In the past eight years, Meghan Markle’s life has changed beyond recognition – and her slimmed-down friendship circle undeniably reflects that.

When she first started dating Prince Harry in 2016, the Suits actress – who was living in Toronto at the time

– counted Jessica Mulroney among her best friends and even included the stylist’s three children in her wedding party.

Despite ‘Jess’ reportedly playing an ‘influential’ role in Megxit, Meghan distanced herself from the mother-of-three

after she became embroiled in a race row in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

However, Jessica isn’t the first friend of Meghan’s who has been dumped (or ‘Markled’ as critics label it) in such a way – as her ex-stylist appears to still have a friendly relationship with the Duchess’ Suits co-stars.

Here FEMAIL takes a look back at Meghan’s former friends who have remained loyal to each other after being ditched by the Duchess.

Before meeting Prince Harry, Meghan Markle dated chef Cory Vitiello for two years until their split in May 2016. 

The couple are believed to have broken up just weeks before Meghan met Prince Harry, with the former-actress waxing lyrical about Cory on her blog The Tig. 

Calling him her ‘very favourite chef’, she wrote about him and his restaurant, commenting: ‘And maybe that’s part of it – the small-town charm and moral compass of someone who doesn’t come from the big city, but dreams big thoughts and makes them happen – that makes his food so approachable yet inspired.’ 

Cory and Meghan met when she dined with Suits cast members at The Harbord Room, the trendy Toronto restaurant he then owned.

They quickly fell in love, and according to his mother Joanne he began staying at Meghan’s rented townhouse near the restaurant. The chef’s mother describes them as ‘homebodies’ who avoided attending public events if possible and did their best to keep the romance private.

In April 2018, a source told the Daily Mail that Cory – who bears a striking resemblance to Prince Harry – began to tire of Meghan’s alleged ‘prima donna-like behaviour’.

When they went out for the evening or travelled together, she would allegedly embarrass Cory by announcing she starred in the US television series Suits, and asking for the best tables and seats. 

The final straw came at a dinner party for friends, it is rumoured. When their guests praised the inventive main course of pasta interwoven with courgette spirals, Meghan, 36, claimed she had dreamed up the recipe when, in truth, Cory had created the dish. 

Despite their split, some of Meghan’s friendship group at the time remained loyal to Cory and still follow the chef – who shares a son with songwriter Martina Sorbara – on Instagram.

Meghan’s estranged best friend Jessica Mulroney and her husband Ben are among Cory’s 15,000 Instagram followers along with Meghan’s former co-st ars Sarah Rafferty and Patrick J Adams.

What’s more, Cory also follows Jessica and Ben Mulroney – suggesting that he still has a friendly relationship with them. 

In November 2015, Meghan and Cory joined Ben and Jessica and a group of friends for dinner with Michael Buble to celebrate his star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. 

Cory has never publicly spoken about his relationship with Meghan – other than to say she is a ‘great girl’ and he was ‘proud of her’. 

Just weeks before her first date with her future husband, Meghan Markle crossed paths with an individual with a very strong royal connection. 

Violet von Westenholz is the daughter of former Olympic skier Baron Piers von Westenholz, who is a close personal friend of King Charles. 

Her mother Jane von Westenholz is a long time friend of the Queen Consort and was involved in the renovation of Dumfries House – a Scottish stately home saved by Charles in 2007.

In her role as press relations director for Ralph Lauren, she organised a publicity day for the brand at Wimbledon tennis tournament – which Meghan attended.

Following the event, the actress uploaded a photo on her Instagram with the PR director and other guests.   

Expressing her gratitude, Meghan captioned the post: ”How much more could I adore this gem thank you Violet von Westenholz’.

Violet has been friends with Prince Harry since they were both teenagers, and regularly joined the royal family on skiing trips abroad.

Although Violet was rumoured to be the matchmaker who set Harry and Meghan up, she has refused to confirm it either way.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph in 2018, she explained: ‘I might leave that for other people to say [who it is].

‘It’s a great story and I am sure they are going to be very happy together. I am just happy they are really happy. They are great together.’

However, it appears as though Meghan’s friendship with Violet has cooled in recent years – as she has not referenced the Duchess since that interview six years ago.

What’s more, Violet also appears to be friendly with Millie Mackintosh – who was famously ghosted by Meghan before her wedding to Prince Harry.

When Meghan first started putting down roots in the UK in 2016, the former Made in Chelsea star was said to be one of the Duchess’ best friends. 

Miss Mackintosh is said to have met Meghan shortly before the actress began dating Harry in July 2016, having been introduced by a mutual friend. 

In September 2016, the duo took a trip to private members club Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire.

After riding around the grounds of the estate, Meghan and Millie both posted the same picture of them on their bikes.

Meghan gushed: ‘The best afternoon with Millie Mackintosh. So proud of you, darling.’  Meanwhile, Millie captioned her post: ‘Dream day @meghanmarkle.’

