Meghan's VERY helpful circle of friends: How the Duchess of Sussex has cultivated a powerful network of stylists, designers and society insiders

You could argue that her acting was never quite Oscar-worthy, or that her presenting on Netflix sometimes feels more scripted than spontaneous. 

But if there is one talent the Duchess of Sussex has demonstrated time and again, it is her ability to cultivate friendships with people who can open doors, shape an image and help propel her career. 

Meghan made the extraordinary leap from American television actress to royal bride just two years after meeting Prince Harry, after being set up on a blind date by a mutual friend.

Following their six-year stint in the US, the Sussexes are back in Britain and one thing is clear: Meghan has a formidable network of friends and professional allies to call upon as she navigates the next phase of her public life.

From lunch with one of London’s most sought-after hairstylists, George Northwood, to her enduring friendship with Soho House insider Markus Anderson, who has been linked to the early days of her romance with Harry, the duchess’s inner circle is as intriguing as ever.

Here, we take a look at the people around Meghan and how these relationships have helped to shape her image, influence and ambitions.

Markus Anderson

Soho House insider Markus Anderson first became friends with Meghan during her days on the US legal drama Suits – long before she had met Prince Harry

The Canadian-born hospitality executive associated with the exclusive Soho House members’ club group has been a fixture in Meghan’s life since her pre-royal days in Toronto.

The pair are believed to have met around 2011 or 2012, when Meghan was starring in the legal drama Suits. 

Anderson became part of her social circle at a time when she was still establishing herself as an actress in her own right, long before Prince Harry entered the picture.

When the couple’s romance became public in 2016, Anderson was widely reported to have played a role in facilitating their early meetings. Harry and Meghan are said to have had one of their first dates at Soho House’s Dean Street Townhouse in London, although the precise extent of Anderson’s involvement in their introduction has never been definitively established.

Nearly a decade later, he remains a familiar presence in Meghan’s orbit, having been pictured with her at last year’s Paris fashion week and other public appearances.

In a world where friendships can be fleeting, Anderson’s enduring place in her inner circle is striking. His connections across the worlds of hospitality, fashion and celebrity also make him a valuable ally for a duchess whose life increasingly straddles royalty, entertainment and business.

Clare Waight Keller

Clare Waight Keller, seen here being given the British Womenswear Designer of the Year award by Meghan in 2018, famously designed the duchess's wedding dress

Few designers have played a more visible role in Meghan’s transformation into a royal bride than Clare Waight Keller, the British fashion designer who was creative director of Givenchy when she designed the duchess’s wedding dress in 2018.

Their professional relationship continued beyond the wedding. Later that year, Meghan presented Ms Waight Keller with the British Womenswear Designer of the Year prize at the Fashion Awards, publicly celebrating the woman behind one of the most scrutinised dresses of the decade.

Ms Waight Keller subsequently designed outfits for Meghan’s royal engagements, including appearances at Trooping the Colour and Remembrance Sunday.

Indeed, the connection appears to have endured well beyond their initial professional collaboration. In a recent profile for The New York Times, Ms Waight Keller, now creative director of Japanese fashion house Uniqlo, described their relationship as a 'beautiful friendship'. The pair were also reported to have met for lunch in Beverly Hills while Meghan was living in California.

Having a celebrated designer in your corner is hardly a disadvantage when your wardrobe is always under the microscope. Ms Waight Keller’s association with Meghan underscores the duchess’s ability to maintain relationships with influential figures long after their original professional purpose has passed.

George Northwood

Meghan pictured in west London going for lunch with George Northwood (right) one of Britain’s best-known celebrity hairstylists

Northwood accompanied Meghan on her high profile tour Australia in 2018, where her hair looked immaculate

Meghan’s recent lunch date with George Northwood, one of Britain’s best-known celebrity hairstylists, offered a reminder that some of her most enduring connections are forged behind the scenes.

Northwood, famed for his relaxed, undone hairstyles, created Meghan’s elegant updo for the evening reception following her wedding to Prince Harry. His understated approach helped complement the duchess’s preference for a more modern, effortless kind of glamour.

He was also part of the team accompanying Meghan during the Sussexes’ 2018 tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga, when the former actress was still adjusting to the demands of royal life on the international stage.

Northwood’s work helped establish a signature look built on relaxed buns and loose curls – a style that offered a contrast to the more polished approach traditionally associated with royal dressing.

Their recent meeting at The Park restaurant in Queensway suggests that the relationship has survived, long after the period in which he was regularly styling her for royal engagements.

For Meghan, maintaining a connection with a hairstylist who understands her aesthetic is about more than a good hair day. In an age when every public appearance becomes its own fashion story, a trusted stylist can be an important collaborator when it comes to effectively shaping a recognisable personal brand.

Kadi Lee

Meghan enjoys a close friendship with her hair colourist Kadi Lee and has invested in her company, Highbrow Hippy. (Pictured together at the brand's launch party in 2024)

Meghan’s eye for cultivating relationships with people who understand beauty and branding extends to Kadi Lee, the sought-after colourist whose clients have included Gwyneth Paltrow and Julia Roberts.

The pair reportedly met in 2020, after Meghan attempted to colour her hair at home during the pandemic and was unhappy with the result. Recommended to her as someone who could correct the colour, Ms Lee became a trusted figure, integral to the duchess's beauty routine.

But their relationship has since developed beyond the salon chair. Meghan became a lead investor in Highbrow Hippie, the haircare and wellness company Ms Lee co-founded with Myka Harris.

The business partnership gives their friendship an additional dimension – Meghan is not simply a client lending her name to a beauty professional, but an investor backing a company whose founder she knows personally.

There has been considerable public interest in the duchess’s friendships, particularly following reports of tensions with former close friend Jessica Mulroney. Yet Meghan has also made a point of celebrating the women who remain in her life.

In an episode of her podcast Confessions of a Female Founder, Meghan revealed that her two children call Ms Lee 'Aunt Kadi', an affectionate detail that suggests the colourist has become part of the family’s wider circle.

For a duchess building her own commercial identity, this relationship brings together both personal trust and entrepreneurial ambition.

Daniel Martin

Daniel Martin has been doing Meghan's make-up since her early acting days on TV show Suits

Their friendship has clearly endured, as Daniel made an appearance on the second series of her Netflix show With Love, Meghan

Daniel Martin is far more than a make-up artist to Meghan. He is a longstanding friend who has helped shape her beauty image from her early days as a television actress to her life on the global stage.

Martin created Meghan’s natural, glowing make-up for her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. Rather than relying on heavy contouring or dramatic eye make-up, he emphasised her freckles and opted for a fresh, understated finish that helped establish her as an advocate of the 'no-make-up make-up' look.

The result became one of the defining beauty moments of the royal wedding, influencing the way brides approached their own make-up in the years that followed.

Martin’s career extends well beyond his work with Meghan, however. As global director of artistry for Japanese skincare brand Tatcha, he has worked with a roster of high-profile clients, including Gemma Chan, Michelle Yeoh and Hayley Atwell.

Their relationship has also crossed into Meghan’s lifestyle ventures. Martin appeared in the second season of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, offering a glimpse of the friendship and professional familiarity behind the duchess’s public-facing beauty persona.

In an industry where celebrity relationships can so often be transactional, Martin’s continued presence in Meghan’s world suggests a bond that has endured beyond a single headline-making occasion.

And for Meghan, whose public identity now encompasses beauty, royalty and lifestyle brand-building, having a trusted make-up artist who understands her face and her ‘look’ surely remains an invaluable asset.