Here are some photos of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arriving in Sydney last night/early morning/I don’t know what time zone to use. These photos caused a stir because yes, they were the first sighting/appearance of Meghan and Harry on Australia soil, AND because they were the newest images anyone had of Meghan and Harry just hours before they confirmed they were expecting. Meghan made a point of clutching a large binder to her body. Some think she was trying to hide her bump, but I think she was probably just doing some last-minute reviewing of all the stuff she and Harry have signed up for during this tour.
Meghan and Harry’s first official appearance for their tour is tomorrow, Tuesday. The next 16 days will be full of 76 different events and engagements in Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji. Before the pregnancy announcement, the big question was this: will Meghan wear 76 different looks? Of course not. People Magazine says that Meghan has probably packed 30-35 ensembles in total, and she and her part-time stylist Jessica Mulroney will have mapped out the entire style story for weeks ahead of time. Meghan will likely need so many different kinds of looks too – she’ll need athletic-looking clothes, super-casual-wear, appropriate daytime looks, cocktail dresses and evening gowns, and she will have had some stuff made specifically to accommodate her growing bump. She’ll probably mix in some Australian and New Zealand designers too, especially with jewelry and handbags, I would imagine.
Just thinking about all of that packing and luggage is enough to make me breathe into a paper bag, so imagine how nervous Meghan is, especially considering she has to do all of this while she’s three months pregnant. Is it a surprise then that she’s apparently meeting up with her BFF/stylist Jessica Mulroney in Sydney?
The Duchess of Sussex will be taking her best friend and stylist Jessica Mulroney with her on her tour of Australia this month, it has been reported. Jessica and her husband Ben are expected to fly from Toronto to Sydney to join Harry and Meghan in an ‘unofficial’ capacity – meaning they will pay their own expenses.
Meghan and Prince Harry are embarking on a 16-day tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand which begins on Tuesday at the Sydney Opera House. The Duchess will have to change outfits up to three times a day while away, and may turn to Jessica for help, reports the Times. The couple will also be joined by an entourage of up to 10 staff on their first major overseas tour since tying the knot in May.
This bugs me, and you know me, I’m a Meg Defender. I’m happy for Meghan and I don’t begrudge her for wanting someone she knows and trusts, which is what the Daily Mail is saying retroactively too – they say Jessica is along to offer Meghan general support too, not just stylist support. But I’ll say this: royal women just need to get over this whole “let’s get my BFF to act as stylist” and hire professional and appropriate stylists/dressers full-time. This was a problem with the Duchess of Cambridge too – she thought she could do it herself, she thought getting her mom’s advice was enough, and then she thought it would be fine to use her unstylish assistant as a stylist. JUST HIRE SOMEONE. Clothing is important. The visual is important, especially for a royal woman. Hire someone London-based and willing to travel and put them on staff full-time. Don’t expect your BFF to pay her own way to Australia just to offer some stylist and moral support.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
Kaiser, I totally agree.
Further, JM own personal taste is not exactly on point, bordering on tacky!
Know what? Jessica has had 3 babies … I suspect she is there as moral support even more than as stylist support…let’s face it, wouldn’t her ‘style’ have been set for a couple of months now for this trip? The clothes are already made, accessories set, shoes chosen for each outfit, mix and matching planned and done, etc. I think Megan just wants one, unpaid, trusted person around her right now, and for better or for worse, that’s Jessica. And bless them both (Jess and Ben) for taking time out of their lives, and their kids’ lives to support their friend in this role. Sure, yes, it brings them ‘closer to power’ but that is simply a fact of whom she fell in love with (Meghan). On the other hand, a hair stylist makes perfect sense (to me) cause her hair will be changing, especially as it won’t have the treatments she may have had prior to pregnancy, so it will be different for her to manage on her own.
Yeah, she’s not a stylist, just a hand holder.
