With the world watching her every move, Meghan Markle made sure she had her best friend by her side at the Invictus Games.
And it didn’t take long before social media was speculating furiously over the identity of her handsome companion.
She was sat next to Markus Anderson, the Toronto-based consultant for private members clubs Soho House who is said to have introduced Miss Markle to Prince Harry.
Meghan Markle and her best friend Markus Anderson, who chaperoned her at the Invictus Games this weekend as Harry took on royal duties
Firm friends: Markus and Meghan (pictured with their friend Misha) on one of their regular jaunts to Europe
Markus, who opens new properties for Nick Jones’ glamorous Soho House brand, is the perfect companion as Meghan waits in the wings for her first official outing as Prince Harry’s partner
Dubbed the ‘King of Soho House’, Anderson’s long list of high-profile friends includes Fifty Shades Of Grey actor Jamie Dornan, TV host Cat Deeley and model Alexa Chung.
He is also close to Miss Markle’s stylist friend Jessica Mulroney, the daughter-in-law of former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney.
Anderson is from Peterborough in Ontario – about 80 miles from his current home of Toronto – and moved to London when he was 19, taking a job as a waiter at Soho House.
He worked his way up to global membership director, sent out to cities where Soho House is opening branches to identify who should be given entry.
Markus and Markle! Anderson has been part of Meghan’s inner circle for a number of years and is frequently featured on her social media account
Debonair and with friends in very high places, Markus is thought to have introduced Harry to Meghan while she was in Europe on holiday
As Meghan waits to make her official royal debut, why urbane Markus is her perfect chaperone…
By Jo Tweedy
Whether its royal protocol that prevented Meghan Markle from sitting next to Prince Harry at the Invictus Games this weekend, or just a shared desire to not let their romance overshadow proceedings, Markle had the perfect chaperone by her side.
Happy together: The pair looked relaxed in each other’s company this weekend
Meghan’s trusted friend clapped along at the athletic pursuits on the track
Ready to step aside? A first official outing for Meghan and Harry is expected imminently with some saying she’ll be at Harry’s side as he closes the Invictus Games
Anderson, 36, a Toronto-based consultant for Soho House, has long been a fixture on Markle’s Instagram feed and, with his designer stubble and swept-back brunette hair, caught the eye of plenty of admirers as he clapped along the athletic ability at the Invictus Games.
Prince Harry, caught offering the occasional glance in Meghan’s direction, can rest safe in the knowledge that his betrothed is having fun with her best friend ahead of Markle making her official royal debut.
Anderson has been part of Meghan’s inner circle for a number of years – although he is more of a discreet presence on social media than his TV star friend, who is best known for playing Rachel Zane in US legal drama Suits.
With a celebrity contacts book that stretches a mile wide and the small matter of playing royal matchmaker – Anderson is said to have introduced Harry and Meghan during a trip to Europe last year – he’s very much seen as a safe pair of hands as the 36-year-old prepares to make her debut in the royal limelight.
Debonair, urbane and with the keys to every Soho House on the planet, put simply, Anderson is the ideal escort for a potential princess-in-waiting.
He has previously said: ‘When Soho House decides to open in a new city, I’m one of the first people sent out to get to know the city, the creatives that live there, and determine who we want to involve in the house.’
He and Miss Markle, who films TV show Suits in Toronto, became close when he moved to the city in 2012 to help open a Soho House branch.
The Suits actress shared a black and white picture of herself, Markus and fashion designer Misha Nonoo crowded around a table with the caption: ‘Tapas con mis amigos.’
Markus (pictured above with Meghan’s dogs) is a consultant for the Soho House Group and former global membership director at the exclusive club where he worked his way up from being a waiter to the right-hand man of founder Nick Jones
A lover of Tom Ford aftershave, cashmere sweaters, Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent, he shares her interest in fashion. In 2014 he was named 48th in a list of Toronto’s most influential people and in recent years he helped set up clubs in Chicago, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Barcelona and Istanbul.
Soho House member Harry is said to have met Miss Markle when she was on holiday in Europe in summer last year with fashion designer Misha Nonoo and Anderson. As the romance blossomed, it was conducted in Soho Houses around the world.
There was a secret weekend away at Soho Farmhouse last autumn, while the pair also made an appearance at a Halloween party at Soho House in Toronto.