Meghan Markle’s handful of close friends who remain in her exclusive UK inner circle

Markus Anderson is one of Meghan’s closest friends and has already been spotted hanging out with her following her return to the UK.

He was pictured in a recent carousel of images shared by Kelly McKee Zajfen, who was visiting Meghan.

The trio enjoyed a glass of wine while playing Mahjong, showing that Markus and Meghan are still able to enjoy chilled hangouts away from the spotlight. 

Markus is Chief Membership Officer at Soho House – the private members’ club group which includes Soho Farmhouse, where Meghan has been spotted since returning to the UK.

Meghan and Harry had their first date at Soho House in 2016, and Markus and Meghan both previously resided in Toronto. 

He is also believed to have joined Meghan and Harry on their private trip to Disneyland last year.

PR executive Isabel May, a close friend of Harry and Meghan known as Izzy, has long been rumoured to be one of Prince Archie’s godparents. She was first introduced to Meghan by Markus, according to reports.  

Izzy is a history graduate of the University of Sussex and previously worked for London-based PR agency, Freuds, before becoming Director of Communications at Burberry.

She attended the couple’s wedding in 2018 and was seated in the second row on the bride’s side, showing her importance to Meghan. In May, she resurfaced in special photographs Meghan shared to mark her eighth wedding anniversary. 

Though she hasn’t yet been pictured with Meghan since her return to the UK, Izzy was once said to be the Duchess’s “rock” and secret confidante when she first moved to Britain to marry Prince Harry.  

Discussing Meghan’s UK friendship circle, Katie Nicholl told HELLO!: “She’s got the Soho Farmhouse lot – her close friend Markus Anderson is often there – and Izzy May, who is one of Meghan’s closest friends and Archie’s godmother.

“The couple has been very kind and loyal to her, and she is a big Sussex supporter. So, she has a couple of allies over here – just not many.”

Meghan was publicly pictured in the UK for the first time this week – alongside her A-list pals Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi. 

The mother of two was seen mingling with talk show host Ellen, 68, and Portia, 53, at the Three Horseshoes pub in Burford in photos obtained by PageSix.

The Suits star has been friends with Ellen and Portia for years, after being neighbours in the US and attending their 2023 vow renewal. 

Meghan even adopted Ellen’s chicken, Sinkie, who had a broken leg.

Ellen and Portia relocated to the Cotswolds from Montecito in 2024.

Fashion designer Misha Nonoo was raised in London and now lives in New York, but still spends a lot of time in Britain. 

She originally met Meghan through mutual friends in Miami, and the Duchess has worn several of her designs over the years, including the shirt she wore to the Invictus Games in 2017.

She’s been rumoured to have been Harry and Meghan’s original matchmaker, though she has never confirmed or denied this. 

Misha once said: “I love her to death. She is the coolest girl in the world.”

Meghan and Misha partied together at a Katy Perry concert in Las Vegas in 2023, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were among the star-studded guests at Misha’s wedding to her second husband Mike in 2019.

Misha is also the ex-wife of Harry’s schoolfriend Alexander Gilkes, and counts Princess Eugenie, whom she was pictured with at Royal Ascot last year, as a close friend. 

Though she lives in the US, Meghan’s long-time best friend Kelly flew over to visit her this month. 

It means that the Duchess can still count on her friends from over the pond for support as she navigates this new chapter in her life. 

Kelly shared an adorable carousel of images from her visit to the UK, including pub trips with Meghan and hanging out with Prince Harry and Princess Lilibet at home. 

She said: “To everyone we’ve met or bumped into, thank you for being so loving to my friend. It’s been beautiful to witness. She missed you too!”

Kelly and Meghan have been friends for more than a decade, having been introduced by the Duchess’s ex-husband, Trevor Engelson. 

Kelly previously called Meghan “an incredible friend and mother”, with the Duchess showing support for Alliance of Moms, the charity co-founded by Kelly to help pregnant and parenting teens in the foster care system. 

Harry and Meghan have supported Kelly and her husband Julian through the unexpected loss of their son George in 2022, attending an annual tennis tournament in his honour. 

Other close pals who may visit Meghan from the US include Tracy Robbins, who is in her “Mahjong squad”, university friend Lindsay Roth, or Suits star Abigail Spencer, with whom Harry’s wife remains friends and who appeared in her Netflix series, With Love Meghan, in 2025.