Duke and Duchess of Sussex fly to Italy for wedding of friend Misha Nonoo
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have travelled to Rome to celebrate the wedding of fashion designer Misha Nonoo, as they take a last-minute break from preparing for their official tour in Africa.
The Duke and Duchess, who flew to Italy commercially, are understood to be travelling without their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.
They landed on Thursday, with time to relax before the glamorous wedding celebrations begin on Friday.
Nonoo, who collaborated with the duchess on her capsule wardrobe for the Smart Works charity, is preparing to marry oil tycoon Michael Hess.
Nonoo has been credited with introducing American former actress Meghan Markle to Prince Harry after setting them up on a blind date in 2016, but has always declined to confirm any involvement.
She was previously married to the duke's friend Alexander Gilkes.
Last week, the Duchess was photographed hugging Nonoo at the launch of the Smart Works fashion collection, with the designer later speaking warmly of her friend in a series of interviews.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are also expected at the star-studded nuptials in Italy, along with Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom and model Karlie Kloss, according to the New York Post.
Part of the A-list event is reported to be held at Cinecittà, Italy's biggest film studio which is on the outskirts of Rome.
It dates back to the 1930s but its heyday came in the 1950s and 1960s when it was used by leading Italian directors such as Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini.
Big budget epics such as Cleopatra (1963) and Ben-Hur (1959) were shot there, earning it the nickname 'Hollywood on the Tiber'.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
It is the latest in a series of overseas trips for the Sussexes this summer. They have previously enjoyed holidays in Ibiza and to Nice to stay with Sir Elton John.
The trips, in August, saw the couple criticised for hypocrisy over their use of private jets, while the Duke campaigns to save the environment.
On Monday, the Duke, Duchess and Archie will arrive in Cape Town to begin a ten-day tour of South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Malawi.
