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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World

Meghan Markle flies home by private jet after New York baby shower

The Duchess of Sussex flew home from New York today in a private jet after enjoying a baby shower with her closest friends.

Meghan, 37, boarded a Gulfstream G450 twin-jet plane, with a one-way trip costing around £95,000, and headed back to the UK.

The duchess, who is expecting her first child in the spring, will be up in the air again this weekend when she joins husband Prince Harry on an official visit to Morocco.

Meghan arrived in New York on Friday night for a supposedly “secret” trip to visit her friends.

Fashion designer Misha Nonoo steps out for Meghan's baby shower at the lavish Mark Hotel (REUTERS)

The main event was an intimate baby shower hosted by Amal Clooney and Serena Williams.

After the soiree, which was attended by her close friends Gayle King and Jessica Mulroney, Meghan went to the airport last night.

Jessica Mulroney arrives for the bash as snow falls on New York (AP)

It is not known if Mrs Clooney, the lawyer wife of Hollywood actor George, was with the duchess on the return flight.

The duchess was accompanied by two personal protection officers during the visit. They were assisted by US State Department officers during the five-night visit.

Amal Clooney pictured arriving for the Duchess of Sussex's baby shower (AP)

Meghan’s baby shower was held in a £57,000-a-night penthouse suite at the exclusive hotel The Mark on the Upper East Side.

She also enjoyed a meal with friends at Ralph Lauren’s luxury restaurant The Polo Bar, in what is believed to be her visit to New York since her wedding to Prince Harry last May.

Meghan and Markus Anderson at a dinner prior to the baby shower

Kensington Palace confirmed that Meghan’s trip had been privately funded as it was a personal getaway.

The Gulfstream G450 used by the duchess has a 16-passenger capacity.

According to Haute Living, it is also considered to have the most advanced flight decks in business aviation, with 14-inch liquid crystal display screens arranged in a landscape format and an Enhanced Vision System to present pilots with a clear picture of runway markings, taxiways and the surrounding landscape at night or in deteriorating weather conditions - like the snow and ice in New York on Wednesday.

It also boasts a shower, a three-person divan, and a full galley with a convection oven should any of the passengers require an in-flight meal.

And there will have been plenty of room for the many gifts seen being delivered to Meghan’s hotel ahead of the shower.

A £95 mandarin tree, a £289 travel crib and a children’s bicycle believed to be worth around £460 were among the items seen being brought into The Mark in the hours leading up to the celebration.

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