{"id":2297976,"date":"2026-02-24T19:00:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T19:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2297976"},"modified":"2026-02-24T19:00:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T19:00:48","slug":"what-now-for-meghan-and-eugenie-pair-bonded-before-the-duchess-ever-met-harry-but-royal-expert-claims-andrew-scandal-could-be-end-of-their-friendship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/what-now-for-meghan-and-eugenie-pair-bonded-before-the-duchess-ever-met-harry-but-royal-expert-claims-andrew-scandal-could-be-end-of-their-friendship\/","title":{"rendered":"What now for Meghan and Eugenie? Pair bonded before the Duchess ever met Harry – but royal expert claims Andrew scandal could be end of their friendship"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Meghan Markle<\/a>‘s connection to the Royal Family<\/a> was established long before she met Prince Harry<\/a> in July 2016.<\/p>\n

The now-Duchess of Sussex, 44, was still an up-and-coming actress when she attended the Art Basel Miami Beach show in December 2014 – the same year that Princess Eugenie<\/a> was also spotted at the glitzy event.<\/p>\n

While details of their initial meeting are not known, Tatler reported their friendship grew after Bahrain-born fashion designer Misha Nonoo<\/a> introduced the pair.<\/p>\n

Misha, who was married to Prince Harry’s Eton pal Alexander Wilkes at the time, has been close with both the York sisters since 2012 and quickly bonded with the former Suits actress after their paths crossed at the art show in Miami over a decade ago.<\/p>\n

Meghan herself later confirmed she knew Eugenie, now 35, before Prince Harry during the couple’s tell-all with Oprah<\/a> Winfrey in March 2021.<\/p>\n

Two years later, however, Prince Harry revealed Meghan mistook Eugenie’s disgraced father Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for the ‘late Queen’s assistant’ during their first meeting at Royal Lodge.<\/p>\n

Despite the misstep, Meghan and Harry remained close with Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank, with Andrew’s younger daughter becoming the first royal to visit the Sussexes at their new home in Montecito, California, after they stepped down from their duties.<\/p>\n

Their friendship will likely be tested in the wake of Andrew’s unprecedented arrest, as a royal expert previously suggested Meghan will want to ‘distance’ herself from the scandal surrounding the former prince’s ties to paedophile Epstein.<\/p>\n

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<\/div><\/div>\n

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, has always been close to Princess Eugenie, who she met before Prince Harry\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"However, <\/div><\/div>\n

However, their friendship will likely be tested in the wake of Andrew’s unprecedented arrest, as a royal expert suggested Meghan will want to ‘distance’ herself from the scandal surrounding the former prince’s ties to paedophile Epstein. Pictured: The Duchess of Sussex standing in front of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie during Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Fashion designer Misha, 41, is believed to have introduced Meghan and Eugenie<\/a>, as Tatler reported both the York sisters attended her 2012 wedding to her now ex-husband, Alexander Gilkes, who went to Eton with Harry.<\/p>\n

Meghan and Misha\u2019s paths first crossed in December 2014 at Art Basel, an exclusive event held at Soho Beach House in Miami. Meghan was dating Cory Vitiello, a chef from Toronto, and the pair were invited to Art Basel by the actress\u2019s friend, Markus Anderson, who is the membership director of Soho House.<\/p>\n

Detailing Meghan\u2019s first meeting with Misha, royal biographer Andrew Morton said they hit it off immediately.<\/p>\n

Mr Morton writes: ‘Markus Anderson is a great fixer and mixer. He has an instinct for putting strangers together who he thinks might gel.<\/p>\n

‘At lunch, he placed Meghan next to Bahrain-born fashion designer Misha Nonoo. At the time, she was an up-and-coming designer known as much for her marriage to art dealer Alexander Gilkes, friend of Princes William and Harry, as for her maverick designs.<\/p>\n

‘Meghan and Misha got along famously, lunchtime drinks extending into evening cocktails.<\/p>\n

‘During the course of the afternoon, they got talking about her new collection, which was going to be unveiled at New York Fashion Week. Meghan would be on break from Suits. She would be there.’<\/p>\n

While it is unclear when Meghan and Eugenie first met, the younger York sister was also pictured in Miami for the art fair that year.<\/p>\n

Prince Harry started dating Meghan in 2016 after they were set up by his childhood friend, Violet Von Westenholz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"Meghan <\/div><\/div>\n

Meghan and Misha Nonoo attended the 12th annual CFDA\/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards at Spring Studios on November 2, 2015 in New York City<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Bahrain-born <\/div><\/div>\n

