meghan’s case, many friends she enjoyed a close relationship with during her first marriage with TV exec Trevor Engelson seemed to become distanced from the Duchess after the divorce. 

Meghan appears to have cut ties with a few people in her life over the years (not least her father Thomas Markle and former BFF Jessica Mulroney), leading to some joking her old friends have been ‘Markled’. 

When the Sussexes experienced another big life change and moved to Montecito, California, to start a new life, Meghan gained a new cohort of friends.

And of course, there are the friendships that have remained for the Duchess through thick and thin, with Meghan being able to count on many loyal pals now who have been with her since the beginning.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look at how Meghan’s social circle has changed from her first marriage to Trevor Engelson, to her second union with Prince Harry…

FIRST MARRIAGE 

Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne

Meghan’s former friend, advisor and confidante Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne spent two years together travelling the world for corporate and charity events.

Ms Nelthorpe-Cowne and her husband Mark established Kruger Cowne Talent Management and they met Meghan in 2014.

This was when they were working with the One Young World – and Meghan, who was in the TV drama Suits at the time, was interested in becoming involved.

Ms Nelthorpe-Cowne said they ‘just clicked’, adding: ‘We spoke on the phone and through emails a number of times before actually meeting, but it was an instant connection.’

She became Meghan’s commercial agent, helping her obtain endorsements and sponsorship deals with top brands.

But Ms Nelthorpe-Cowne said that Meghan eventually told could no longer do commercial work once she was in the Royal Family.

She wrote in The Mail On Sunday in 2020: ‘Meghan’s last email to me was to say that her life had changed and she could no longer pursue commercial work. She really wanted to remain friends, she said, adding that it was very important to her.

‘Alas, that was not to be: I’ve never heard from her directly again.’

Jessica Mulroney

Meghan and stylist Jessica Mulroney were once best friends and were pictured at a number of high-profile events together after meeting in 2011.

Meghan and Harry spent time with Mrs Mulroney and her husband Ben while in Toronto before their relationship was made public in 2016.

Mrs Mulroney played a key part in Meghan’s wedding, and is said to have flown in to London four days beforehand to help her get fitted for her dress.

Meghan also asked her three children John, Brian and Isabel to be in her wedding party – while the stylist was given a starring role as she entered St George’s Chapel alongside Kate Middleton.

Mrs Mulroney was also then also among several famous faces who organised Meghan’s baby shower in New York in 2019, and defended the couple when they were slammed for using private jets, saying they had been the target of ‘racist bullies’.

But it appears the pair became distant after Mrs Mulroney became embroiled in a ‘white privilege’ row with lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter.

Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, Sasha posted on her Instagram Stories and encouraged her followers and fellow influencers to speak out about the Black Lives Matter movement.

However, the blogger claimed Mrs Mulroney ‘took offence’ from her ‘generic call to action’ post. In a follow-up video, Ms Exeter said: ‘What happened next was a series of very problematic behaviour and antics […]

‘I’m by no means calling Jess a racist but what I will say is this: She is very well aware of her wealth, perceived power and privilege because of the colour of her skin and that, my friends, gave her the momentary confidence to come for my livelihood in writing. Textbook white privilege really, in my personal opinion.’

Following the blogger’s claims, Mrs Mulroney issued three public apologies, but was dropped by numerous television networks including ABC’s Good Morning America and Canadian TV network CTV.

Despite publicly supporting Meghan as she adapted to life as a Royal, the stylist was not among the women featured on the Duchess’ Archetypes podcast.

And Mrs Mulroney was also noticeably absent from the Sussexes’ Netflix documentary series.

Ninaki Priddy

Meghan’s childhood friend Ninaki Priddy was maid of honour at Meghan’s first wedding to Trevor Engelson in front of more than 100 guests on a beach in Jamaica.

She told the Daily Mail in 2017: ‘Meg literally shone with happiness. We’d been like sisters since we were two years old, so I knew she’d always wanted to get married.

They had been inseparable from their first days at Hollywood’s private Little Red School House, which they both joined at the age of two, before moving on together at 11 to the Immaculate Heart girls’ high school in Los Angeles.

But Ms Priddy said they fell out after she disapproved of the manner of Meghan’s break-up from Mr Engelson.

She added: ‘All I can say now is that I think Meghan was calculated — very calculated — in the way she handled people and relationships.

