The Untold Truth Of Jessica Mulroney

While tuning in to watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding, you may have noticed the woman dressed in blue. While she's not a long lost member of the royal family, she is incredibly important to Meghan. Eva Hartling, vice president of Megan's favorite jeweler, Birks at the Birks Group, told People that the 36-year-old woman acted as the royal bride's "unofficial maid of honor." So, who is she? Meghan's friend, Jessica Mulroney.

Although there weren't any adult bridesmaids in the May 2018 royal wedding, Hartling said Meghan "made sure that Jessica was sitting in that first seat closest to where Harry and Meghan were standing." It's obvious these two women are close, likely even best friends.

Mulroney has managed to keep a low profile despite her unique position to the newest duchess, but it turns out she's an amazing friend, professional, wife, mother, and more. Here's some things you should know about Meg's bestie.

In kindergarten, did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up? While your ambitions may have changed since then, Mulroney's have stayed quite fixed. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, she said her love of fashion began when she was just six years old. "I'm not obsessed with fashion, though, and I think that that's what makes me a little bit different," she clarified. While she said she enjoys the process and creativity that goes into picking what to wear, she doesn't solely rely on expensive items. Instead, she'll mix and match vintage pieces with modern ones. "I like the creativity of putting things together in an interesting way but I don't try," she said. 

Mulroney's fashion sense may be quite effortless, but whatever she's doing is working. From the royal blue gown she chose for the royal wedding, to the everyday looks she shares on Instagram, Mulroney has got this fashion thing figured out.

With her seemingly innate fashion sense, it makes sense that Mulroney would pursue a career in the field — or, as it happens, multiple careers. From managing the public relations for the bridal salon Kleinfeld Canada to styling Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mulroney has proven herself to be multi-talented. 

Despite having styled the spouse of such a notable politician — which happened to be for her meeting with the Queen of England — Mulroney was perhaps too modest to call herself Grégoire-Trudeau's stylist. "There's not really much for a stylist to do with her because she's got great style on her own," she told The Globe and Mail. "A fashion strategist, maybe," she reluctantly titled herself.

When speaking with The Telegraph, Mulroney explained her task of researching and talking with different designers before choosing what Grégoire-Trudeau should wear. It definitely involves more than just throwing something on in the morning, but Mulroney still said "it's a fun process."

When Canadian department store Hudson's Bay announced that Mulroney would essentially be their go-to person for their fashion and bridal business, they had some incredible things to say about her, even calling her "the lifestyle expert to watch." They're not wrong. Her range extends far beyond fashion.

According to the company's statement (via PR Newswire), Mulroney is a commentator on the Canadian talk show Cityline where she voices her thoughts on parenting, as well as style. "Jessica makes balancing a busy career and family look absolutely easy," they wrote. 

Those things would certainly keep Mulroney busy, but she's also a brand ambassador who hosts events, she manages the public relations of other Canadian brands, and helps run a charity. It seems Mulroney has certainly got multitasking down to a science, and somehow has manages to find a way to excel in so many different avenues of her life. It's not hard to see what Meghan undoubtedly sees in her bestie.

Despite being all sorts of busy, is it possible that she also helped plan the Duchess of Sussex's wedding? According to friends of Mulroney, yes. One person close to the stylist told Vanity Fair, "She is Meghan's best friend and the person Meghan trusts with helping to plan every detail. She's the one helping Meghan to make all the key decisions." 

Mulroney herself has neither confirmed nor denied her involvement in planning the royal wedding. It's worth noting, though, that Harry and Meghan had hired two event organizers and catering firms, as Vanity Fair reported. Hmm. In another twist, Hello! magazine reported some suspicious social media activity shortly before the royal wedding. Mulroney posted the vague quote: "I said I could and I would. And I did." 

As we now know, she did have the "unofficial" role as maid of honor. You have to wonder: could she have also unofficially planned the wedding?