@Pandy
Kaiser’s notes on the DM article does give the impression she will be there more as a “hand holder”. Which is strange because Meghan is confident and has experience in greeting people and engaging in small-talk. I would have though that if anybody needed a “hand-holder” or a friend present for moral support on her first foreign royal tour it would be Kate. She really looked unsure and overwhelmed at times on her tour to Canada/America back in 2011 and could have done with Pippa or a friend travelling with her.
Agree if you can pay for a hairdresser to come on tour you can pay for a stylist (I’d argue a stylist is more important)
How come they didn’t do the whole coming out of the plane thing?
They flew commercial, can’t do that “coming out the plane thing” with all those other passengers around. Came in on Qantas.
They announced ahead of time in their itinerary, they they were not going to have a public welcoming ceremony at the airport, but begin their official tour early the following day.
Her post marriage style is alright, not great, but passable. What she really needs is a better tailor so she can fit right in her clothes.
I hope she brought a cardi. It was quite nippy in Sydney today. Seriously, though, the weather is quite unpredictable in Australia right now, particularly along the east coast. I know very little about fashion. I just look at women and think, “Yeah, she looks really nice.” Or not. However, I do notice when garments don’t fit well, so I agree about Meghan’s tailoring. . Why is it that so many well-off women don’t get things altered to fit properly? I’ll be looking out for shoes hat don’t fit properly, too. Gah! That’s a pet hate of mine.
The shoe thing is a deliberate choice. It’s an old stylist trick that most celebs use to avoid blisters from wearing brand new shoes for practically every appearance. Once you know it, you’ll notice it a lot more on red carpets.
Jessica Mulroney is a professional stylist. So Meghan DID in fact hire a professional who just ALSO happens to be a friend.
I don’t get the criticism here.
Agreed 100% – shes even styled some of her outfits on Suits. Meghan is not just “expecting her BFF to pay her own way to Australia just to offer some stylist and moral support”. This is great exposure for Jessica, she is loaded, AND probably wants to be there for her friend – its a win/win for both of them…
She hasn’t hired her, she’s made her pay her own way!
Correction: British tax payers didn’t pay for JM to go. That’s the unofficial capacity here. You’d think people would be jumping for joy at that fact.
Same.
Agreed. I think it’s fine and healthy that she has friends close beyond the royal fold. I think her problem has more to do with Givenchy than Jessica and tailoring as others have pointed out. Most of her outfits on the Ireland tour were lovely and Jessica helped her then.
True. However, Meghan technically hasn’t hired Jessica. It seems the royals aren’t allowed to hire stylist. But that doesn’t make a difference because we all know Jessica is the person styling her. I think not having an official stylist allows for the royals to get the discounts and perks through a secondary person without being caught.
I like Jessica in general but her style is so basic. Meghan and her have been friends for a while; so this styling relationship won’t end any time soon. I wish Meghan would work with whoever styles Queen Leticia of Spain or Queen Rania of Jordan. They have a nice modern take on royal style, that would work well on Meghan.
The question of whether we think Meghan’s styling is good is a different topic from whether she is styled professionally though.
I actually really like Meghan’s style and think that ‘basic’ is exactly what she needs to be. 1. she’s married to the spare, not the heir and 2. she is already outstyling Kate on every level. I think she is walking the fine line between being fashionable but not too fashionable perfectly for her role.
She’s a Duchess not the Queen so it’s difficult to compare.
They don’t hire ‘stylists’, they hire ‘dressers’ – TQ has one as does Anne. Angela Kelly not only styles TQ but she designs bespoke outfits/pieces for her.
Because from a professional standpoint it doesn’t look good despite stuff like this happening all of the time. One must manage perception as well. From the cheap seats, it looks like the friends and family plan of handing out a highly paid fluff job that has lots of high-end free perks.
. . . and the truth is that Meghan hasn’t been dressing all that snazzy anyway with what I am assuming is Jessica’s FaceTime “what do you think about this outfit” help. Just because it’s high-end designer doesn’t mean it’s well coordinated, cute or even fits well. So, Meghan might want to rethink that employee / consultant hire. I’m just sayin.
