Meghan Markle has enjoyed a ski trip with her close friends Kelly McKee Zajfen and Heather Dorak.
The Duchess of Sussex, 42, was photographed smiling with pilates business owner Dorak and former model Zajfen on the slopes of Powder Mountain near Salt Lake City in Utah, in an Instagram post shared by the Pilates founder Platinum.
The trio have long been “best friends”, and Meghan first met Heather in 2005, when the pilates and yoga instructor became the former actress during her time on US legal drama Suits.
Meanwhile, Kelly and Meghan became close through the duchess’s ex-husband, Engelson, who is a friend of the former model’s entertainment lawyer husband, Julian.
Meghan has supported Kelly through her grief over the loss of her son George, who died aged just nine in July 2022 after being found unconscious in their family home.
Meghan Markle (left) on Powder Mountain in Utah with friends Heather Dorak (center) and Kelly McKee Zajfen (right), in a photo posted to Instagram today by Dorak and Zajfen.
Kelly, co-founder of the Alliance of Moms group that supports pregnant and parenting teens in the foster care system in Los Angeles, has been open about her grief on Instagram, writing in October 2022 that she was “not really okay.”
The mother, who is also mother to George’s twin sister Lily, said: “The light every day is dim.” I do the best I can. We are all doing our best. I’m so devastated.
“I’m looking every day for a new way to put the pieces back together and I’m fully aware that they may not all fit together again.”
Harry and Meghan donated $5,000 to a GoFundMe fundraiser in the name of their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, after the Zajfen family lost George.
In May, Kelly posted a heartfelt tribute to Meghan on her account, praising the duchess for her support and for being an “incredible friend and mother.”
‘You are always the first to say yes and support your loved ones. “You are a strong advocate for those in need,” Kelly continued, as she shared an image of herself and the Duchess wearing “Community Motherhood” t-shirts in support of a Moms’ Alliance campaign.
As for Heather, she attended Meghan and Harry’s wedding in Windsor in May 2018 with her husband Matt Cohen.
Heather Dorak has been a devoted friend of the Duchess of Sussex for many years and the couple are often seen together in Los Angeles.
Kelly shared an image of her and the Duchess wearing ‘Community Motherhood’ t-shirts in support of a Moms’ Alliance campaign on Instagram.
Meghan has supported Kelly through her grief over the loss of her son George, who died aged just nine in July 2022 after being found unconscious in their family home.
Originally from Texas, she now resides in California, where she owns six studios under the Pilates Platinum brand.
Heather was seen walking with Meghan near the royal couple’s mansion after celebrating Archie’s fourth birthday.
The couple also appeared together on Meghan’s social media before she closed her accounts after their wedding.
The pilates instructor moved to Los Angeles with aspirations of a professional career in dance. However, an injury inspired her to switch to Pilates after a doctor recommended it.
Heather became Meghan’s coach many years ago when she worked on the TV show Suits.
In a social media post from 2015, Heather said she was celebrating ten years of friendship with Meghan, adding that she was “one of my first clients.”
The couple has shared vacations and holidays together, including a trip to a Vancouver Canucks hockey game in 2015.
Heather also attended Meghan’s 2015 speech at the UN Women’s 20th anniversary event of the Fourth World Women’s Conference in Beijing in New York City with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland.
Heather became Meghan’s coach many years ago when she worked on the TV show Suits.
The couple has shared vacations and holidays together, including a trip to Vancouver in 2015.
Heather contributed her fitness expertise to Meghan’s former lifestyle blog, The Tig, before closing it.
He has been a key part of Meghan’s inner circle in North America since Megxit, visiting the royal couple in Canada in January 2020, shortly after they left the UK after stepping down as senior royals.
Posting on Instagram this week about her recent ski trip, Heather wrote: “Wow, what a perfect trip!! My heart is so full.
‘The children crushed the slopes during the day and the adults howled with laughter well into the night. Really lucky in love with our wonderful friends!’
The trio of friends were seen in the post’s photo wearing large coats, gloves, sunglasses and hats, while Heather also posted photos of her family members on the trip.
Kelly also shared the photo in an Instagram post of her own, writing: ‘Beyond grateful for best friends! What trip! Thank you doesn’t even begin to express what my heart feels after this trip.
‘The love of family time, adventure and laughter made this trip one for the books! Here’s to many more adventures with friends who feel like family and appreciate every day.”
It comes two weeks after Meghan was pictured on the slopes of Whistler in Canada with Prince Harry for an event marking one year before the next Invictus Games.
Since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trip to Whistler last month, Meghan appeared in northwest London via video link to open a new wing of the Mayhew veterinary clinic on February 21.
This was published via the new Sussex.com website she launched with Harry, which instantly became controversial due to the prominence of her royal brand.
A video also surfaced this week of Meghan cooking traditional Afghan food with a group of 15 women who resettled in the US from Afghanistan, although this was from a previous visit to the Southern California Welcome Project on February 10.
Harry and Meghan at an Invictus Games event in Whistler, Canada, on February 14, 2024
On Wednesday, Harry lost his High Court appeal against the Home Office over a decision to change the level of his personal security when visiting the UK.
The duke later said he would seek to appeal the ruling, after he took legal action against the Government department over a decision made in February 2020 that he should receive a different degree of taxpayer-funded protection when in Britain.
The Duke briefly returned to the UK on February 6 without his family after making a transatlantic dash to be with his father following the news of the King’s cancer diagnosis.
Harry later gave an interview to ABC’s Good Morning America while in Whistler, insisting that he “loves my family” and that he “got on a plane” to visit the King “as soon as I could” after speaking by phone about his cancer diagnosis. .
The duke also revealed he was “grateful” to have seen Charles in person and hopes the diagnosis can have a “reunifying effect” on the Royal Family.
Harry and Meghan live in the US with their two children Archie and Lilibet after the couple announced they would be stepping down as senior royals in January 2020.