‘She is very strategic in the way she cultivates circles of friends. Once she decides you’re not part of her life, she can be very cold. It’s this shutdown mechanism she has. There’s nothing to negotiate. She’s made her decision and that’s it.’

Millie Mackintosh

Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh became friends with Meghan after they met at a hotel event in Turkey, and ‘gave her all of her contacts’ when the actress was in London.

She and Meghan met up in the capital and she shared her favourite hotspots, and they were even pictured together during a girls’ weekend at Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire in 2016.

Mackintosh said she and Meghan bonded over their marital troubles, as she was married to rapper Professor Green at the time, and Meghan had split from her first husband Trevor Engelson.

But Mackintosh said that she felt ‘snubbed’ by Meghan when she began dating Harry.

She claimed that she sent Meghan a message offering her well-wishes, but was surprised to receive an ‘abrupt’ response and decided not to contact her again.

Mackintosh said: ‘It’s not like I messaged her asking if it was true, that was none of my business. What I read from that message was that she needed a bit of space, to cool off.

‘I didn’t message her again, but I did expect that we would stay in touch. I thought she’d message back and say, ”Sorry everything is a bit stressful right now.”

‘I never heard from her again. I felt like she’d basically told me to f**k off in that message. So I did. And we haven’t spoken since.’

Gina Torres

The Suits cast were the talk of Tinseltown this awards season when they reunited at the Golden Globes ceremony – but there was one notable absence as Meghan, who played Rachel Zane in the drama, did not join her former co-stars.

Gina Torres – who played lawyer Jessica Pearson in the US legal drama – revealed at the LA ceremony that the ex-castmates simply ‘don’t have [Meghan’s] number’ when asked if anyone had reached out to the former actress. 

An insider told Page Six that the Duchess of Sussex was invited to the event, but ‘unfortunately’ wasn’t able to make an appearance because of a ‘previous commitment’.

Speaking to Variety on the red carpet, Gina was asked: ‘Who texted Meghan and said “you’ve gotta come to the Golden Globes, Meghan Markle”.’

‘We don’t have her number. We just don’t so. She’ll see. She’ll watch. She’ll be happy that we’re here,’ said the 54-year-old US actress, who attended the Royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan in 2018.

The interviewer also asked: ‘Did you plan this? Are you all texting each other?’ She explained: ‘When it all came through, we were all texting each other. Yes, our text thread is insane right now. So it’s very exciting.’

Discussing Meghan’s absence, a Globes insider told Page Six: ‘We asked the Duchess, but we were told that, unfortunately, she had a previous commitment.’

Gina’s comments at the Golden Globes weren’t the first time that the actress had referenced her lack of contact with Prince Harry’s wife.

She told Glamour in 2019: ‘No, I’m not in touch with Meghan. There’s no story in why I’m not in touch with Meghan.

‘What I will say is – if I could offer a window into what it is to be an actor and live this crazy life – when you’re an actor, you meet hundreds of people during your career.

‘The public only sees the characters that are on TV, but there are hundreds of people that make a show happen. If you’re as fortunate enough of an actor as I am, that has had a varied career, you can’t bring all those people with you.’

She added that she ‘enjoyed Meghan’ when they worked together, adding they had a ‘great time’.

Gabriel Macht

Gabriel Macht, 52, starred as Harvey Specter and appeared in every episode of Suits as the anchor of the majority of the legal series’ plotlines.

Following Suits, Gabriel starred in the short-lived spin-off series Pearson, but it appears as though he has not acted since.

Before earning his spot on the hit US series, he appeared in titles like A Love Song for Bobby Long, The Good Shepherd, Because I Said So, The Recruit, and Archangel.

While the Suits star has taken a break from acting, he still often posts on social media about his personal life, wellness, green living, and political and social issues.

Father-of-two Gabriel has been married to his wife, Australian-born actress Jacinda Barrett, since 2004. The couple attended Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry.

But speaking recently to the Hollywood Reporter, Gabriel said: ‘I have not communicated with [Meghan] other than seeing her big support for the resurgence, and that has been really nice.’

Sarah Rafferty

Sarah Rafferty, who starred as fan favourite Donna Paulsen – a close friend of Meghan’s character Rachel, was previously described by the Duchess as ‘not just my Suits sister wife, but my sister’.

The actress, 51, attended the royal wedding in 2018 alongside her husband Santtu Seppala.