Uh….not really. Jessica was born into a rich family (Brown’s Shoes) and at most is considered a “lifestyle” expert who does PR for Kleinfeld Canada Bridal & does a few segments for a local Canadian show (Cityline). She DID style some outfits for Justin Trudeau’s wife Sophie but stopped short of calling herself Sophie’s stylist. And of course she married a Mulroney and they are the biggest social climbers in Canada.
She’s a rich woman who plays at fashion & I think it’s a disservice to real professional stylists to call her one. JMHO
I agree with you, Tigerlily! Unless you’re a Canadian, you don’t really understand how well off and connected Jessica and Ben Mulroney are. They’re not some struggling couple, they have a lot because they came from a lot. It’s weird that people are griping that Jessica isn’t getting paid to be an official stylist but you’d bet they’d gripe if she DID get paid and how it was a ‘waste of money’.
@tigerlilly i couldnt agree more
Jessica Mulroney would be comparable to Carolyn Bessette Kennedy in terms of being a socialite pre marriage and marrying into a prominent Canadian political family. I am not saying the fashion sense is the same or that Ben Mulroney had political aspirations, but that’s about the closest American comparison I can come up with.
So she can afford to fly there. I have also read that Ben is heading down there to cover Invictus Games for CTV.
Spot on!
I don’t get the criticism either. People are acting like Meghan hired the gardner to be her stylist. Jessica is a professional and worked with her a lot. Being that she just married into the family, on her first tour, and pregnant, I’m sure Meghan wanted somebody who she’s close to and trusts.
Jessica was always a stylist, that’s how she and Meghan met. Also Jessica’s husband will be covering Invictus for ET Canada, so he’ll be working while there too.
This.
In Canada, Jessica has always been a stylist. It’s very different than Kate’s mom playing dress up.
Emily…..not for all Canadians. Jessica’s thirst is embarrassing & the comparisons of her to a “Real Housewife” is not far off the mark. She’s a rich girl playing at fashion and that is not what Meghan needs. She needs a proper British dresser & if Jess wants to tag along to hold her hand….well so be it.
Cant anyone call themselves a stylist? JM is as much a stylist as i am.
Jadedone…..totally agree. Dilettante at best.
Okay so this explains it. They are there on official duties for Ben, Jess is traveling with her husband on his official duties, but she is Meg’s friend so she acts as her stylist. Its like hit 5 birds with just one stone.
@Jadedone, JM is a stylist , she isn’t just calling herself one. She has been a stylist to quite a few Canadian celebrities including is Sophie Gregoire Trudeau.
@massamf please, she decided one day she wanted a job and decided it was a stylist. She may have styled a few people she has personal connections with but nobody else is actually paying her (including Meghan)
@jadedone
Not true at all.
I work for a company that employs her as a stylist and I assure you, we pay her.
And her staff is hard to work with.
Styling the prime minister’s wife is more than just playing at stylist. It’s one thing to hate her style, but why are delegitimizing her in this way?
@billie bee i also know people who work at the company and they are the ones giving me some insider info. She is called a stylist but really she used for PR and thats about it. She does not work like other stylists and it really deemens hard working stylists hustling out there for recongnition when all she did was social climb to earn that title. If she put a bandaid on a kid would that make her a nurse?
@Jadedone – you wrote : “If she put a bandaid on a kid would that make her a nurse?” Please, this is JM – at the very least it would make her a surgeon.
Also, she knows about protocol being the daughter-in-law of a previous Prime Minister.
I know they are BFFs but I really hope Meghan doesn’t adopt JM’s aesthetic and style – girl looks likes a tacky real housewife alot of the time..plus the face full of obvious fillers. The whole aesthetic is one I hope Meghan steers clear of as she ages.
I agree re: Jessica. She’s too narcissistic to simply do her job and then blend into the background, like a real stylist. Her thirst was in full view at M and H’s wedding: tight, tacky-ass dresses, extreme trout pout, the Trump-level tan, duck-lipped selfies, etc. She looks and acts like a Real Housewife. Such a social climber, and soooo obvious in every way.
CooCooCatchoo – Jessica a social climber when her husband is the son of a previous prime minster. Jessica has been hobnobbing with high society long before Meghan. get your facts straight before messing with someone’s character.
