Meghan Markle was back on American soil this week after a handful of glamorous royal engagements with Prince Harry in London [1]. The Duchess of Sussex enjoyed some well-deserved rest and relaxation in the Big Apple to celebrate her baby shower with close friends before welcoming her first child in late April [2]. "It's been a relaxing visit," a source told Harper's of Meghan's trip. "Nothing beats face time with your friends. Meg will be flying home refreshed and relaxed — and with a lot of new baby clothes." Aww! Read on to learn all the details we've gotten about the royal mom-to-be's baby shower and fun-filled girls' trip.
The Guest List
Meghan's shower was hosted by close pals Serena Williams and Amal Clooney [4] (NBD) and brought out 20 of the duchess's friends "from her teenage years to the present," [5] including stylist Jessica Mulroney, hairstylist Serge Normant and makeup artist Daniel Martin (who shared a sweet Instagram snap of cookies from the event), Misha Nonoo, Markus Anderson, Janina Gavankar, Lindsay Jill Roth, Gayle King, and her former Suits costar Abigail Spencer.
The Venue
The baby shower took place in the two-story, $75,000/night penthouse suite of the Mark Hotel on the Upper East Side (fun fact: it's the largest hotel penthouse suite in the US [6] at over 10,000 square feet). Serena, who reportedly scouted locations, is said to have footed the bill for the penthouse and according to Elle, the attention to detail was on another level; Serena had Meghan's "favorite foods, flowers, and music" on hand, and "everything was so thoughtful and tastefully done." The tennis superstar even brought on her wedding planner, Jennifer Zabinski of JZ Events, to help coordinate the lavish affair.
View this post on Instagram[7]
The Activities
Meghan and her guests were treated to food by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who has a restaurant inside the Mark. They had a group flower-arranging lesson from florist Lewis Miller [9], and the finished bouquets were donated to an organization called Repeat Roses [10]. "Meghan got in touch with an organization I've never heard of, Repeat Roses, and all of those were donated to different charities," guest Gayle King revealed on CBS This Morning. "I thought that was a very sweet thing. It just speaks to who she is. She's very kind, she's very generous, and a really, really sweet person."
What About the Gifts?
While Meghan's guests were seen arriving for her shower bearing gifts, Gayle also revealed on CBS This Morning that Meghan didn't open presents during the party [11], and for a very sweet reason. "She didn't open any of the gifts because she wants to do that when she and Harry are back together," Gayle said, adding that "a good time was had by all."
View this post on Instagram[12]
I was honored to help @serenawilliams with personalized sweets and details for Meghan Markle's baby shower. Thank you to @jzevents for including me on your amazing team of @chefjgv, @lewismillerdesign, @ladyjcreative, @elanartists, @themarkhotelny and @repeatroses [13]
Where Meghan's Headed Next
Meghan was spotted leaving her hotel in casual attire [15] on Wednesday evening, jetting back to London. This weekend, Meghan and Prince Harry will jet off to Morocco for a three-day visit [16] focusing on girls' education and youth empowerment. Their stay will last from Feb. 23 to Feb. 25 and marks Meghan's last flight before giving birth to Baby Sussex [17], Harper's Bazaar reports.
— Additional reporting by Britt Stephens