Meghan Markle's former best friend addresses reported 'feud'

Meghan Markle's rumoured former best friend Jessica Mulroney is setting the record straight on their relationship.

The stylist addressed rumours she and the Duchess of Sussex had a falling out after Jessica was accused of using her white privilege during a disagreement about race with another influencer during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests earlier this year.

Meghan Markle and Jessica Mulroney hug
Meghan Markle's rumoured former best friend Jessica Mulroney is breaking her silence on their friendship. Photo: Getty

According to People, Jessica shared a brief statement to her Instagram Story which has since been deleted.

"I’m going to tell this once and for all. Meghan and I are family. She is the kindest friend and has checked up on me everyday," she wrote.

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"Tabloid culture is atrocious. It creates lies and hurtful storyline. Stop feeding into it. Done."

Meghan and Jessica have been friends for years with her children playing a role in the Suits star's wedding to Prince Harry.

Jessica Mulroney statement about Meghan Markle
Jessica reportedly shared this statement on Instagram but quickly deleted it soon after. Photo: Instagram

Jessica's daughter Ivy was a bridesmaid, while her twins John and Brian were page boys and held Meghan's veil as she walked down the aisle.

It's even rumoured that Jessica is one of Meghan and Harry's son Archie's godparents.

Last month, Jessica made her return to social media following the racism scandal with a photo of Meghan walking down the aisle with one of her son's in the background.

She originally captioned the snap, "When I feel dark and grey, I see this and it all goes away," but later updated it to read, "I see this and pure joy."

Meghan and Jessica are believed to be so close that it’s rumoured Jessica looked after Archie when Meghan and Harry flew back to the UK in January this year to announce they were stepping down from their roles as senior royals.

'No longer associated'

Jessica Mulroney at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding
Jessica was so close to Meghan that her three children were involved in the wedding. Photo: Getty

The pair's fallout occurred when Jessica seemingly took offence to a call to action by Sasha Exeter earlier this year about white influencers using their platforms for good amid the Black Lives Matter movement. A public fight quickly ensued.

When Sasha publicly revealed the pair had been involved in a war of words behind the scenes, Jessica threatened to contact companies that the influencer worked with, seemingly threatening her livelihood.

Sasha told her followers that she didn't believe Jessica was racist, however, "she is acutely aware of her white privilege".

"For her to threaten me? A single mother, a single Black mother, during a racial pandemic? Blows my mind, it is absolutely unbelievable," Sasha said.

Jessica issued public apologies, however, she also threatened Sasha with a lawsuit privately.

Jessica's public apology on Sasha's page made mention of Meghan, however, she did not name her friend, instead 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.

"I learned a lot from that. I promise to continue to learn and listen on how I can use my privilege to elevate and support Black voices."

At the time, the Daily Mail reported that friends of the Duchess of Sussex revealed Meghan can "no longer be associated" with Jessica.

"Meghan is absolutely mortified that she's been dragged into this complete mess. She said Jessica is in no way a racist, but the way she handled the situation (with the fashion influencer) was tone-deaf and heartbreaking," a friend revealed.

Jessica was fired from ABC's Good Morning America and her reality TV show was cancelled.

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