While there may be some confusion as to who planned Harry and Meghan's wedding, there's no question as to the identities of the bridesmaids and page boys. Out of the ten little ones chosen, three are the children of Jessica Mulroney. CNN reported that includes 7-year-old twins Brian and John Mulroney and 4-year-old Ivy Mulroney, naming them the children of Meghan's "dear friend."

Mulroney also shared a photo on Instagram of her boys holding Meghan's 16-foot veil as she walked up the steps of St. George's Chapel. She captioned the adorable image, writing, "Proud friend. Proud mom." Aww. And, of course, she wasn't just a proud mama on that day. Mulroney regularly posts photos and videos of her children and she's also nicknamed them her "solid little crew." The adorable crew even hold their own annual Golden Globes slumber parties. Yes, it's as cute as it sounds. Here's to hoping Jessica Mulroney will adopt us someday!

In fall 2008, Jessica Brownstein married Ben Mulroney, thus the name change. Much like his wife, Ben is multitalented. Once the host of Canadian Idol and now the host of eTalk Daily, he has solidified his career on the small screen. Ben is also the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. With both Jessica and Ben's connections to the elite and even politicians, one could assume they met through their work.

In actuality, CTV News reported that the couple met when they were just kids, both growing up in Westmount, an affluent suburb of Montreal. Although the couple only dated for six months before getting engaged, Ben's family was thrilled. "We think that the best decision he's made in his whole life is today," Brian Mulroney said of his son's choice to marry Jessica. 

Unlike the royal wedding, the Mulroneys had a much simpler affair. Only about 75 guests were invited to the private ceremony and around 350 to the reception. With Jessica's talent for styling, however, you can bet it was beautiful.

With her incredibly busy schedule, Mulroney still makes time for fitness. In a variety of Instagram posts, she has shared some of the ways she stays in shape. In one post in particular, she exclaimed, "No lazy weekends!" No doubt Mulroney practices what she preaches. Nevertheless, she does admit that it isn't always easy. 

"After 3 kids (including a twin pregnancy) and 2 C-sections, it's been almost 5 years since I made it my goal to get as fit and toned as possible," she explained, "It's been hard and it's easy to get off track." She told her followers to give themselves some time and "you can make unbelievable changes." Mulroney also touts the mental health benefits of exercise — especially boxing. "This workout is by far my greatest stress release and I can't recommend it enough," she captioned a video of her boxing routine. Mulroney definitely makes it look fun.

When it became public knowledge that Harry and Meghan were dating, photographers and reporters didn't exactly keep their distance. In Harry: Life, Loss, and Love, a biography of the prince written by royal expert and royal biographer Katie Nicholls, Meghan suggested to Harry that they stay with her friends, Ben and Jessica Mulroney, during the media siege. 

At that point in time, the Mulroney family already knew that Meghan and Harry were dating. Of course, that means they'd proven to be trustworthy friends. Although they spent all of this time together as a way to hide out from the paparazzi, they also got a real chance to bond and become good friends. According to Nicholl, Harry especially bonded with Ben and Jessica's three children, which makes sense given they ended up in the wedding party.

It's no small thing to open your home and potentially invite the prying eyes of the media, but that seems to be the couple's nature. "Jessica is one of the nicest, sweetest people you will ever meet, and Ben is really easy to get along with," a friend of the couple explained. 

Much like her bestie Meghan, Mulroney is interested in helping people. This may be made most evident by the charity she co-founded with her sisters-in-law Caroline Mulroney Lapham, Katy Mulroney, and Vanessa Mulroney. Aptly named The Shoebox Project, the organization collects and sends decorated shoeboxes full of items that "can enhance self-esteem and reduce feelings of isolation for women in crisis," the official website once explained. This could be anything from personal care items like shampoo and conditioner to time-passers like decks of playing cards. 

In 2011, the charity's first year, Mulroney and her co-founder sisters were able to deliver 400 shoeboxes to women's shelters throughout Toronto. Fast forward to 2016 and a whopping 36,500 shoeboxes containing useful gifts had been sent to women across 252 shelters across Canada. Giving back is obviously a big part of Mulroney's life and one of the things she and Meghan have in common.