Bahrain-born Fashion designer Misha, 41, is believed to have introduced Meghan and Eugenie. Pictured: Misha (right) and Meghan on holiday in Spain in August 2016\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Eugenie <\/div><\/div>\n

Eugenie snapped a selfie with Misha at Royal Ascot last year\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Eugenie was the first member of the Royal Family who met Meghan after she started dating Prince Harry, who wrote<\/a> they hugged \u2018as if they were sisters\u2019 in his memoir Spare.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recalling the meeting<\/a>, Harry explained he and Meghan invited Eugenie and her now-husband, Jack Brooksbank, for dinner at Nottingham Cottage, as the Duke revealed they \u2018devoured her stories\u2019 about Suits and \u2018her travels\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018I remember Euge hugging Meg, as they were sisters,\u2019 Harry said, as he declared the night a success. \u2018I remember thinking: If meeting the rest of my family goes like this, we\u2019re home free.\u2019<\/p>\n

Despite their friendship, Meghan did not recognise Eugenie\u2019s father, the disgraced former Prince Andrew, when they first met at Royal Lodge in October 2016.<\/p>\n

Harry explained that he wanted to introduce his then-girlfriend to his family gradually, and meeting Sarah Ferguson felt like a \u2018logical baby step\u2019 because \u2018Meg already knew Fergie\u2019s daughter Euge, and Jack\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018But as we neared Royal Lodge, I got word on my phone,\u2019 he continued. \u2018Granny was there.\u2019<\/p>\n

Panicking, Harry asked Meghan if she knew how to curtsy<\/a>, before the ex-Duchess of York gave her a quick lesson in the driveway of Andrew and Fergie\u2019s former home.<\/p>\n

He wrote how Eugenie and Jack \u2018almost seemed to pretend not to know Meg\u2019 as they gave her a \u2018quick kiss on the cheek\u2019 – a far cry from their tequila-fuelled night at Nottingham Cottage weeks earlier.<\/p>\n

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\"Jack <\/div><\/div>\n

Jack and Eugenie also joined Harry and Meghan for a Halloween party in Toronto in 2016, as the Sussexes shared previously unseen snaps from the event during their Netflix docuseries in 2022\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Harry <\/div><\/div>\n

Harry was dressed in a gas mask, while Meghan also pulled her hat low over her face. The Duchess donned a crop top for the occasion, which she paired with dark jean shorts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0A friend of Fergie\u2019s was also present for Meghan\u2019s first meeting with the Queen in what Harry described as \u2018one of the most consequential moments of my life<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n

After 20 minutes, Andrew – who was living at Royal Lodge at the time – escorted Queen Elizabeth out to her car before Harry realised Meghan had mistaken his errant uncle for \u2018the Queen\u2019s assistant\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018She definitely hadn\u2019t Googled us,\u2019 Harry wrote.<\/p>\n

Years later, Meghan would confirm she knew Princess Eugenie \u2018before I had known Harry\u2019 during her interview with Oprah after the Sussexes left the Royal Family and relocated to Montecito, California.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Eugenie and I had known each other before I had known Harry, so that was comfortable. We’re friends with them as a couple,’ she added, referring to her marketing executive husband, Jack.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Outside the confines of Windsor, Eugenie and Jack frequently joined Harry and Meghan on double dates.<\/p>\n

They also visited Toronto, Canada, to see the pair after the Prince had travelled to be with Meghan during her time filming legal drama Suits<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking to broadcaster Ellen DeGeneres in a surprise talk show interview in November 2021<\/a>, Meghan said she and Harry wanted to have ‘one fun night on the town before it was out in the world that we were a couple’.<\/p>\n

She explained how they \u2018snuck out in Halloween costumes\u2019 for a night out before news of their relationship broke.<\/p>\n

Speaking about the event in 2016, she told Ellen: ‘He came to see me in Toronto and our friends and his cousin Eugenie and now her husband Jack, they came as well, and the four of us snuck out in Halloween costumes to just have one fun night on the town before it was out in the world that we were a couple.<\/p>\n

‘It was a post-apocalypse theme, so we had all this very bizarre costuming on, and we were able to just have one fun final night out.’<\/p>\n

Harry and Meghan shared previously unseen snaps from the party during their Netflix docuseries, which was released in December 2022.<\/p>\n

