Misha Nonoo: Who is mystery Meghan and Harry matchmaker?
Written by News on 29/11/2017
When newly engaged Meghan Markle and Prince Harry said they were introduced by a female friend, they prompted fevered speculation over the identity of the mystery matchmaker.
Possibilities had previously included former Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh and Markus Anderson, the global membership director of elite members’ club Soho House.
But reports now suggest the mutual friend was Misha Nonoo, a fashion designer who is one on Meghan’s closest friends.
Nonoo, who grew up in Bahrain and London, heads a fashion label specialising in minimalist designs and is part of a jetsetting circle that feels at home in New York, Toronto and London.
She was previously married to Alexander Gilkes, an old Etonian and friend of Prince Harry.
In an Evening Standard interview last month Nonoo was coy about her connection to the newest royal couple. But she counts Ms Markle as a close friend – describing the actress as "the coolest girl in the world".
They reportedly met over dinner in Miami several years ago, and got on "like a house on fire" according to Nonoo, who described Ms Markle as "philanthropic" and as having "the most remarkable and generous spirit".
The two – both only children – now describe themselves as "sisters".
The pair share a love for dogs and Nonoo owns a spaniel-poodle cross called Thatcher, although it is not known what the choice of name indicates about her political views.
Posts on Instagram hashtagged #eatpraylove show the friends taking holidays together in Madrid and Ibiza, enjoying tapas and cocktails in luxury hues of blue and gold.
Anderson is also pictured in many of the snaps. Ms Markle reportedly counts him as one of her closest friends and frequently hangs out at the Toronto branch of Soho House.
Nonoo is pals with Bumble founder and Tinder co-founder Whitney Wolfe and Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, and she’s been praised for fostering an innovative approach to her high-end entrepreneurship.
She carefully monitors the behaviour of visitors to her brand’s website and in 2015 became the first designer to launch her fashion collection on Instagram, "utilising influencers" to make the biggest splash in what Elle magazine termed an "instashow".
And as well as being a friend, Ms Markle is a fan of the brand.
In her first public appearance with Harry, she wore a plain white top from Nonoo’s capsule collection – a piece teamed with jeans and flats and presciently called the "husband shirt".
(c) Sky News 2017: Misha Nonoo: Who is mystery Meghan and Harry matchmaker?
