Meghan Markle's best friends pose up a storm at intimate Montecito dinner for female founders - but Duchess of Sussex is nowhere to be seen

Daily Mail​

19-06-2025

Meghan Markle's besties posed up a storm at a luxury dinner for female founders - but the Duchess of Sussex was nowhere to be seen.
Abigail Spencer and Delfina Blaquier - both of whom appeared on their longtime friend's Netflix series With Love, Meghan - were among the 'Montecito Girls' in attendance at the intimate gathering hosted by shoe designer Jamie Haller.
The influencers shared a series of snaps and photos from the stunning event commemorating the opening of the Californian brand's first store.
Flowers, personalised name-cards and curated menus all channeled a very As Ever aesthetic - but Meghan herself didn't appear to be present, possibly busy with the launch of her upcoming site restock.
Food from trendy Italian restaurant Ospi coated the tales, including pizzas, pastas and al fresco antipasti perfect for the summer evening, while local vineyard Coquelicot Wines provided drinks.
Complementing the porch set-up, candles adorned the setting while guests - which included fashion company owners from the area, such as Clare Vivier, Janessa Leoné, Emily Current and Meritt Elliott - enjoyed conversing.
Social media posts from the night also featured a speech made by Jamie, as supporters gushed of their pride of her entrepreneurial drive.
Meghan's former Suits co-star Abigail, 43, has been pals with the Duchess after they first met in 2007 at an audition; but they became closer once they became co-stars on the legal drama.
The influencers shared a series of snaps and photos from the stunning event commemorating the opening of the Californian brand's first store
The Duchess played Rachel Zane - a paralegal who later became an attorney - in the series and Abigail was cast as lawyer Dana Scott.
Elsewhere Delfina Figueras, 44, bonded with Meghan as she is the socialite wife of Harry's polo-playing chum Nacho Figueras.
Both she and Delfina took a myriad of selfies and videos from the event, boasting of a 'good start to a good night'.
While Abigail sported a double denim ensemble, and accentuated her raven tresses with a bold red lip, Delfina contrasted her blonde locks with a black monochrome look.
The duo huddled up close in snaps from the day - but Meghan may have likely been absent as she's busy following her release date for her new set of As Ever products, which is just days away.
The Duchess took to Instagram on Monday evening to tease the 'delicious surprises' that will be in store during the second launch of her lifestyle brand.
And she revealed that the products - which will also include previous 'favourites' - will be back even sooner than previously thought, with the restock going live on Friday, June 30 at 8am.
She wrote on her As Ever Instagram account: 'Oh yes, honey…sweet things await. Mark your calendars for June 20 at 8 a.m. PT - we're bringing back your favorites, plus some delicious surprises you won't want to miss!'
She added a picture of a stock of pancakes, topped with sweet raspberries and a generous drizzle of honey.
As implied by the caption, Meghan's honey will be set to make a return - and it's likely her famous jam will also be up for grabs.
In a newsletter to fans, she added: 'First off, a sincere thank you for making the debut of As ever absolutely extraordinary. We had a feeling there would be excitement, but to see everything sell out in less than an hour was an amazing surprise.
'We are pleased to share that on June 20th, we're going live with the products you love – plus, some new delicious surprises.'
And posting on her personal Instagram account, she said 'so much love has gone into this'.
After reports she had decided to 'pause' restocking the line, Meghan earlier this month revealed that As Ever would indeed be making a return.
Alongside a snapshot of bowls of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries resting on a kitchen countertop, she wrote: 'To all who've been wondering and waiting, thank you!
'Your favorites are returning, plus a few NEW things we can't wait to show you. Coming this month... get excited!'
The original As Ever range went on sale in March and products sold out within half an hour of going live.
Meghan's first line of products included raspberry spread, honey, herbal tea and ready made crepe mix - all of which received a less than stellar review by Daily Mail's FEMAIL team.
The shock announcement of an initial restock came shortly after she released a bonus episode of her podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder where Meghan told of the difficulties of building her firm and 'tears' she has shed behind the scenes to Beyonce's mother Tina Knowles.
She said of the April launch of As Ever goods including jam that a 'scarcity mentality at the beginning might be a hook for people,' comparing it to 'a sneaker drop'.
But Meghan feared it might be 'annoying' for customers, adding: 'I don't want you to eat that jam once every six months. I want that to be on your shelf all the time.'
The Duchess said: 'So for me at the moment, with As Ever, it was great. We planned for a year we get and then everything sells out in 45 minutes.
'Yes, amazing, great news. Then what do you do? And then you say 'Ok, we planned as best as we could. Are we going to replenish and sell out again in an hour? Or is that annoying as a customer?
'I'm looking at it saying "Just pause. That happened. Let's wait until we are completely stable and we have everything we need."'
Just a few weeks prior, the mother-of two had hinted that she might never restock her jam in an interview with a US business magazine which said she was planning to 'step back to assess' her brand.
In the interview - given to coincide with the final episode of Confessions of a Female Founder - the Fast Company said Meghan wanted to 'step back, gather data from the launch, and figure out exactly what As Ever could be.'
Her previous store sold out in 45 minutes and contained homely items as well as her long-awaited pots of jam.
Addressing her first online shop, Meghan said Netflix agreed that rather than market her products under their brand, it would make sense for her to have her own store.
Meghan also reportedly plans to add hotels and restaurants to her As Ever lifestyle brand.
The Duchess is said to be trademarking her brand As Ever for 'hospitality services', The Sun first reported.
This will allegedly include places to stay, as well as temporary lodgings and 'provision of food and drink', the newspaper revealed last week.
Meghan could dish up a selection of her own edible creations, incorporating recipes she featured on her recent Netflix eight-part cooking show With Love, Meghan.
Brand experts have claimed hotels and restaurants fit in nicely with the Duchess' business brand.
Her lifestyle brand's website states: 'As Ever is more than a brand - it's a love language.
'Created by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, As Ever welcomes you to a collection of products, each inspired by her long-lasting love of cooking, entertaining and hostessing.'
Meghan's representatives previously declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.