Meghan Markle’s fury over new betrayal

Family fallouts, in-law angst and public criticism: it’s safe to say that Meghan Markle’s had it all.

But over the past nine years, she’s had a secret weapon up her sleeve, giving her support, guidance and a serious leg-up with her starry connections along the way: her very best friend Jessica Mulroney. From the moment Meghan moved from Los Angeles to Toronto in 2011 to film Suits, TV presenter and stylist Jessica took her under her wing, and they never looked back – forming a bond so close that people used to call them twins.

And as Meghan transcended from TV actress to the Duchess of Sussex, Jessica was there to offer loyalty, discretion and even played a massive role in organising her and Prince Harry’s royal wedding.

But last week, Meghan’s best friend became her biggest problem – and their once-unbreakable bond shattered for good – after Jessica, 40, became embroiled in a public race row with US blogger Sasha Exeter.

The drama initially kicked off when Sasha accused the TV presenter of “not speaking up” enough in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

A bitter argument ensued behind the scenes, culminating in Sasha publishing an exchange in which Jessica apparently threatened to turn “companies and people” against her – leaving the blogger “paralysed with fear”. Jessica then hastily issued a public mea culpa, and appeared to drag Meghan into it, telling followers, “I have lived a very public and personal experience with my closest friend where race was front and centre.

It was deeply educational.” However, at the same time as publicly apologising, Sasha then revealed Jessica was privately messaging her threatening to sue for defamation.

Check out: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship timeline

No wonder then that the stylist was quickly dropped from her regular gigs on US and Canadian TV. Canadian network CTV stated that her behaviour “conflicts with our commitment to diversity and equality”; her reality show I Do, Redo was taken off air; and she was fired from her role as fashion and bridal specialist for Canadian department store Hudson’s Bay.

In the aftermath, we’re told a “devastated” Meghan, 38, has been left facing the fact that her once-strongest ally has become a major liability. What’s more, it’s also made her question how much she’s really ever been able to trust Jessica, who’s become more and more famous over the past few years as a result of their closeness.

According to insiders, it’s pretty clear that their friendship is now over “for good” – with one source adding, “How can you have such a close friendship when one person is basically making a career out of it?”

“Until now, Meghan’s relied on Jessica as a counsellor, fashion advisor, fitness coach and more,” says an insider close to the Duchess, who earlier this month spoke out against the “senseless act of racism” that led to the murder of George Floyd.

“That’s all ruined now, and Meghan isn’t just angry, she’s devastated – Jessica was more like a sister to her. They’d run most decisions past one another and trusted each other implicitly. Unsurprisingly, Meghan is feeling extremely lost and isolated, and she knows she needs to look elsewhere for companionship and advice. Replacing someone who knew her inside out is both tricky and heartbreaking. Obviously, she’s got Harry and her mum and she does have other friends to turn to, like her college BFF Lindsay [Roth], designer Mischa [Nonoo] and famous names like Priyanka [Chopra] and Serena [Williams], but she’s in pieces trying to figure it all out.”

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While Meghan’s life has changed massively over the past nine years, her friendship with Jessica has remained constant, and Harry and Meghan even reportedly entrusted Jessica to look after their one-year-old son Archie earlier this year, while they flew from Canada to the UK to make their last official appearances as senior royals. It’s no surprise, then, that as well as being furious at being dragged into the race row, Meghan is sad at the thought of losing her best friend.

And in what was already clearly a very difficult week for the Duchess, things went from bad to worse when she and Harry were told that the application to trademark their new charity Archewell had hit a stumbling block after being rejected by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

According to reports, the Sussexes, who moved from Canada to LA in March, had submitted paperwork to launch their company as a non-profit organisation offering online resources in “philanthropy, monetary giving, volunteer and career opportunities”, but were told that their plans were “too vague”. Apparently, it’s not uncommon for trademark applications to be rejected on the first try – but that made it no less embarrassing for Harry and Meghan, who earlier this year said they were quitting royal life primarily to launch their new charitable entity. While the outbreak of coronavirus first derailed their plans, this has delayed matters further.

Still, amid all the doom and gloom of the past week, there was some happy news for Meghan: her beloved mum, Doria Ragland, 63, stepped in to save the day. According to our source, as lockdown restrictions have eased in LA, Doria’s been able to move into the $18m Beverly Hills mansion the family are staying in, and her presence has been nothing short of saintly.

“Doria has been an absolute rock for both Meghan and Harry, who are leaning on her more than ever while they settle into LA life,” we’re told. “They just love watching her bond with Archie and trust her more than any nanny. She’s so practical and wise, she can see a situation and cut right to the chase. She offers her advice when asked but is also careful not to interfere, and she’s helping Meghan get to grips over the situation with Jessica.

“More than anything, she’s just a joy to be around and a wonderful distraction for Harry and Meghan in terms of the day-to-day stresses and worries they each have to deal with. Things were stressful enough for Meghan before the Jessica debacle, and Doria’s understandably worried. She’s constantly at Meghan’s side.”

With a mum like that, who needs friends?

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