Over the last ten years, the Duchess of Sussex’s life has dramatically evolved, and her ever-evolving group of supporters known as the Sussex Squad mirrors these changes.

Today, Meghan Markle, who resides in Montecito and is 44 years old, is often seen with individuals like Suits actress Abigail Spencer, Alliance for Moms founder Kelly McKee Zajfen, and actress Mindy Kaling.

Previously, Meghan’s closest supporters were an entirely different set of people, including Stassi Schroeder and Jessica Mulroney.

Stassi, known for her role on Vanderpump Rules, recently stepped down from being Meghan’s top supporter on her podcast, after Meghan’s lifestyle brand did not send her a PR package. She even unfollowed the Duchess on Instagram.

Meanwhile, Jessica Mulroney, who was once Meghan’s staunchest defender and closest confidant also lost her relationship with the mother-of-two.

Though Stassi supposedly played an ‘important’ role in Megxit, Meghan chose to distance herself from her amid a controversy related to racial issues following the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

Currently, Jessica, who was Meghan’s first call from Kensington Palace when Prince Harry proposed, is speculated to be considering writing a revealing book about her former friendship with Meghan, with publishers reportedly offering over $1 million as an advance.

Here, the Daily Mail takes a look at Meghan’s original supporters, and why they’re no longer on the scene.

STASSI SCHROEDER 

Though they weren’t friends, Stassi Schroeder has repeatedly described herself as Meghan’s ‘number one fan’ and has made regular social media posts encouraging and promoting her creative pursuits.

When Meghan’s Netflix show, With Love Meghan, met a slew of negative reviews from critics, Stassi defended it, writing on Instagram, ‘Anyone complaining about this like they’re expecting this to be something they can relate to, that’s not the point,’ she said via Us.

‘I love this,’ the television personality added. ‘This is something I absolutely cannot f****** relate to.’

However, the reality TV star, podcaster, and author, 37, from Louisiana, has done a U-turn this month and declared to no longer support Meghan after she was glossed over on As Ever’s PR list.

Talking on podcast The One Where Stassi Is Still Drunk w/ Taylor Strecker, released September 10, Stassi explained how she was left off the list for receiving PR gifts from Meghan’s lifestyle brand, while other influencers in her circle managed to get their hands on the mailer.

Stassi said, ‘I literally defended her when no one else did.’ She continued, ‘I think that she is stuck in 2017 and she just thinks I’m a lowly reality TV person, and I am furious, and this is the last straw.

‘I’m not watching her show anymore, I’m not going to talk about her anymore. I’m going to unfollow her right now.’

Discussing the ordeal, her co-host, Taylor Strecker, added, ‘You have to love and respect, you have to appreciate your fans, and this is a bold example of a lack of fan appreciation.’

JESSICA MULRONEY

She was Meghan’s staunchest defender, closest confidant and ‘keeper of secrets’ – including when she began secretly dating a British prince.

Jessica Mulroney was also the first friend the Duchess of Sussex called from the grounds of Kensington Palace when Harry proposed.

Her twin sons John and Brian, then seven, even had the honour of carrying the train of Meghan’s dress down the aisle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, while her daughter Ivy, then two, was a bridesmaid at the royal wedding alongside Princess Charlotte.

But seven years on Jessica has been cut adrift by her former best friend – and was effectively cancelled – after giving her views on Black Lives Matter.

Over the past few years, rumours of a rift between the two women have swirled – as the Duchess appeared to distance herself from her former BFF after Jessica was caught up in a ‘white privilege’ race row with blogger Sasha Exeter.

Jessica is said to have ‘taken offence’ to a ‘generic call to action’ post Sasha had shared about the Black Lives Matter movement.

In a follow-up video, Sasha said, ‘What happened next was a series of very problematic behaviour and antics […]

‘I’m by no means calling Jess a racist but what I will say is this, She is very well aware of her wealth, perceived power and privilege because of the colour of her skin and that, my friends, gave her the momentary confidence to come for my livelihood in writing. Textbook white privilege really, in my personal opinion.’

Following the blogger’s claims, Jessica issued three public apologies, however she still faced consequences and was dropped by numerous television networks.

The Daily Mail exclusively revealed that US network ABC severed ties with her, confirming that Jessica would not be returning to her occasional role as a fashion contributor on Good Morning America.

