Couple’s fashionable lZaa"XdccZXiZY ÒmZg
WHEN IT comes to matchmakers, you can’t do better than those of the Jewish persuasion. Or at least that’s what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might be thinking, as news emerges that they appear to have been set up by their very own — amateur —shadchan.
Fashion designer Misha Nonoo is the Jewish best friend of Ms Markle, and is said to have introduced the actress to her prince in 2016. The royal couple were keen to protect the identity of their “matchmaker” in their first official interview after they announced their engagement this week.
Apparently speaking about her, without giving away any names, Prince Harry said: “It was through her and then we met once and then twice back to back — two dates in London, last July. And then it was, I think, about three, maybe four weeks later that I managed to persuade her to come and join me in Botswana.
“We camped out with each other under the stars — she came and joined me for five days out there, which was absolutely fantastic.”
Ms Nonoo — who was born in Bahrain to an Iraqi father and English mother — is no stranger to public praise. In 2013, she was named in Forbes magazine’s “30 under 30” list of influential young people.
She was raised in London and educated in Paris. Now based in New York, she has her own clothing brand.
Her ready-towear styles are a favourite of Ms Markle, who wore a Misha Nonoo shirt during her first public
Misha Nonoo appearance with Prince Harry, at the Invictus Games earlier this year. Fellow actresses Emma Watson and Cate Blanchett are also fans of her designs. Tamara Corin, stylist and former JC fashion editor, said: “It’s no surprise Meghan Markle is a big fan. Misha Nonoo’s clothes are made to be elegant, versatile and never go out of fashion. “Nonoo pioneered Instagram fashion shows and is a strong player in keeping fashion modern and available for all through social media.
Ms Nonoo became the first fashion designer to debut a runway collection on Instagram in 2015 and shared her autumn line on Snapchat the following year.
In 2016, she was named by the National Council of Jewish Women New York as one of its three “Women Who Dared”, praising her “entrepreneurial spirit”. Speaking to the Crain’s New York business website, Ms Nonoo said: “Some people tend to put down fashion and see it as something frivolous, but the one thing that every single person, every single day, has to do is get up and get dressed. I love how you can express your individualism through clothing.” Ms Nonoo is divorced from British socialite Alexander Gilkes, the co-founder of New York-based online auction house Paddle8. Mr Gilkes knows Prince Harry from Eton and is said to be good friends with his cousin, Princess Eugenie. Ms Nonoo attended Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton in 2011 and is expected to be a guest at Prince Harry and Ms Markle’s nuptials. Her aunt is Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, the first female Bahraini ambassador to the United States and the first Jewish envoy of any Arab country.