In February 2018, a royal insider told the Daily Mail that the reality star had been helping Meghan organise the wedding – and was even predicting she might be chosen as a bridesmaid. However, the star did not end up being given an invite.

Last May, Millie revealed that she felt ‘snubbed’ by Meghan and described her last message from the Duchess as being ‘abrupt’.

Speaking on her Mumlemmas podcast, the Made In Chelsea star revealed she became pals with the Suits star after they met at a hotel event in Turkey, and even ‘gave her all of her contacts,’ when she moved to London.

Millie added that she and Meghan met up in the capital and she shared her favourite hotspots, but things changed when rumours swirled that she and Harry were dating.

She added that she sent Meghan a message offering her well-wishes, but was surprised to receive an ‘abrupt’ response.

Millie went onto tell her co-host Charlie Boud that she felt snubbed by Meghan after reading the response, and decided she wouldn’t contact her again.

She continued: ‘When we first met I was married, going through a bit of a turbulent time, and I got divorced, and she was divorced so we had quite a lot to talk about.

‘That was quite bonding, and we were both into our wellness, she had our blog, we were both just into the same things. 

‘We hung out a handful of times, we weren’t best friends, but whenever she was in town she’d let me know and we would just hang out.’

Millie added that she reached out to Meghan when her relationship with Harry came to light.

She added: ‘I messaged her and said, ”Hey I hope you’re OK, thinking of you,” and she sent me this really abrupt message, that was really unlike any of our communications before.’

Millie, who did not disclose the message she received, added that she didn’t question Meghan about her relationship with Harry.

She added: ‘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.’

As well as following each other on Instagram, Violet and Millie appear to run in similar social circles.

In December 2023, Violet attended a Christmas event in London hosted by Poppy Delevingne.

Poppy and Millie are also known to be friends – having attended the same star-studded Coachella pool party together in 2016. 

Before Meghan Markle met Prince Harry, the Suits actress counted Priyanka Chopra among her closest friends. 

The two actresses made regular appearances on each other’s Instagram feeds – including posing for a photo on the streets of New York after watching the musical Hamilton on Broadway. 

The stars first became friends after bonding at an Elle Women in Television event in January 2016. Meghan previously revealed they became friends easily.

‘You know when you meet someone and you just click?’ Meghan told the Press Trust Of India. ‘It was just an easy, natural progression. We’ve managed to keep in touch via email and text, and try to see each other whenever we’re both in the same town.’

However in February 2019, it was reported that Priyanka was ‘crushed’ when Meghan Markle didn’t attend her wedding to Nick Jonas the year before.

Around this time, rumours of a fall-out between the two friends began to swirl after Priyanka was noticeably absent from Meghan’s New York baby shower.

A source told Page Six that ‘Priyanka was crushed’ and therefore skipped the $500,000 baby shower held for the royal at the Mark Hotel.

It was previously reported that Priyanka had been absent from her friend’s celebrations due to work commitments across the country in Los Angeles, according to TMZ.

The actress had been busy attending meetings for a book she was writing, the publication reported.

In November 2021, Priyanka was seen laughing as comedian Jack Whitehall labelled her husband Nick Jonas ‘The Meghan Markle of pop’ for breaking up the band.

Despite appearing to grow apart from Meghan Markle, Priyanka Chopra still supports the Duchess’ former BFF Jessica Mulroney by following her on Instagram.  

When Priyanka posted images from her wedding day on Instagram, Jessica left a gushing comment reading: ‘Perfect dress choice. Love to the happy couple.’ 

What’s more, Meghan also lost her best childhood friend Ninaki Priddy in the wake of the Duchess’ split from her first husband.

Ninaki Priddy has previously spoken out about the Duchess’ treatment of Trevor Engelson – and how she remained loyal to him after the divorce.

Ninaki was maid of honour at Meghan’s first wedding in 2011 in Jamaica, and the two had been inseparable from their first days at Hollywood’s private Little Red School House.

They then moved on together at 11 to the Immaculate Heart girls’ high school in Los Angeles, with their extraordinary sisterly bond eventually spanning 31 years.

But the pair decided to go their separate ways after Ninaki disapproved of the manner of Meghan’s break-up from Trevor. 

The Duchess reportedly began dating dashing celebrity chef Cory Vitiello who also lives in Toronto, in 2014, a few months after her separation from Trevor.

‘I tried to get details from her, but she wouldn’t tell me,’ Ninaki told The Daily Mail in 2017. ‘What came to light after Trevor and I spoke ended my friendship with Meghan. I think everybody who knew them both was in shock.’

Ninaki explained how she’d chatted to Trevor a month after the divorce in 2013 and insisted he ‘would have walked the earth to make their marriage work’. 

Meghan was based in Toronto filming the popular US legal drama Suits, while film producer Trevor lived in LA during their marriage.

‘I don’t believe she gave him enough of an opportunity. I think there was an element of “out of sight, out of mind” for Meghan,’ said Ninaki.

‘The way she handled it, Trevor definitely had the rug pulled out from under him. He was hurt.’

