Prince Harry and Meghan Markle enjoyed a touching throwback to their first date when they visited Soho House in Austin on Thursday night, and it looks like the nostalgia continued today when the Duke was seen sitting next to the private club mogul he helped matchmaker to the Sussexes eight years ago.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, flew to Austin to support his wife as she appeared on an International Women’s Day panel at SXSW on Friday, when he was seen cheering her on from the front row while sitting next to Markus Anderson, the man who is widely credited with helping the couple’s romance blossom in its early days.
Harry was seen staring adoringly at the former Suits star, 42, from the front row as he took the stage with Brooke Shields and Katie Couric for the women-focused discussion.
He was joined by Soho House director Markus, 43, who played a major role in creating the actress and royal in 2016.
Dressed in a salmon-colored sweater, Markus was the epitome of cool as he listened to his old friend Meghan speak, while Harry looked dapper in a navy suit jacket and white button-down shirt.
Prince Harry sat next to Meghan Markle’s longtime friend and confidant Markus Anderson while supporting his wife at SXSW on Friday.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, was seen watching the former Suits star, 42, from the front row as she took to the stage with a host of other stars for an International Women’s Day panel.
He was joined by Soho House director Markus, 43, who played a major role in creating the actress and royal in 2016.
Markus has been by Meghan’s side for years and accompanied her on numerous major appearances in the past, such as at the Invictus Games in 2017 (seen)
He acted as her ‘bouncer’ as he weaved his way through photographers’ drones outside a New York hotel for her baby shower in 2019. They are seen during the trip to New York in 2019.
Markus has been by Meghan’s side for years and accompanied her on numerous high-profile appearances in the past: he was with her when she made her first public appearance with Harry at the Invictus Games in 2017; and acted as her ‘bouncer’ as she weaved her way through photographers’ drones outside a New York hotel for her baby shower in 2019.
The businessman, who grew up in Peterborough, Ontario, a Canadian city 90 miles northeast of Toronto, moved to London at age 18, where he got a job as a waiter at the members-only club Soho House.
She quickly caught the attention of founder Nick Jones and rose through the ranks while developing an immense network of famous friends.
Nick soon sent him back to Canada to set up a Soho House in Toronto, and in 2011, he met a young Meghan after she moved to the country to film the first season of her television legal drama Suits.
The two quickly became close, with Meghan once writing on her now-defunct website The Tig: ‘What would I do without you, my loving, supportive and endlessly fun friend?’
‘I know what… I would be bored and life would be infinitely less interesting. I love you a lot. The happiest day for you now and always. I love you.’
Meghan even referred to Markus as “uncle” to her two dogs Guy and Bogart, and was photographed on a luxurious vacation with him in Madrid in 2016.
The well-connected Markus soon began introducing her to his famous clientele and friends, including George and Amal Clooney and Jessica Mulroney, daughter-in-law of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who became one of Meghan’s closest friends before A fight was rumored to have divided them in 2019.
The businessman, who grew up in Peterborough, Ontario, moved to London at age 18, where he got a job as a waiter at the members-only club Soho House.
She quickly caught the attention of founder Nick Jones and rose through the ranks while developing an immense network of famous friends. He is seen at Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry.
Nick soon sent him back to Canada to set up a Soho House in Toronto and, in 2011, he met a young Meghan after she began filming Suits. They are seen together in 2016.
While it is widely believed that Meghan and Harry met on a blind date in London arranged by designer Misha Nonoo, it was in Canada, and more specifically at Markus’ Soho House, where their love blossomed.
He reportedly arranged for the couple to meet secretly in private rooms at the club and helped them escape together on romantic weekend getaways.
The consultant has been dubbed the “second most important man in her life,” so it seems logical that he and Harry would cheer on Meghan at the event together.
Meghan was joined by actress Brooke Shields and news anchor Katie Couric on stage at the prestigious festival, where she led a panel discussion on “breaking barriers” and “representation of women.”
The duchess, dressed in an off-white striped skirt and shirt combo, began by gushing about her “excitement” about joining the panel, before promoting the numerous women-focused initiatives she and Prince Harry work on together. through your nonprofit organization. , the Archewell Foundation.
“I’m so excited to be here and to be with such incredible women, so much brilliance on this panel and this is an incredible way to celebrate International Water Day,” she said.
When asked about the Archewell Foundation’s decision to fund a recent report calling for “true representation” of mothers on television, Meghan explained that she and Harry had chosen to get involved in the project for “three key reasons.”
“My husband and I, our foundation helped fund it because I think from our point of view, and certainly from mine, there are three key reasons why it was vital to see the information that they were going to get from this report,” she said. .
‘On a personal level, I have always loved understanding women and our stories, our lived experiences and our shared experiences, so I was very curious to see what the report would uncover.
The two quickly became close, with Meghan once writing on her now website The Tig: “What would I do without you, my loving, supportive and endlessly fun friend?” They are seen in 2014.
Meghan even referred to Markus as ‘uncle’ to her two dogs Guy and Bogart, and was photographed on a luxurious holiday with him in Madrid in 2016 (spotted)
Markus reportedly arranged for Meghan and Prince Harry (seen in 2017) to meet secretly in private rooms at his club and helped them escape together on romantic weekend getaways.
‘Often, as women, the way we see ourselves is reflected back to us, sometimes accurately and sometimes, to our disservice, inaccurately, in what we see in the media.
“So being able to have the findings to drive that, to make sure that women are really seen in a way that reflects who, how we are, and how we move in the world, seemed important to me.”
‘From a philanthropic point of view, there is obviously a lot of work to be done to support women and mothers. You can start with paid leave.
Meghan continued to speak out about the hate she received online while she was pregnant with her children, Archie, now four, and Lilibet, now two.
“I stay away (from social media) right now for my well-being, but most of the harassment and abuse I was experiencing on social media and online was when I was pregnant with Archie and Lili, and a newborn born, with each one of them,’ he said after being asked about the trolling he has faced.
‘Just think about it and understand why people would be so hateful. It’s not malicious, it’s cruel. Why would you do that when you are pregnant or as a mother in such a tender and sacred moment?
She wondered how someone could “do that” to an expectant or new mother, and noted that much of the vitriol she was seeing online came from women trying to take down other women.
“(It’s) women spitting that at other women and I can’t make sense of it,” Meghan continued.