Jessica Mulroney is Meghan Markle's right-hand woman and was the unofficial maid of honour at the duchess's wedding. The BFFs were reunited on the other side of the pond when Meghan and Harry relocated to Canada before settling in California, but reports stated that their friendship had become complicated in recent months. Now, it seems that all is well: Jessica has just posted an Instagram story showing a gift sent by Meghan to mark her 41st birthday.
'Luckiest friend,' she wrote in a post that has since been shared on Meghan fan sites. 'Thx MM.' Naturally, there's no proof that they're from Meghan - Jessica could have any number of friends with the MM initials - but it feels like a pretty safe bet to say that Meghan sent them.
Here's everything you need to know about the Canadian stylist and her friendship with Meghan.
Where is she from?
Jessica is from Canada, and is the daughter of Veronica (Coleman) and Stephen Brownstein, who is a descendant of the founders of Browns Shoes. Jessica graduated from McGill University, before taking up a career in styling. As well as styling Meghan, she's also worked with Justin Trudeau's wife Sophie and regularly does fashion related interviews for the television shows Good Morning America and City Line.
Who is her husband?
Jessica married TV host Ben Mulroney - the son of former Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney - on October 30, 2008. The couple share a daughter and twin boys - Isabel, Brian and John - who Jessica regularly styles in matching outfits.
How did she meet Meghan?
Jessica first met Meghan when she moved to LA from Toronto in 2011. They bonded over a shared love of yoga, fashion and travel. She helped Megan choose her wardrobe for her role in the TV show Suits, then later became her personal stylist.
What was her involvement in Meghan's wedding?
As Megan's most trusted confidant, Jessica became the unofficial wedding planner for the Sussexes. She helped with minor details like the flower arrangements, seating plan and Meghan's dress fitting. She was the unofficial maid of honour her twins were page boys and her daughter was a flower girl.
Since then, Jessica bagged herself a Netflix wedding planning series and is also qualified as a marriage officiant. Casual.
Does she still hang out with Meghan?
They sure do. Jessica accompanied the Sussexes on the Royal tour of Australia and it was rumoured that Meghan was staying with the Mulroneys after she and Harry announced they were stepping back to senior members of the Royal family. Jessica is also rumoured to be Archie's unofficial godmother.
The pair are not thought to have seen each other since Meghan relocated to California.
Did Meghan and Jessica really fall out?
There were reports of a rift in their friendship in 2020. There were claims that Meghan had 'cut ties' with Jessica after she was accused of problematic behaviour, and that their bond was already strained. Page Six claimed that Meghan thought Jessica was 'benefitting' from her association with royalty.
However, Jessica later sought to set the record straight once and for all, taking to Instagram to write: '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. Tabloid culture is atrocious. It creates lies and hurtful storylines. Stop feeding into it. Done.'
What is Jessica Mulroney's instagram?
Mulroney has an Instagram with the handle @jessicamulroney. Her social media was made private for several months but is now public again, and she often posted cryptic messages that appeared to be shows of support for her BFF.
Her latest post suggests that she has endured drama of late. 'Thank you to our true friends for sticking by us', she wrote alongside a picture of her kissing her husband. 'We could never have made it without you. Silver lining: we finally know the a******s who we thought were our friends. Best gift we could have ever been given.'
READ MORE: 9 Things To Know About Jessica Mulroney, Meghan Markle's BFF And Unofficial Stylist
Jessica Mulroney Everything You Need To Know - Grazia
1 of 91. She’s been friends with Meghan for years…
The pair are thought to have met when Meghan moved from Los Angeles to Toronto, having landed her breakout role in legal drama Suits. They quickly bonded over a shared love of yoga, and each become a constant fixture on the other's Instagram account –at least, until Meghan's royal romance necessitated a scaling back of her social media activity.
2 of 92. … And the pair would regularly jet off on holiday together
They loved a pal holiday, including a trip to Italy in September 2016 (back when Meghan could still holiday under the radar, and way before any of us had any idea she was romantically involved with the fifth in line to the throne…), well documented on both Meghan and Sophie's Instagram accounts.
3 of 93. So of course she planned Meghan's baby shower
With up to 15-20 guests, the baby shower took place in 2019 in New York with Meghan's closest friends. 'Today's baby shower is a reunion of sorts for Meghan,' Royal reporter Omid Scobie revealed on Good Morning America at the time. '[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... It'll be a celebration with her closest friends.'
4 of 94. She styles Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau…
Jessica started out in fashion PR, working in communications for the Canadian outpost of bridal salon Kleinfeld (which you'll know from guilty pleasure TV show Say Yes To The Dress) before side-stepping into styling. She teamed up with Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau ahead of husband Justin's inauguration as Canada's Prime Minister, dressing her in a white wrap coat by Canadian label Sentaler for the swearing-in ceremony. She's since dressed Sophie for plenty of high profile occasions, including the royal tour of Canada in 2016.
5 of 95. … And moonlights as a wedding stylist
Jessica has many strings to her styling bow, with a side line in dressing Canada's society brides and a gig at a wedding magazine - all of which doubtless proved very useful in the run up to the wedding of the year. Though Meghan didn't officially pick a maid of honour for her May nuptials, it's thought that Jessica was an indispensable support behind the scenes, flying in to London for dress fittings and helping the future royal with wedding planning over the phone.
6 of 96. She has a philanthropic side
Along with her sisters in law, Caroline, Katy and Vanessa Mulroney, Jessica is the co-founder of The Shoebox Project, which collects and distributes shoeboxes filled with toiletries and cosmetics for women who are homeless or living in shelters. The initiative is simple, asking women to fill a shoebox with around $50 worth of products.
7 of 97. She’s one half of a Canadian power couple
Jessica (née Brownstein) married Ben Mulroney, a broadcaster and TV presenter who is the second oldest child of former Canadian PM Brian Mulroney, in October 2008 after dating for one year. Her family ties caused Jessica's styling gig for Sophie Gregoire Trudeau to raise some eyebrows – Sophie's father-in-law was the political rival of Jessica's, after all – but the connection isn't one that bothers her. 'I'm sure that people find it funny,' she told Canada's Globe and Mail, 'but this has nothing to do with politics […] The relationship has been there for a long time in terms of a friendship.'
8 of 98. She’s a champion of Canadian designers
Keen to use her high-profile friends and clients to draw attention to home grown design talent, Jessica regularly spotlights up-and-coming Canadian designers, from Sophie's Sentaler coats to Meghan's choice of local brands Aritizia and Mackage for that all-important Invictus Games appearance back in 2017. 'We have such a wealth of talent in Canada, and it's a shame that sometimes these designers don't get the opportunity to have an international stage,' she has previously told the Globe and Mail.
9 of 99. All three of her children took part in the royal wedding
Jessica and Ben were among the first of Meghan's inner circle to learn of her relationship with Prince Harry: when news of the relationship broke to the press, the couple decided to lay low at the Mulroney's Toronto flat to hide from paparazzi, and the Prince was reportedly a 'big hit' with all three of their children. It makes perfect sense, then, that the now-Duchess wanted to involve the Mulroneys in her wedding ceremony. Harry and Meghan asked Ivy (aged four) and seven-year-old twins John and Brian to join the bridal party as flower girl and page boys; on the day, the twins had a particularly important role, tasked with carrying Meghan's five metre veil train as she entered the chapel.