Reminiscing on the grand event, the Falling for Grace actress penned: ‘Hard to believe that yesterday at this time we were preparing to head out to the Royal Wedding. I’m still speechless. Still processing.’

The auburn beauty continued to gush over the pair’s union: ‘Santtu and I were honored to witness such a sublime and emotional event. We wish the happy couple every blessing with all our hearts.’

Speaking on Today in 2018, the actress explained just why the Suits co-stars were so close, with the females on the show referring to one another as ‘sister wives.’

‘We worked so many years together on a show. We were with each other for longer than we went to college or high school,’ she said. ‘We became family in a way. We’re still family. This is a wonderful family affair.’

But in 2019, when asked if she still talks to the Duchess, Sarah told Closer Weekly: ‘She’s really busy. She’s super busy.’

In September 2022, after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Sarah thanked the monarch for ‘normalizing having a respected woman in power’ as she paid her respects to Her late Majesty.

She penned: ‘Living a life of service, leading by example with dignity, strength, and devotion while inspiring many…Thank you for normalizing having a respected woman in power, Your Majesty. Rest In Peace.

‘Sending my heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones, and to all who are mourning in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world.

Patrick J. Adams

Patrick J. Adams, whose Suits character Michael Ross was in a relationship with Meghan’s Rachel Zane, has confirmed he’s had ‘no communication’ with the Duchess following the legal drama’s streaming success.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter on the set of T-Mobile’s Super Bowl commercial, in which he featured alongside Gabriel Macht, who played Harvey Specter, the pair were asked: ‘Have you spoken to Meghan Markle recently?’

Patrick, who attended Meghan’s wedding with his wife Troian Bellisario, said: ‘ Zero. No, no communication.’

The actor then jokingly pretended he was getting a call, saying: ‘Oh, hold on. There she is. Oh, got to go.’

In 2020, the Canadian actor, 42, admitted he is ‘too intimidated’ and feels a ‘little scared’ to phone the Duchess.

Patrick, who played Meghan’s on-screen love interest for seven years, said it had been ‘wild’ to watch how ‘enormous’ her life has become since she left the show in 2018.

He revealed the friends exchanged messages and gifts when their children were born but admitted ‘pure fear’ stopped him picking up the phone and calling her at the time.

The actor told the Radio Times: ‘Quite frankly, I think I’m intimidated. I have no doubt I could pick up the phone and call her at any moment, but I don’t know what I would say.

‘After our children were born, there were some texts sent and gifts sent, but I guess I’m a little scared. I think it’s pure fear.

‘I guess I’m scared about the idea of breaking through whatever walls exist to have that conversation.’

He said it had been ‘wild to watch’ her life unfold but explained they are not in regular contact, adding: ‘We’ve spoken and texted a couple of times, but Meghan’s life is incredibly full and she’s been navigating a lot.

‘We don’t spend any time together, but that’s not because of anything other than how completely enormous her life has become in so many ways.’

SECOND MARRIAGE 

Serena Williams

Meghan’s bond with Serena Williams dates back to 2010 and is one of the longest friendships the Duchess has had with a major celebrity.

They first met at the Super Bowl that year, and then again at the event in 2014 in New York.

Meghan then started watching Williams in tennis tournaments, including the US Open in 2014 and the Australian Open in 2015.

Williams recalled to Vanity Fair in 2017 that after Meghan started dating Harry, she told her: ‘You’ve got to be who you are, Meghan. You can’t hide.’

The tennis star and her husband Alexis Ohanian attended Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May 2018 – and then Meghan watched Williams at Wimbledon in June that year, alongside Kate in the Royal Box. They did so again in July 2019.

Williams then defended Meghan after the Oprah interview in 2021, writing on social media: ‘Meghan Markle, my selfless friend, lives her life – and leads by example – with empathy and compassion.

‘She teaches me every day what is means to be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she’s experienced.’

Then in August last year, Williams appeared on Meghan’s Spotify podcast Archetypes and the Duchess recalled meeting her in 2014, saying: ‘I show up and I see you walking toward someone.

‘I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, who is Serena Williams going to talk to?’ I looked behind me and when I turned around, you were there right in front of me… We became such fast friends.’

Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank

Prince Harry has been very close with his cousin Princess Eugenie since they were children, and that bond has strengthened since he married Meghan and Eugenie wed Jack Brooksbank – both in 2018.

Eugenie was one of the first people Harry introduced Meghan to before they revealed their relationship back in 2016 – and he said in his memoir Spare that the women instantly became friends and were soon hugging ‘like sisters’.