Canadian TV network CTV also cut off ties with the stylist, revealing that it would be pulling all episodes of her wedding-themed reality TV show I Do Redo from its platform.

Since, Meghan seems to have kept a distance from her former pal – with no mention of her in Harry’s book Spare or the couple’s 2022 Netflix documentary.

Now, over the past week, rumours surfaced in the US that Jessica may be planning a tell-all book about her former best friend, with an advance of more than $1million apparently being dangled by publishers.

‘She was upset that their friendship ended. Jessica knows where the bodies are buried. Meghan will be worried’, an insider told the Daily Mail.

But it can be revealed that Meghan can rest easy, because her former friend herself has insisted she would ‘never’ spill the beans on their friendship. ‘Absolutely not’, she told the Daily Mail when asked if an autobiography was in the works.

Despite the clear denial, a source close to her insists that even if she refuses to speak about it publicly, Jessica does have an axe to grind with the Duchess of Sussex.

MILLIE MACKINTOSH

Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh became friends with Meghan after they met at a hotel event in Turkey, and ‘gave her all of her contacts’ when the actress was in London.

She and Meghan met up in the capital and she shared her favourite hotspots, and they were even pictured together during a girls’ weekend at Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire in 2016.

Mackintosh said she and Meghan bonded over their marital troubles, as she was married to rapper Professor Green at the time, and Meghan had split from her first husband Trevor Engelson.

However, Mackintosh said that she felt ‘snubbed’ by Meghan when she began dating Harry.

She claimed that she sent Meghan a message offering her well-wishes, but was surprised to receive an ‘abrupt’ response and decided not to contact her again.

Mackintosh said, ‘It’s not like I messaged her asking if it was true, that was none of my business. What I read from that message was that she needed a bit of space, to cool off.

‘I didn’t message her again, but I did expect that we would stay in touch. I thought she’d message back and say, “Sorry everything is a bit stressful right now.”

‘I never heard from her again. I felt like she’d basically told me to f*** off in that message. So I did. And we haven’t spoken since.’

PRIYANKA CHOPRA

Before Meghan met Harry, the Suits actress counted Priyanka Chopra among her closest friends.

The two actresses made regular appearances on each other’s Instagram feeds – including posing for a photo on the streets of New York after watching the musical Hamilton on Broadway.

The stars first became friends after bonding at an Elle Women in Television event in January 2016. Meghan previously revealed they became friends easily.

‘You know when you meet someone and you just click?’ Meghan told the Press Trust Of India. ‘It was just an easy, natural progression. We’ve managed to keep in touch via email and text, and try to see each other whenever we’re both in the same town.’

However in February 2019, it was reported that Priyanka was ‘crushed’ when Meghan didn’t attend her wedding to Nick Jonas the year before.

Around this time, rumours of a fall-out between the two friends began to swirl after Priyanka was noticeably absent from Meghan’s New York baby shower.

A source told Page Six that ‘Priyanka was crushed’ and therefore skipped the $500,000 baby shower held for the royal at the Mark Hotel.

It was previously reported that Priyanka had been absent from her friend’s celebrations due to work commitments across the country in Los Angeles, according to TMZ. 

VIOLET VON WESTENHOLZ 

Just weeks before her first date with her future husband, Meghan crossed paths with an individual with a very strong royal connection.

Violet von Westenholz is the daughter of former Olympic skier Baron Piers von Westenholz, who is a close personal friend of King Charles.

Her mother, Jane von Westenholz, is a long time friend of the Queen Consort and was involved in the renovation of Dumfries House – a Scottish stately home saved by Charles in 2007.

In her role as press relations director for Ralph Lauren, she organised a publicity day for the brand at Wimbledon tennis tournament – which Meghan attended.

Following the event, the actress uploaded a photo on her Instagram with the PR director and other guests.

Expressing her gratitude, Meghan captioned the post, ‘How much more could I adore this gem thank you Violet von Westenholz’.

Violet has been friends with Prince Harry since they were both teenagers, and regularly joined the royal family on skiing trips abroad.

Although Violet was rumoured to be the matchmaker who set Harry and Meghan up, she has refused to confirm it either way.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph in 2018, she explained: ‘I might leave that for other people to say [who it is].

‘It’s a great story and I am sure they are going to be very happy together. I am just happy they are really happy. They are great together.’

However, it appears as though Meghan’s friendship with Violet has cooled in recent years – as she has not referenced the Duchess since that interview six years ago.