In one photo, Meghan and Harry can be seen crowding in for a photograph with Eugenie and Jack, as well as Soho House executive Markus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Harry was dressed in a gas mask, while Meghan also pulled her hat low over her face. The Duchess donned a crop top for the occasion, which she paired with dark jean shorts.<\/p>\n

Both she and Eugenie ringed their eyes in dark eyeliner for the outing, while Harry pulled a skeleton mask across his face. The couple said they ‘wanted to pull the pin on the fun grenade’.<\/p>\n

Meghan said: ‘His cousin Eugenie, her boyfriend Jack and my friend Markus were there too. It was so great, just silly fun.’<\/p>\n

The documentary also revealed that\u00a0Princess Eugenie has spent time with her cousin Harry and his son Archie during a trip to Los Angeles after Megxit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She was pictured attending the Super Bowl with Harry in February 2022, as well as playing with her nephew on a beach in California.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Eugenie <\/div><\/div>\n

Eugenie and Harry were pictured attending the Super Bowl together in February 2022<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Eugenie was the first member of the Royal Family to visit the Duke of Sussex in California,<\/a> two years after he quit senior duties.<\/p>\n

A source told MailOnline at the time: ‘Harry and Eugenie have always been close ever since they were children. He always makes her laugh. They share a sense of humour.<\/p>\n

‘She is friends with Meghan too, and was close to his two previous girlfriends Chelsy Davy and Cressida Bonas. It was Eugenie who helped set up Harry and Cressida. She refuses to abandon him. She is a very loyal lady. She is not one for taking sides.’<\/p>\n

In 2021, Princess Eugenie shared a 40th birthday tribute to her ‘dear Meghan’ in a gushing Instagram post.<\/a><\/p>\n

It wasn’t the first time Eugenie had referred to the Duchess using such a sweet term of endearment<\/a>; in June 2021 she shared a sweet message of congratulations to her ‘dear cousins’ on the birth of their daughter Lilibet.<\/p>\n

However, the scandal surrounding Andrew – who was arrested last week on suspicion of misconduct in public office – could drive the group apart.<\/p>\n

A royal expert previously said Meghan could be keen to \u2018distance’ herself from Eugenie and her older sister Beatrice amid heightened scrutiny into their parents\u2019 ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.<\/p>\n

Royal journalist Duncan Larcombe told The Mirror: ‘Harry has always been close to Beatrice and Eugenie.<\/p>\n

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\"Andrew <\/div><\/div>\n

Andrew is pictured leaving Aylsham police station in Norfolk last Thursday when he was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office last Thursday<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

‘They didn’t see a massive amount of each other growing up because they didn’t live very close to each other, but they’d always get together for Christmas at Sandringham.’<\/p>\n

Mr Larcombe said that while Harry’s relationship with Beatrice and Eugenie – who was pictured on a skiing holiday with her family as Andrew was arrested – might make him more inclined to look out for his cousins, Meghan will be more concerned about the optics of any ongoing association with the family.<\/p>\n

Noting that Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Harvey Weinstein were all photographed together at Beatrice’s 18th birthday, Meghan is likely to ‘keep her distance’ from them.<\/p>\n

However, Harry and Meghan are probably united on the decision to steer clear of Andrew and Sarah – even if it’s for different reasons.<\/p>\n

‘From Meghan\u2019s point of view, it\u2019s probably a commercial thing, from Harry\u2019s point of view, it\u2019s probably more of an emotional thing,’ said\u00a0Mr Larcombe.<\/p>\n

Andrew was stripped of his royal titles last year and is currently being investigated for misconduct in public office over allegations he exploited his role as UK trade envoy to leak confidential information to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His dramatic downfall, capped by his sensational arrest last week, will see the disgraced royal retreat to his new home on the Sandringham Estate with nothing more than a chef and a lone valet.<\/p>\n

He has previously denied any wrongdoing over his friendship with Epstein.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.celebrity.land.co.uk \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Meghan Markle‘s connection to the Royal Family was established long before she met Prince Harry in July 2016. The now-Duchess of Sussex, 44, was still an up-and-coming actress when she attended the Art Basel Miami Beach show in December 2014 – the same year that Princess Eugenie was also spotted at the glitzy event. While […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2297977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[22691,25884,23067,22770,27155],"class_list":["post-2297976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty","tag-california","tag-dailymail","tag-meghan-markle","tag-princess-eugenie","tag-royals"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/What-now-for-Meghan-and-Eugenie-Pair-bonded-before-the.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2297976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2297978,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2297976\/revisions\/2297978"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2297977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2297976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2297976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2297976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}