Fashion designer Misha Nonoo has arrived for her Roman sunset wedding to her oil tycoon fiance in front of star-studded guests including Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Ivanka Trump.
Ms Nonoo was chauffeured in alongside Eugenie on a golf buggy at dusk ahead of the fashionista’s wedding to businessman Mikey Hess.
Ms Nonoo, 31, wore a minimal white dress on arrival, while Eugenie, 29, wore a black evening gown, as other guests in black tie surrounded their vehicle.
Armed guards watched over as a more ornate white gown was unloaded from the back of an SUV at the Villa Aurelia, an exclusive 17th Century venue in the heart of the city.
Princess Beatrice, 31, was spotted wearing a diamond headband decorated with gold and pearl flowers as she mingled with other guests, including renowned handbag designer Poppy Jamie, 29.
Ivanka Trump earlier today jetted into Rome with her husband Jared Kushner. Donald Trump’s daughter, 37, and her White House adviser husband, 38, strolled the Eternal City’s narrow streets close to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain ahead of the A-list wedding of the year at sunset tonight.
At one point mother-of-three Ivanka, wearing a colourful summer dress, retro sunglasses and white espadrille wedges kissed her husband on the shoulder as they smiled in the early autumn sunshine.
Mr Hess, who is heir to the family’s £1.9billion empire, is best friends with Jared’s brother Josh, 34, who he met at Harvard and is already in Rome with his wife Karlie Kloss, dining with Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom at a rehearsal dinner last night.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are also in the Italian capital – but without baby Archie – and the couple have kept a low profile missing out on dinner with A-list stars who partied ahead of the three-day wedding of their matchmaker Misha.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived in the Italian capital on Thursday to attend the nuptials of designer friend, who is rumoured to have set-up the royals’ first blind date in July 2016.
Ms Nonoo and Mr Hess will walk down the aisle as the sun goes down at Villa Aurelia, a baroque villa and vineyard once owned Pope Paolo III that sits on one of Rome’s seven hills and enjoys extraordinary panoramic views of the city.
The party will continue on Saturday with another expensive event at the celebrated Cinecittà film studios. More than 3,000 movies have been filmed there including 47 Oscar winning ones such as La Dolce Vita and Cleopatra. It has been so loved by directors including Fellini, Scorcese and Ford Coppola it has earned the nickname ‘Hollywood on the Tiber.’
Misha Nonoo, wearing a minimal white dress, smiles alongside Princess Eugenie, wearing a black gown, as they arrive for the wedding ceremony in Rome
Fashion designer Misha Nonoo is picture on a golf kart ahead of her Roman sunset wedding to her oil tycoon fiance in front of star-studded guests including Princes Beatrice, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and a line-up of other A-listers
Ms Nonoo is surrounded by guests in black tie ahead of the unique evening ceremony in Rome
Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared arrive for this evening’s ceremony. Ivanka’s short hair was curled and she wore a pink gown with a golden waistband, accompanied by a gold clutch, while her husband wore a black dinner jacket
Misha Nonoo’s wedding dress is unloaded from the back of an SUV ahead of her wedding at Villa Aurelia, as armed police stand guard
Princess Beatrice was spotted wearing a diamond headband with gold and pearl flowers as she mingled with other guests in the Italian dusk, including handbag designer Poppy Jamie
Princess Beatrice looks on as Poppy Jamie, a close friend of Suki Waterhouse, smiles in the Italian dusk on Friday evening
Ivanka Trump today jetted into Rome with her husband Jared Kushner to see their friends Misha Nonoo and her oil tycoon fiance Mikey Hess marry
President Trump’s daughter kissed her husband on the shoulder as they strolled around Rome without their three children
Ivanka looked open-mouthed as she admitted Rome’s extraordinary architecture as she walked down a narrow Roman street before heading back towards their hotel to get ready for the big day
Prince Harry and Meghan (pictured together in July) are believed to be in Rome without their four-month-old son Archie-Harrison for her best friend’s wedding
The Duchess of Sussex (right) hugs designer Misha Nonoo at the launch the Smart Works capsule collection at John Lewis in Oxford Street, London. Misha is marrying oil tycoon Mikey Hess in the Eternal City
Spirits were high as Katy Perry (left) and Orlando Bloom (far right) laughed with friends as they joined a host of A-list stars enjoying a late-night dinner ahead of the wedding of Misha Nonoo and Mikey Hess in Italy
Orlando Bloom looked in high spirits as he arrived for a pre-ceremony celebration ahead of the wedding of Misha Nonoo and Mikey Herr in Rome
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom took a moment to share a kiss during tonight’s party and looked in good spirits ahead of the wedding
On cloud nine: The pair continued to exchange kisses at the dinner table, unconcerned by the large crowds of fellow wedding guests around them
Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner were also in attendance and took time out from the festivities at a restaurant in Rome to share a joke
Misha Nonoo will marry at the expensive and exclusive Villa Aurelia in Rome in front of her closest friends including Harry and Meghan, who have left Archie at home
Karlie Kloss, pictured at the party, seemed to enjoy the night but there was clearly one moment when she was less than pleased
Though Katy Perry and other A-listers were present, there was no obvious sign of Harry and Meghan at the rehearsal dinner in Rome
Orlando Bloom, pictured with a friend, seemed to enjoy the night the most, smiling and giggling in several photos taken during the celebration
Santa Barbara native Katy Perry seemed to be the star of the show as she showcased her enviable figure in the clingy number
Despite arriving and leaving while surrounded by a throng of fellow guests, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom only had eyes for each other during the dinner
Giddy: The pair couldn’t contain their laughter as they giggled among themselves during the dinner, seemingly unaware of the people around them
Harry and Meghan were spotted arriving in Rome without their five-month-old son yesterday – their ninth flight in six weeks including four on board private jets.
