With her royal baby expected to arrive in late April, the Duchess of Sussex took a surprise trip to New York City for a private celebration with close friends. The five-day visit culminated in a baby shower on Wednesday at The Mark Hotel, hosted by Serena Williams. While not a single photo was leaked from the exclusive get-together, Meghan’s famous friends were spotted arriving in style at the Upper East Side hotel. Here’s what we know so far:
Penthouse suite at The Mark (Image: Courtesy of The Mark)
Private rooftop terrace of the suite (Image: Courtesy of The Mark)
The Venue
The party was hosted at the lavish penthouse suite of The Mark Hotel, a favourite amongst A-listers. It is the largest penthouse in the United States, boasting five bedrooms, four fireplaces, six bathrooms, two powder rooms, and a private rooftop terrace overlooking Central Park.
A night’s stay in the suite is priced from US$75,000—and Serena is reportedly picking up the bill.
Guests
Meghan celebrated the upcoming arrival of her baby with her closest pals. The star-studded guest list included Amal Clooney, Priyanka Chopra, Janina Gavankar, Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, the couple’s close friend Markus Anderson, stylist BFF Jessica Mulroney and fashion designer Misha Nonoo—who has been credited for setting her up with Prince Harry.
Other guests include Gayle King, make-up artist Daniel Martin, hairstylist Serge Normant, publicist Celine Khavarani and NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group chairman Bonnie Hammer.
What Went Down
The baby shower reportedly kicked off with a flower-arranging lesson, with bunches of tulips, daisies, peonies and roses delivered to the penthouse in the morning. It was accompanied by a dessert table by globally-acclaimed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who helms the culinary program at The Mark. There was also a cotton candy machine to indulge the guests’ sweet tooth.
Harpist and singer Erin Hill was there to provide entertainment for the party, and as for party favours, 17 pieces of luggage from Away were spotted being carried into The Mark, likely to be gifts from the Duchess for her NYC friends.
After the soirée, Meghan Markle was spotted leaving The Mark last night to head back to London. She will be embarking on a royal tour of Morocco with Prince Harry from February 23 to 25.
(See also: The Meghan Markle “Mona Lisa” Painting That Went Viral Because Of Beyonce & Jay-Z)
