
‘I'm a perfectionist’: Serena Williams opens up about planning Duchess Meghan’s baby shower
By Meaghan Wray
It’s tough to forget the most iconic baby shower of the year. In February, Duchess Meghan flew out to New York City – the perfect meeting point for her North American friends such as Jessica Mulroney and Abigail Spencer – to celebrate her the impending birth of her royal baby. Serena Williams, the project’s master coordinator, has recently opened up about what it took to plan the occasion.
“Planning something like that takes a lot of effort,” the tennis legend told Business of Fashion. “I’m a perfectionist, so I’m like, ‘Let’s make it perfect.’” Perfect it she did, from the lux location of The Mark hotel to sweet treats envisioned by chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The mom-to-one even planned a flower-arranging session, which was likely a hit for Meghan, who is a lover of beautiful blooms.
Fresh flowers arrived at The Mark hotel for Meghan's baby shower flower arranging class. Photo: © Getty Images
On top of delicious munchies and activities for the soon-to-be mom, Serena made sure to send invites to some members of her BFF’s inner circle – such as makeup artist Daniel Martin (who perfected her wedding day look!), A-list mom and lawyer Amal Clooney, fashion designer and rumoured royal couple Cupid Misha Nonoo, Oprah Winfrey’s best friend and journalist Gayle King and many others.
Meghan and her Suits co-star Abigail Spencer enjoyed some time together. Photo: © Getty Images
Gayle, who is CBS This Morning’s co-anchor, opened up about the fun affair the following morning on the show. “I hope she won't mind me sharing this because I've never seen anything like this at a baby shower,” she said. “They did flower decorations. They had flower arranging. They brought in somebody to explain how to arrange flowers.”
Gayle added that all of the arrangements were donated to Repeat Roses, which was Meghan’s charitable idea. “It just speaks to who she is,” the mother of two gushed. “She’s kind, she’s very generous. And a really, really sweet person.”
Markus Anderson joined his royal friend for an evening at Polo Bar. Photo: © Getty Images
In addition to the exciting baby shower, the Duchess of Sussex also enjoyed a couple of nights out on the town with her close friends. The 37-year-old, who was clearly enjoying being back on American turf, was spotted out for Parisian high tea with Good Morning America stylist Jessica, and dined at SoHo’s Ladurée in a private dining space. She and Markus Anderson met with mutual friends at Polo Bar in Midtown, too.
Baby Sussex, Meghan’s first child with Prince Harry, is due any day, according to reports!