A royal source told The Sun: ‘They did fly commercial [to Rome] as Meghan was a bit stung by the criticism over her and Harry’s use of private jets.’
Ahead of appeared high as the stars mingled with wedding guests at the rehearsal dinner the night before the ceremony today.
Princess Beatrice and her sister Eugenie are also expected to attend the nuptials, along with Harry and Meghan, though they too went unnoticed at the late-night party.
Katy Perry and fiance Orlando Bloom did attend, however, and were pictured engrossed in conversation with their fellow attendees – though the couple did find time to share a kiss.
Another couple who looked delighted to be at the event were Karlie Kloss and Joshua Kushner, who giggled together as they mingled with guests.
Royal correspondent Emily Andrews tweeted yesterday that Harry and Meghan were ‘seen arriving in Rome’ ahead of the nuptials, but there was no royal presence at the rehearsal dinner.
The Duke and Duchess reportedly travelled by commercial plane having left Archie at home and are enjoying some downtime ahead of their 10-day African royal tour, which kicks off on Monday.
Misha, who recently collaborated with the Duchess of Sussex on her Smart Works charity clothing range, has no shortage of famous friends and the wedding promises to be a glittering affair.
MailOnline contacted Buckingham Palace, with a spokesperson saying that they wouldn’t provide ‘comment on Their Royal Highnesses’s private schedule’.
Supplier trucks were this morning seen lining the winding roads outside the exclusive hilltop Villa Aurelia, pictured, where Misha, 31, is set to marry American financier Mikey Hess, son of an oil tycoon, at sunset
Orlando Bloom cut a casual but dapper figure while Katy Perry wowed in a stunning Chanel jumpsuit at the glitzy party
Deep in conversation: Following the rehearsal dinner, the songstress appeared to engage in an intense chat with a male pal
Katy Perry appeared to mingle with several fellow wedding guests ahead of the ceremony, which will take place at Europe’s largest film studio, the stunning Cinecittà
Busy bee: Katy Perry is currently planning a wedding of her own with her partner of four years, Orlando Bloom, and looked like she had embraced the wedding spirit
End of the night: Katy hopped into a black taxi as she made her way back to the temporary accommodation to get some beauty sleep for Misha’s big day
Effortless style: The artist ditched her signature heels in favour of a more dressed-down appearance as she strolled along the streets of the Italian city in a pair of two-tone flats
Itchy? At one point, Orlando Bloom appeared to pick at his nose as he waited for the food to be served at the pre-wedding dinner
Katy Perry draped a loving arm around her partner as they chatted to other guests attending Misha Nonoo’s wedding
Perry and Bloom are leading an A-list guest list for the wedding which will also see the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie attend
See you on Friday! The Wide Awake singer shared a goodbye hug with a friend as they headed to their next destination
Harry and Meghan are unlikely to be the only royals in attendance, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie among Misha’s close friends. Queen Rania of Jordan is also rumoured to be invited.
Supermodel Karlie Kloss is another friend of the bride, while husband Joshua Kushner is a close friend of the groom’s.
News outlets have reported that Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner might also have been invited, although it is unclear whether they are actually friends of the couple.
Perry and Bloom, who recently attended Ellie Goulding’s wedding, are expected to attended, as well as Oprah’s BFF and US TV host Gayle King, who was also invited to the Duchess of Sussex’s baby shower in February.
This will be the first marriage for Hess and the second for Nonoo, who was previously wed to Paddle8 founder Alexander Gilkes.
Designer Misha, who grew up in Bahrain, is believed to have set up the former actress on her first date with the Duke of Sussex in 2016, although this has never been confirmed.
She was one of the attendees at the Royal Wedding in May, and was a guest at the Duchess of Sussex’s baby shower in February.
Nonoo is the daughter of an Iraqi businessman and English mother, and at the age of 11 moved to London with her family.
She is also Jewish, as is Hess, whose grandfather Leon founded the multi-billion-dollar Hess Corporation.
Hess’ father John is now the CEO of the company.
It dos not seem that Hess will be joining the family business any time soon though, having worked at Goldman Sachs and the Royal Hashemite Court after graduating from Harvard and Harvard Business School, where he met best friend Josh Kushner.
He is currently an associate at KKR & Co.
Nonoo and Hess first made their relationship public at the royal wedding last year, and a few months later joined Kushner and his then-fiance Karlie Kloss for a trip down the Amalfi Coast on David Geffen’s yacht.
Misha boasts a whole host of famous friends alongside Prince Harry and Meghan.