Ninaki shared how there was ‘Meghan Before Fame and Meghan After Fame’, with the then actress ‘turning down lunch with us because she said she’d be recognised’ after just two seasons of Suits. 

She said: ‘Maybe she had started to change before then, but I was refusing to see it. The tone of her voice, her mannerisms, the way she laughed didn’t seem real to me any more.

‘… I felt if I questioned her behaviour, I’d be left on the outside. Sometimes the truth is not always what you want, is it?

‘Her time became increasingly important. When she was in town, she’d want you to drop everything to see her. If I was busy, it would be, “Why don’t you want to see me? I’m here. Let’s hang out!”

‘There were instances when I felt she developed a sense of entitlement because she was on the show.’

She explained how the duo began to chat to one another less and less – and after her chat with Trevor about the divorce, Ninaki tried to talk to Meghan but she ‘wouldn’t confide in me’.

‘It was obvious to me she wasn’t the friend I’d grown up with any more. She had a new circle of friends.’

Ninaki 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.’

Recalling her close friendship with the Duchess, Ninaki said it ‘was always Niki and Meg. We were so close-knit we came as a two’.

She added: ‘We were both honorary daughters in each other’s homes. We were like family. We had the kind of love you have for a sister. The end of our friendship was like a death.

‘I mourned it for quite a while. Even now I’ll pass by a magazine stand and see a face staring out at me that was such a big part of my life.’

Jessica Mulroney is one of Meghan Markle’s most high-profile friendship break-ups in recent years.

As well as attending Meghan Markle’s lavish New York baby shower in 2019, Jessica – who is married to Ben Mulroney, son of the former Canadian PM – joined the couple on their royal tour of Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Tonga and is also said to have played an ‘influential’ role in Megxit.

Over the past few years, rumours of a rift between the two women have been swirling – as the Duchess appeared to distance herself from her former BFF after Jessica was caught up in a ‘white privilege’ race row with blogger Sasha Exeter.

Jessica is said to have ‘taken offence’ to a ‘generic call to action’ post Sasha had shared about the Black Lives Matter movement. 

In a follow-up video, Sasha 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, Jessica issued three public apologies, however she still faced consequences and was dropped by numerous television networks.

DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that ABC severed ties with her, confirming that Jessica would not be returning to her occasional role as a fashion contributor on Good Morning America.

Canadian TV network CTV also cut off ties with the stylist, revealing that it would be pulling all episodes of her wedding-themed reality TV show I Do Redo from its platform. 

In one instance, commenting on a video clip shared by Sasha, Jessica said she was ‘unequivocally sorry’, writing: ‘As I told you privately, I have lived a very public and personal experience with my closest friend where race was front and centre. It was deeply educational.’

Despite their close relationship, insiders claimed that the Duchess had permanently cut ties with Jessica after she became embroiled in a race row with the influencer.

An insider told Page Six that the duo’s relationship was already on the rocks because Meghan felt that Jessica was trying to ‘make a career out of the friendship.’

‘The white privilege row has really given Meghan the excuse she was waiting for to cut Jess off for good,’ the source said. ‘I don’t know what the tipping point was, but Jess has been on the outs for some time. 

Although her friendship with Meghan appears to have broken down, Jessica still friendly with Suits’ star Sarah Rafferty – who also appears to not had much recent contact with the Duchess.

The actress – who still follows Jessica Mulroney on Instagram – last publicly spoke about Meghan in 2019 where she gushed about the Duchess ‘very exciting’ baby shower in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

However earlier this year, Meghan’s other Suits co-star Gina Torres revealed that the cast ‘don’t have her number’ anymore – as the stars reunited on the Golden Globes red carpet.

Although Meghan Markle’s former co-stars Sarah Rafferty previously described the cast as a ‘family’, Gina Torres recently claimed that no one on the show still has the Duchess’ contact details.

At the Golden Globes in January, the actress – who played Jessica Pearson in the US drama – revealed the ex-castmates simply ‘don’t have her number’ when asked if anyone had reached out to the former actress. 

An interviewer asked: ‘Who texted Meghan and said “you’ve gotta come to the Golden Globes, Meghan Markle”.’

The star – who attended Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding – said: ‘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.’

The following month, Patrick J Adams and Gabriel Macht – who played Mike and Harvey on the show – revealed they have also had ‘no communication’ from Meghan.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter on the set of T-Mobile’s Super Bowl commercial, in which the duo feature, the pair were asked: ‘Have you spoken to Meghan Markle recently?’

‘I have not communicated with her other than seeing her big support for the resurgence, and that has been really nice,’ American actor Gabriel, who played Harvey Specter in the series, said. 

Patrick, whose Suits character Michael Ross was in a relationship with Meghan’s Rachel Zane, added: ‘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.’

Despite the lack of communication with Meghan, the Suits stars appear to still regularly meet up and all follow one another on Instagram.

However, the stars have noticeably not followed the page for Meghan’s new business venture American Riviera Orchard.

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Source: Tampa Bay Times