Meghan Markle's Friends Had "Concerns" About Jessica Mulroney

Meghan Markle has reportedly distanced herself from former BFF Jessica Mulroney after Mulroney's "threatening" behavior toward lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter.
Sources are saying that there's been friction for a while and that Meghan's friends were concerned about the relationship even before this.
Go here for a more in-depth history of the long Mulroney-Markle relationship.

In case you missed the Meghan Markle-Jessica Mulroney drama of the past couple weeks, Meghan has reportedly "distanced herself" from Mulroney for Mulroney's "unacceptable and offensive" comments centering around Mulroney's white privilege as a prominent influencer. Though Meghan reportedly isn't cutting ties completely, sources say the ongoing situation put a strain on the relationship.

For context: Mulroney is facing consequences—including her TV show I Do Redo being dropped—after reportedly harassing and threatening Canadian lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter. In a video, Exeter says she believes that Mulroney "took offense" to a call to action from Exeter's platform about influencers being anti-racists, culminating in a threat in writing. Mulroney later posted a comment on the video, alluding to what many have interpreted as a reference to Meghan: "As I told you privately, I have lived a very public and personal experience with my closest friend where race was front and centre."

An interesting tidbit shared from a source to ET Online: "[Meghan's friends have been] concerned for some time that Jessica has been profiting from her relationship with Meghan and using it to further her brand. That's something [Prince] William and Harry have never accepted with any of their friends."

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If you're not familiar, Mulroney and Meghan go way back—Mulroney was thought to be Meghan's unofficial stylist and had a prominent role at Meghan's royal wedding. The two met in Canada circa 2011 (Meghan filmed Suits there). Mulroney has, for the most part, remained totally tight-lipped about their ongoing relationship, but has become well-known for the famous connection. Meghan, Prince Harry, and their son Archie even apparently stayed with the Mulroneys when they stepped down from being senior members of the Royal Family.

In an exclusive to Daily Mail, a source claimed that "Meghan had been left 'absolutely mortified' by Jessica's 'tone-deaf' threats to Sasha Exeter, and told close friends that she can 'no longer be associated with her.'"

Sources talking to Page Six insist, though, that there was already friction. "I don’t know what the tipping point was, but Jess has been on the outs for some time...Their friendship is definitely not what it was. And really, how can you have such a close friendship when one person is basically making a career out of the friendship?”

And another source explained that the “row has really given Meghan the excuse she was waiting for to cut Jess off for good.”

Since posting about the "disagreement," Mulroney has been quiet on social media, although commenters have continued to be critical of her response:

A post shared by Jess Mulroney (@jessicamulroney)
A photo posted by on

And although Meghan's not likely to comment publicly about the news, it'll be interesting to see whether she makes any visits to see her friend in Canada anytime soon.

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commonwealth day service 2020 — (Image credit: Karwai Tang)

March 9, 2020

Meghan and Prince Harry attend the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey with all of the royal family. Meghan is wearing a custom Emilia Wickstead dress and carrying a Gabriela Hearst Demi bag; she's also wearing Birks earrings and Aquazzura heels.

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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.

March 9, 2020

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