The difference between Megs and Kate is that Mulroney is a pro stylist; whatshername Kate has used to be her PA and has (to my knowledge) never trained or worked as a professional stylist (and it shows as she can’t put together an outfit for sh!t). I agree that they need a professional stylist, TQ has one with Angela Kelly (who also designs and makes clothes for TQ).
As much as Kate’s outfits can be a bit granniesh (although I honestly think she looks great most of time), they’re generally much nicer on her than Meghans are, so its ironic that Meghan is the one with the professional stylist.
Meghan is gorgeous so looks amazing most of the time anyway, but honestly she should cut this Jessica girl loose, why pay someone to tell you to wear too long trousers and giant coats?
I just saw a picture of Jessica, gosh she is like a Real Housewife isn’t she?
Natasha? Isn’t that the name of Kate’s stylist?
My problem with Meghan’s style is twofold: (1) she tries too hard to be on trend or her “stylist” tries to keep her too much on trend and that usually turns out to be an ill-fitting hot mess and (2) most of her clothes are an ill-fitting hot mess. She could easily be uptempo, chic, modern, professional and cute but she misses that boat quite frequently. I won’t even speak on laced downed grannied up Kate. At least her clothes fit probably (except for those too tight jeggins). Not trying to be critical of either lady but Meghan’s style or stylist reeks of someone who has too much money to spend but not a whole lot of eye for not only what looks good but what then looks good on them.
Disagree. Jessica Mulroney is a born rich woman who married into a rich social climbing family. She plays at fashion but is more well known in Canada as a “lifestyle” expert. She does PR for Kleinfeld Canada, did a few spots (lifestyle) for a local Canadian program Cityline & put a few outfits together for PM Trudeau’s wife Sophie but demurred at being called Sophie’s stylist. Dilettante all the way. People are buying JM’s publicity.
I wouldn’t call a political family social climbing. Ben’s dad is a previous Prime Minister.
It would be one thing if your BFF was a stylist who was knocking it out of the park for you consistently, but she isn’t. With the money and access Meghan has to fashion and tailors, there is no excuse for everything not fitting perfectly every time. You can’t profess to love less fitted looks and then roll up in dresses that are so tight we can see the boning in your bra.
Teamawesome this is ALL I’m talking about right here. Jessica is not out here killing it style wise for Meghan. There have been some hits but the misses far out number those.
No one said Jessica Mulroney was a full time stylist, or a stylist at all, the media has put this out there. I ask my friends for advice, that does not make them professionals.
Meghan was wearing loose fitting clothes to hide a pregnancy. See her first dress after announcing her pregnancy on 10/16 was different and not black.
She’s preggers!
Surely, all the clothes have been chosen, styled and packed up already and all that needs to happen now is to unpack them and for Meghan to wear them? A stylist isn’t needed for that. One of their 10 person entourage (maybe the hairdresser) could unpack the relevant clothing and get the accessories out when they aren’t doing anything else. This just seems like an excuse to invite friends along to a work trip.
Can you image if William and Kate invited friends along to a foreign tour in any capacity? They would be ripped to shreds and we would never hear the end of it! People would still be complaining 10-15 years later how the Cambridge’s couldn’t even complete a royal tour without having their friends tag along for support.
Isn’t Ben Mulroney, Jessica’s husband, covering the Invictus Games for ET Canada? It seems the British tabloids are focusing more on making an issue of Jessica being there to once again attack Meghan and Harry. When it seems more likely that it works out so Jessica can accompany her husband on business and also be there for her friend Meghan.
Yes; he was always going there to cover the Games for CTV television, whether the Sussexes were going to be there or not; but they are, of course. And they are friends. So it’s a chance to catch up with their friends as well as getting his job done. I don’t see the big deal about this at all–people seem to think that she just invited her friend along to be her stylist on this tour–but like someone mentioned above, no doubt her wardrobe would have been put together well in advance. Two birds, one stone, and all that.
