As the countdown to the royal wedding continues (22 days to be exact), more details of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big day continue to emerge.
Off the back of the announcement that Harry has asked William to be his best man, all eyes now anxiously await to see if the bride-to-be will follow in her fiancé’s footsteps and officially reveal who will take out the highly sought-after role of maid of honour.
The popular actress is said to have already chosen her head bridesmaid, however like many affairs concerning the royal family, her identity remains private.
While many royal fans were disappointed to learn Kate Middleton was not a contender for the job, we’ve rounded up several others who we think are in the running to walk down the aisle with Meghan Markle.
Jessica Mulroney
Jessica Mulroney is the favourite tipped to be Markle’s maid of honour on her big day. She’s best friends with the former Suits actress and was reportedly one of the first people find out about the royal engagement. According to Vanity Fair, Mulroney is a professional bridal consultant and has been acting as a “secret wedding planner”, advising Meghan on all of her prenuptial decisions.
“She is Meghan’s best friend and the person Meghan trusts with helping to plan every detail,” a source tells VF. “She’s the one helping Meghan to make all the key decisions. They are on the phone daily discussing every element of the wedding, from the dress to the flowers to the canapés and the photography. Meghan is very dependent on Jessica and Jessica has been totally indispensable. She’s helped Meghan and Harry with so much already.”
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra has recently crushed one of the biggest royal wedding rumours: She will not be Meghan Markle’s maid of honour. In an interview with PEOPLE NOW, the Quantico actress revealed that she will not be apart of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s bridal party. “I’m super excited about her and her big day,” Chopra said of her close friend. “It’s not just going to be life-changing for both of them, it’s life-changing for the world that needs to see strong women as icons, and I think Meghan has the potential to be that.” She also added “I’m not going to be a bridesmaid.”
While she won’t be a bridesmaid, Chopra has confirmed she will be at the royal wedding to witness her friend say “I do”, stating to US Weekly, “I’ve known Meghan for three years, and I’m so happy the way the world has responded to her because as long as I’ve known her…she is a relatable young woman of the world today.” She also continued to talk about Markle’s widespread influence on today’s generation stating “She’s that girl who thinks out of the box. She has always been an activist. She has always had a strong voice. She’s an ambitious girl of today. I think the world needs strong role models like Meghan. I think, I hope, Meghan will end up being one of those people.”
Gina Torres or Sarah Rafferty
Either of Meghan’s former Suits co-stars could be in the running to be her maid of honour. Markle has been friends with both Gina Torres and Sarah Rafferty for more than 8 years – talk about true friendship! In August 2016, Markle posted a pic on her Instagram account (which has been closed along with her Twitter and Facebook accounts) with her co-stars with the caption: “Celebrating our friendship of six years and counting. So much deep love for these two women.”
In February 2017, OK Magazine reported that Torres and her husband at the time, Laurence Fishburne, went on a double date with Markle and Harry, leading us to believe that either Torres or Rafferty could be top contenders for the big role.
Serena Williams
It’s no secret Meghan Markle has a powerful girl squad which Serena Williams is a member of. So could the famous tennis player be her maid of honour on her big day? Williams first met the bride-to-be in 2014, at DIRECTV’s Celebrity Beach Bowl, E! News reports. Meghan recalled in her former lifestyle site, The Tig, “We hit it off immediately, taking pictures, laughing through the flag football game we were both playing in, and chatting not about tennis or acting, but about all the good old fashioned girly stuff. So began our friendship.”
In recent years, Markle has also been spotted attending some of Williams’ tennis matches including Wimbledon and the US Open.