In April of last year, she went to Jordan on holiday with an A-list group of celebrities, including Karlie Kloss and Ellie Goulding.
Misha has also known Prince Harry for years, as her ex-husband Alexander Gilkes, is rumoured to be one of his friends from Eton.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s close friend and rumoured matchmaker Misha Nonoo, 31, from New York, is set to marry her oil tycoon boyfriend Mikey Hess in an A-list ceremony in Rome (pictured at the royal wedding in May)
Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 38, are said to have ‘arrived in Rome’ ahead of the wedding (pictured earlier this summer in London)
The wedding venue Cinecittà features a full-scale replica of an ancient Roman square (pictured, set out for a private evening event)
Princess Eugenie, who is also a close friend of Misha’s, worked for Gilkes’ auction house, Paddle8 in New York from September 2013 until 2015.
Princess Eugenie, alongside Prince Harry and Princess Beatrice, were all in attendance for the couple’s wedding in 2012, with the couple going on to have split in 2016.
Princess Beatrice has already arrived in Italy ahead of the event, taking in the Amalfi Coast with boyfriend Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi earlier this week.
The 31-year-old royal and the millionaire property developer, 35, looked ‘very much in love’ as they spent time together in the exclusive cliff side village of Positano, on the Amalfi Coast, on Sunday.
Misha and her future-husband have planned the wedding in just six months, after Mikey proposed on Valentine’s Day this year.
In a photo posted on social media, he can be seen down on one knee proposing to his future bride on a boat during what appeared to be a romantic getaway to Cabo San Lucas.
They’re set to marry at Cinecittà studios, a huge and decadent film set which is the biggest in Europe.
Hollywood blockbusters including Gangs of New York and the Passion of the Christ were filmed there.
Just one of the features of the elaborate event space is an enormous replica of an ancient Roman square.
Misha is also believed to have designed her own wedding dress for the big day, a process that she called ‘stressful’.
‘When you’re doing a couture piece, it’s extremely difficult,’ Misha told DailyMail.com.
‘I think so much about my collection as pieces that are going to work on so many women.
‘But when you think about one piece that’s going to be worn by one person for one night, you have endless options of what you can do and I find that quite hard, having no parameters whatsoever.’
‘It’s still very minimal but more traditional,’ she teased.
‘Hopefully people like it! It’s not just [about] pleasing yourself.
‘When I get dressed every morning, I please myself.
‘I encourage other women to do the same; to look good for themselves so they can go about their daily life.’
Many couples who choose to get married at the venue opt for the event to take place in the decadent Roman square (an aisle set out in the square)
The film set provides an elaborate backdrop for private events, such as weddings, and can host hundreds of guests
The Duchess and Misha have been close friends for years, with the designer believed to be the matchmaker for Prince Harry and Meghan (pictured in 2015)
Speaking recently, Misha told how her friend hadn’t changed since marrying into the royal family.
‘From when I first met her, to a text that I would send yesterday or today, nothing has ever changed. Nothing,’ she said, in an interview with the New York Times.
‘From, you know, the handwritten thank-you letters that you receive, to never missing a birthday, an occasion, checking in.
‘You may think because someone’s so busy that they’re not there, but that has never changed, how genuinely thoughtful she is.’
Indeed the two are so close that Misha is rumoured to have been in the running for the role of Archie’s godmother.
A visit to Rome would mark the start of a whirlwind two weeks for the Duke of Duchess of Sussex, who are set to jet off on their first official royal tour as a family on September 23.
Harry and Meghan are said to have travelled to Italy – on what is their ninth plane journey in just over six weeks – without baby Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.
The pair are thought to be enjoying some downtime at the nuptials at Cinecittà film studios tomorrow before they begin their royal tour to South Africa on Monday.
Harry and Meghan were spotted arriving in Rome today, but Buckingham Palace refused to confirm whether they flew by a commercial or private jet.
However, a source told The Sun: ‘They did fly commercial as Meghan was a bit stung by the criticism over her and Harry’s use of private jets.’
The Sussexes attracted scorn last month for catching four private flights in 11 days to Ibiza and Nice, despite their vociferous campaigning on environmental issues.
Cinecittà studios, the A-List venue where Misha Nonoo and Mikey Hess will tie the knot, is home to the largest film studio in Europe and comes with its own ancient Roman square
Cinecittà studios is the largest film studio in Europe and features a huge replica of an ancient Roman square
Other parts of the Cinecittà studio include a small terrace style garden in which guests can relax
Meanwhile one of the other room features a huge swimming pool, which can be covered over and used as an indoors event space (pictured above)
Cinecittà studios are the biggest film studios in Europe, with blockbusters such as Gangs of New York and the Passion of Christ filmed there.
The studios’ event space is described online as ‘scenographic’ and ‘mythical’, with a variety of rooms available to host a large event.
The permanent set of Ancient Rome offers an enormous event space, set up like a Roman Trastevere square and a large outdoor terrace with a 160 square meter Winter Garden are among the decadent rooms in the studio.
One of the indoor spaces features a huge swimming pool, which can be covered over to create a private room with floor-to-ceiling screens.