I doubt if Ben Mulroney, a co-host of a Canadian talk show, would be covering the Invictus Games in Australia if not for his and his wife’s personal connection to the Sussexes.
CTV covered the Invictus Games when it was in Toronto last year and Ben has hosted various sporting events on CTV, like the Olympics, so this is exactly what he does. He also hosts a morning show on CTV and is like Matt Lauer, who did both the Today Show and the Olympics when they were on NBC. There are a lot of non Canadians on this board who have no clue what they are talking about.
I don’t even like Ben Mulroney and find him to be a flake, but covering the Invictus Games is what a television host does.
How do you know that W & K have not had friends with them on royal tours, Charles certainly has had a number of people accompany him on tours as guests and we never hear about it publicly. I know.
I really can’t see the problem Jessica is paying her own way and her husband is covering the games for heaven sake, so of course they will all get together. They are great friends and Meghan deserves all the support she can get now.
Exactly. If Jessica was travelling on the UK taxpayers dime I could see the concern, but she’s not.
This @PrincessK.
Jessica Mulroney is probably the opposite of stylish… That’s just me though. I don’t think Meghan is clueless as to style, she looks great. I don’t mind the loose-fitting stuff either. When very thin with no waist, its a great move. She also carries herself well with a lot of fluidity, especially considering she must be nervous at times. Also, for women there is an obsession with tight fits can look stiff sometimes. Kate Middleton, bless her, can have that stiff look. To me, there’s nothing more cool that a comfortable woman who can take a proper breath. This studied ease, coupled with the individualistic color choices, Meghan is 100% a success with her look.
I LOVE Jessica’s IG page…one of the few I visit…the fact that she looks like she exists on only air/water and fabulous decor tickles the HECK out of me! And we now why the fit of so many of Meghan’s clothes have been off…being pregnant, her weight was fluctuating every second of every day…it comes a point where you just say…PLUCK IT and just wear it…
I love her IG page too! She really seems like she is living her best life. And Ivy is freaking adorable. And, I want her house.
Except for has always been a problem. Even before she was engaged, married, or pregnant.
I think its more likely that Ben was going to Australia for his job as someone above mentioned, and it prob made sense for Jessica to go and support Meghan and Ben. It doesn’t mean she’s tagging along on the whole tour. I also don’t think Jessica and Ben are hurting for money so I’m sure they can afford it.
I am in the minority but I like JM’s style – she loves jumpsuits a little too much and she needs to stop the tanning, lol – but overall I like how she dresses, not necessarily my style but she’s clearly successful as a stylist.
Ben gets paid millions a year. Plus his dad has money from being PM and some shady deals. The Mulroney’s are doing quite well.
But Jessica Mulroney IS a stylist. It’s her literal job and she’s considered one of the best in Canada. So why wouldn’t she want to have her friend who is also a stylist help her? That sounds perfectly reasonable to me. Especially since she’s pregnant
JM is NOT one of the best stylists in Canada.
*shrugs* maybe, maybe not. Doesn’t really matter. The point is that she is in fact a pro stylist and so this criticism doesn’t make sense.
What makes someone a pro stylist? Its not like she made a name for herself through hustling like many stylists. She was just rich and connected and decided that was her job. Check out Karla Welch, she is an amazing stylist that deserves the attention JM gets.
Not liking Jessica Mulroney doesn’t make her NOT a stylist. And to answer your question: if she is styling people (helping source and create outfits) she’s a stylist.
Seriously, she’s paying her own way, why the fit?
Karla’s great, yes. But she too got started because she had access to celebrities through her husband and that’s how she got into it too. Not so different from Jessica in that regard.
JM’s style may not be my favourite, but you’re right. She’s literally worked as a buyer and stylist for the Hudson’s Bay Company in Toronto for years.
Who has she been a buyer for? Bc i know 100% she has never been a buyer for the Bay
Jessica Mulroney strikes me as very very thirsty. I eye-rolled when I heard this news. And I agree with those of you who find her tastes very very tacky.
Totally agree.
