meghan markle
Meghan Markle and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge Chris Jackson/Getty

Bride-to-be Meghan Markle has set off on her hen do today with a group of close friends said to include Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh and fashion designer Misha Nonoo.

The former Suits actress, 36, is reported to be celebrating her forthcoming nuptials at a luxury spa retreat in a break from ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry on 19 May at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

The exact location of the five-star retreat cannot be disclosed due to security reasons, but Mackintosh, 28, is thought to be one of the guests after befriending the future-royal.

One very special person to Markle is missing out on the occasion, however, and that is her mother Doria Radlan.

The yoga instructor, 61, has a very close relationship with her daughter, but will remain in Los Angeles, it is understood.

Another person who Markle has grown very close to in recent months and will not be at the hen party is the Duchess of Cambridge, who is now seven months pregnant with her third child. She is to spend the weekend resting.

The woman who is rumoured to have set the couple up, Violet von Westenholz – one of Harry's close childhood friends – is also presumed to be at the hen.

Markle previously joked about holding the event in Cardiff after she visited the city with Harry, 33. After a little girl asked her if she would have her hen party in the Welsh capital, she reportedly said: "I bet that would be a lot of fun."

She also said during her visit to Edinburgh that the hen party was "sorted but it will be fun."

While Mackintosh is thought to be one of the people who helped her settle into UK life, Markle met Nonoo while sitting next to each other at a Miami lunch a few years ago.

Meghan Markle
Megan Markle attends Misha Nonoo fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 the at Center 548 on February 14, 2015 in New York City Monica Schipper / Getty Images