The Princess has since visited the couple in California. Footage of her trip to see them featured in the Sussexes’ Netflix documentary – and they were also seen attending the Super Bowl together in 2022.

A source told Us Weekly in December last year that Eugenie and the Sussexes are in ‘regular communication and FaceTime at least once every couple of months with the children’.

Harry and Meghan also went on a night out to a Halloween party in Toronto with Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank in 2016 – before the Sussexes had gone public with their relationship.

And Harry wrote in his book about how Eugenie introduced him to the model and actress Cressida Bonas who later became his girlfriend.

Harry said he and Ms Bonas shared an awkward kiss because his ‘aim was off’, and he then phoned Eugenie to tell her about this. But the Duke added: ‘She’d already spoken to Cressida. She sighed. Awkward.’

Misha Nonoo

Misha Nonoo is a fashion designer and the former wife of Harry’s friend Alexander Gilkes. She is one of a few people rumoured to have set up the couple.

Meghan first met Ms Nonoo when she was filming the TV drama Suits in Toronto, and they became good friends – even going away on holiday together.

Ms Nonoo was a guest at Harry and Meghan’s wedding, and they have worked together on a clothing line for the charity Smart Works.

Meghan has also backed her friend’s brand – wearing her ‘Husband’ shirt at her first public appearance with Harry at the Invictus Games in Toronto in 2017.

Ms Nonoo and her husband Mike Hess are also known to be friendly with Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, having been pictured going for dinner together in London’s Mayfair in July last year.

Abigail Spencer

While Meghan invited many of her Suits co-stars to her royal wedding, it appears as though Abigail Spencer holds a special place in the Duchess’ heart, having met long before the show at an audition, over a decade before the event.

The pair bonded during the filming of Suits, and Spencer even contributed to the Tig, Meghan’s since-discontinued lifestyle blog and attended her baby shower in February 2019.

There friendship was made incredibly apparent in the Sussexes’ 2022 Netflix docuseries, with Abigail revealing that she was one of the first people to learn about Meghan’s then-secret relationship with Harry.

‘It was 2016, Meghan and I met up in New York,’ she recalled. ‘We really enjoyed going to have tea and champagne at Bergdorf Goodman. We’d be like, ‘Let’s meet at the tea room at Bergdorfs.’

‘She’s like, ‘Um yeah, I think I met someone and I’m in love. It’s Prince Harry.”

Like several of Meghan’s other friends who feature in the Netflix show, Abigail was full of excitement over the earliest stages of their relationship.

‘I could just feel everything in her body vibrating,’ she shared. ‘We have a photo from that moment. I was screaming because I could tell it was different.

‘It was very clear from the moment she told me about him that they were in love and they were going to go to the ends of the earth to be together.’

However, Abigail was also quick to make clear how much Meghan had sacrificed in order to make her relationship with Harry work, particularly under the burning glare of public scrutiny. ‘She had a whole life before she met H,’ she said.

Abigail also shared her opinions of Meghan and the changes in the actress after she joined the royal family.

She said: ‘It was almost like in the wedding and everything, I saw that they were building her up, and then there was a shift and they started to tear her down.’

‘That was a really dark time, and I didn’t know what to do,’ she said. ‘I was not allowed to say anything.

‘Anything that anybody was printing wasn’t coming from anybody that knew her. There’s all this untruth, there’s all these lies, and it just seemed to be getting worse.’

Abigail attended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding alongside fellow actress Priyanka Chopra.

Recalling the May 2018 nuptials, she told PEOPLE: ‘I felt honoured to be there. She’s incredible, and everything was an extension of them and their love.’

Heather Dorak

Heather Dorak has been the Duchess of Sussex’s devoted friend for many years and the pair are often spotted out and about together in LA.

The Pilates and yoga instructor originates from San Antonio, Texas but is now based in California where she owns six Pilates Platinum studios.

The blonde beauty attended Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May 2018 with her husband Matt Cohen.

Heather was spotted hiking with Meghan near the Sussex’s Montecito mansion after they celebrated Archie’s fourth birthday.

The pair often featured on Meghan’s social media before she took down her accounts after marrying Prince Harry.

Heather became Meghan’s coach many years ago when she worked on the TV show Suits.

In a social media post from 2015 Heather said she was celebrating ten years of friendship with Meghan, adding that she was ‘one of my first clients’.