I don’t think that Meghan knocks it out of the park every time, but she presents a very cohesive look when she steps out. I can only think of one really true dud (that terrible dress in Ireland that outlined her bra). For the most part, I like Meghan’s looks.
Wow – 76 events in 16 days. That is pretty brutal, even with “only” 35-40 9utfit changes. Plus, she’s up the spout. I’m already exhausted. It’s nice to have them here, because I’m sick to the back teeth with hearing about financial crises, skyrocketing house prices and political turmoil.
Aren’t all stylists well- connected socialites? ( Along with jewelery designers and interior designers )Isn’t that how they have the access and money to the rich people who buy couture and can afford a stylist. I seriously doubt that any of the so-called “professional” stylists in Britain who style the aristocracy are anything other than the daughters of aristocrats, publishers, and the like. So why shouldn’t Meghan use the same friend, someone who she can trust that she’s been using for years. Personally I really could care less what Meghan wears, its how she chooses to wield her influence and power that I find fascinating and inspiring. As a royal she will never be allowed to be truly ” fashionable” and will have to dress blandly, so its all the same to me. Her clothes aren’t as well tailored as Kate’s but I think her weight has been a bit of a moving target with the wedding and then the pregnancy.
I moved from a career in jewelry to interior design so I can confidently state that no, that is not the case.
If this is true, it will be 16 days of expensive navy, black and green outfits.
Jessica Mulroney IS A PROFESSIONAL STYLIST.
And frankly, Meghan Markle’s pre-wedding style was always better and more modern than the clothes she wore just after getting married…I think when she went to Ireland she had Mulroney as a stylist again?
So yeah, she looks way, way better when Jessica works with her.
Meghan has good style. If she looked better before the wedding, it’s because she didn’t have to abide by protocol, not thanks to Mulroney’s terrible advice. I think Meg is just finding her way on royal stuff, just as Kate did.
Given how much grief (deserved/undeserved) they’re given over their clothes, paying a stylist w/ taxpayer money seems like it would be a nightmare and an even bigger story. Styling is a hit or miss thing and every time she looks terrible at an event, the headline will be “UK taxpayers are paying XYZ this much money to fail at their job.”
Kate Middleton plays quite a smart PR game by often going for British designers, some very expensive, some high street.
Mulroney wouldn’t have a clue about these designers, and being seen to support local designers would help MM get a bit more support from the British public. It appears that MM is wearing a lot French designers? For example, it was remarked upon that MM wore Givenchy worth 14,000 pounds to Eugenie’s wedding. That is not going to sit well with people.
Nothing Meghan does will stop the British press or Meghan hater for giving her hard time they don’t like her she could wear British clothes people who still have something to complain about.
THIS. And Mulroney can’t style her way out of a paper bag. She has an overworked face and her insta is beyond thirsty. She looks like a real housewife. Not a good move for Meg to associate with her at this point.
So Meghan should dump a friend she had since 2011 because Jessica is not every one cup of tea that’s ridiculous.
Agree with previous posters. I love Meghan and had high hopes for her fashions when this relationship became official. So far it’s been pretty rough, definitely not something a pro stylist would do (aka the wrinkle across the silk shirt, see thru strapless bra). Jessica is a real housewife and she grossed me out. Meg you can do sooooo much better!!
leaving aside who’s paying for it, isn’t this a great networking opportunity for JM. What does she get out of this and how does she benefit?
What she “gets” out of it is accompanying her husband on a work trip, while at the same time getting to visit and support her friend, whom I doubt she gets to see very often now that she’s living on the other side of the Pond. Why is that so hard to understand? If it was a dear friend of mine, and I daresay everyone else here, you’re darn right I’d take every opportunity I could to be with them. It’s almost like people are envious of the friendship of two women!
I just went to Jessica Mulroney’s insta for the first time and wow, her styling and plastic surgery does make her look like a real housewife. Some of her outfits actually made me laugh. Oh my…
Of course the Mulroneys would travel even on their own dime to support their friends, I’m not remotely surprised. It wouldn’t be a shock neither if they are chosen as one of the godparents of the future child.