Canadian socialite Jessica Mulroney, who was famously once the best friend of Meghan Markle, will today mark a rather sombre 44th birthday.

Her father-in-law, the former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, has recently passed away.

Mr Mulroney, the former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party who was Canada's prime minister from 1984 to 1993, died on 29 February at the age of 84 and will lie in state in Ottawa before his funeral in Montreal on Saturday 23 March.

Jessica, a mother of three who is married to the statesman's son Ben, will doubtless keep a low profile during the official mourning period.

Jessica Mulroney and Abigail spencer from Suits leaving a  restaurant in Los Angeles

Brian Mulroney speaking at the Queen's commemorative ceremony in September 2022. The former Canadian Prime Miniser passed away recently

Jessica and Meghan mixed in the same social circle in Toronto where Suits was filmed

Jessica Mulroney with her husband Ben who was the son of Brian Mulroney, the former prime minister of Canada

If so, it will be in keeping with the past few years, and in particular since an unfortunate 'white privilege' row. After which Meghan is said to have cut her adrift. 

The two women were once inseparable after striking up a close friendship around 2011 while the actress lived in Toronto to work on the hit legal drama Suits 

They were at the centre of Canada's social scene, were often seen dining - complete with obligatory Instagram posts - and often arrived together at glamorous society events.

In the 2020 book Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand,the authors write that Jessica and her husband Ben were the city's 'hottest young power couple.'

They explain: 'After the women were introduced by a local fashion publicist, Jessica not only encouraged Meghan to follow the same path but also introduced her to an exciting, fizzy social scene filled with high-profile charity events, the openings of new hotspots, fabulous restaurants and fancy friends like Michael Bublé.

'Jessica and Ben were good friends with the Canadian singer-songwriter and his wife, the Argentinian-born actress-model Luisana Lopilato, whose intimate parties at their home in Vancouver were a coveted invite.'

The two BFFs even spent a 'month of wanderlust' in Europe in the summer of 2016, and when Meghan and Prince Harry first struck up their relationship, the Mulroneys provided the lovestruck couple with a refuge from prying paparazzi at their home in an upscale suburb of Toronto.

Indeed, they were so close that Jessica, a fashion stylist and marketing consultant, was the first person Meghan told after Prince Harry proposed to her in the grounds of Kensington Palace. 

In the Sussex's bombshell Netflix docu-series ‘Harry and Meghan;, the Duchess is seen making the transatlantic FaceTimie call to Jessica to break the news that 'it's happening'.

As well as attending Meghan's lavish New York baby shower in 2019, she played such an integral role in planning the Royal wedding that she arrive at St George's Chapel Windsor alongside the Princess of Wales and her children acted as pageboys and bridesmaid.

She even joined the couple on their royal tour of Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Tonga and is also said to have played an 'influential' role in Megxit - the couple's momentous decision to give up their Royal duties and privileges and decamp to California.

Even at the beginning of 2020, Jessica was vocal in her support of Prince Harry and Meghan in the furore surrounding their move to America, posting on her Instagram account: ‘A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink.'

It’s not difficult to suggest why the two friends seemed such a perfect fit. Jessica brought the old money contacts and social cachet that comes from being a member of one of Canada's most prominent families. 

Aside from the Mulroney connection, she is an heiress in her own right.

Born Jessica Bownstein, she is a great-granddaughter of Benjamin Brownstein, the founder of Brown's Shoes, a retailer that has a prominent presence on every high street in Canada and is known for its philanthropic work - the company gives 10 per cent of its profits to charity. 

Her brother John is a professor of epidemiology at Harvard Medical School.

Meghan, meanwhile, was the hottest celebrity in town while ‘Suits’ was being screened and her Hollywood stardust undoubtedly boosted Jessica’s profile, leading to TV appearances on ‘Good Morning America’ and the Canadian talk show CityLine and a spot as the host of the reality TV show ‘I Do, Redo’ where couples whose weddings had gone awry were given the chance to have another special day.

But in recent years, rumours of a rift between the two women have been swirling - fuelled by oblique references on Jessica's social media accounts.

The pair looked very similar when they attended the Instagram dinner in Toronto in 2016

Jessica was seen arriving at the Mark Hotel in New York to celebrate Meghan's baby shower

Kate holds one hand of Princess Charlotte while she waves with the other at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Jessica, foreground, is with her daughter Ivy

The schism appears to date back to 2020, when Jessica became embroiled in an unseemly spat with lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter, who criticised her out for ‘taking offence’ to a 'generic call to action' post Sasha had shared about the Black Lives Matter movement.

Sasha Exeter said at the time: ‘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.'

Despite making a number of public apologies, including posting the statement: ‘As some of may have seen Sasha Exeter and I had a disagreement. She rightfully called me out for not doing enough when it came to engaging in the important and difficult conversation about race and injustice in our society. I took it personally and that was wrong. I know I need to do better. Those of us with a platform must use it to speak out.’

She also wrote, commenting on a video clip shared by Sasha, that she was 'unequivocally sorry', adding: 'As I told you privately, I have lived a very public and personal experience with my closest friend where race was front and centre. It was deeply educational.’ 

That statement was reportedly perceived by Meghan to have exploited their friendship.

Jessica became embroiled in an unseemly spat with lifestyle blogger Sasha Exeter

The row had a huge impact on Jessica’s professional career, causing her to be dropped by a number of television networks.

ABC confirmed that Jessica would not be returning to her occasional role as a fashion contributor on Good Morning America. And Canadian network CTV also cut ties, revealing that it would be pulling all episodes of her wedding-themed reality TV show I Do Redo from its platform.

Jessica also also stepped down from the board of directors of The Shoebox Project, the charity she co-founded a decade ago to ‘provide gifts to women living in shelters or accessing community support,’ according to public records.