The pair have shared holidays and days out together, including a trip to a Vancouver Canucks hockey game in 2015.

Heather also attended Meghan’s 2015 speech at the UN Women’s 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing event in New York City with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland.

She has been a key part of Meghan’s North American inner circle since Megxit, visiting the royal couple in Canada in January 2020 shortly after they left the UK after stepping back as senior royals. 

Heather has remained a member of the Duchess’ close-knit girl squad, and is understood to have masterminded Meghan’s secret hen do ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry. 

Most recently, Heather accompanied the Duchess on a ski trip in Powder Mountain near Salt Lake City in Utah.

Kelly McKee Zajfen

Another of Meghan’s skiing pals who joined her on the Powder Mountain trip is model Kelly McKee Zajfen.

She first became friends with the Duchess through her ex-husband Trevor, who is pals with the former model’s entertainment lawyer husband Julian.

Meghan has supported Kelly through the grief of losing her son George, who died aged just nine in July 2022 after being found unresponsive in their family home. 

Kelly – co-founder of the Alliance of Moms group which supports pregnant and parenting teenagers in the foster care system in Los Angeles – has been open about her heartache on Instagram, writing in October 2022 that she was ‘not really okay’.

The parent – who is also mother to George’s twin sister Lily – said: ‘The light everyday is dim. I try my best. We are all trying our best. I’m so broken.

‘I’m searching everyday to find some new way to mold the pieces back together and I’m completely aware that it may not all fit again.’

Harry and Meghan donated $5,000 to a GoFundMe fundraiser in the names of their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet after the Zajfen family lost George.

In May, Kelly posted a heartfelt tribute to Meghan on her account, praising the Duchess for her support and for being such an ‘incredible friend and mother’.

‘You are always the first to say yes and support those you love. You are a fierce advocate for those who are in need,’ Kelly continued, while sharing an image of herself and the Duchess both wearing ‘Community Motherhood’ T-shirts in support of an Alliance of Moms campaign.

Delfina Blaquier

Delfina Blaquier is the wife of polo player Nacho Figueras, who is known as the ‘David Beckham’ of his sport.

The Argentinian socialite befriended Meghan through her husband, who has long been a close friend of Prince Harry. The pair run the Sentebale charity together.

Delfina has even previously referred to the Duchess of Sussex as a ‘sister’ when gushing over the ‘fellow polo-wife’ in an Instagram post in 2022.

She also praised the mother-of-two as being ‘stronger than she knows’ in an interview with Hello! magazine in the same year. 

Following a glamorous polo meet in Aspen, Colorado, Delfina said: ‘[Meghan] is so wonderful and strong. Stronger than she knows. I love being around my friends, and I will always support her.’

In an earlier interview with the publication, Delfina also revealed that the pair referred to themselves as the ‘P Wives’ which stands for ‘Polo Wives’.

Since the Sussexes’ move to the US, where Nacho and Harry play polo together at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, Meghan and Delfina have become firm friends too.

Last summer Delfina took to her social media account to share an affectionate message about the Duchess of Sussex, saying it had been ‘so special’ to spend time with her.

Posting a snap of the pair standing while watching their husbands compete at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, Delfina wrote: ‘M – looking forward to many more of these times with you and H.

‘Getting to spend time together over these two months was so special. I wish everyone knew you the way you are.’

Cleo Wade

Cleo Wade is an LA-based poet who has been spotted out and about with Meghan on several occasions since the Duchess’s move to Montecito.

The 33-year-old mother-of-two, originally from New Orleans, is often spotted in the front row of fashion weeks  with her fiancé Simon Kinberg, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker who wrote the X-men films, produced Deadpool and The Martian, at her side.

Before her engagement with Simon, she was in a two-year relationship with Senator Cory Booker – who is often touted as a future president.

The poet, artist, and activist who has 779,000 followers on Instagram has also modelled for American Eagle’s Aerie campaign and boast sellout gigs as well as legions of fans.

A Ted Talk speaker, she counts Katy Perry, Drew Barrymore and Nicole Richie among her fans – and close friends.

Reese Witherspoon also speaks highly of her, saying that her fans ‘revere her in the way that you would adore your favourite loving, creative aunt or older sister.’

In 2019, following her split with the Senator, she donated to Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign.

Filings showed she sent two $2800 checks to Kamala Harris for the People – and nothing to her ex.

She also appears friendly with Vice President Harris.