Meghan Markle's close friend and 'secret rock' revealed

It's no secret that Meghan Markle has a whole host of famous gal pals, including long-time friends Serena Williams and Amal Clooney.

But it's been revealed that one of the Duchess' "dearest and closest friends" in the UK hadn't been fully recognised until now, despite Meghan relying on her as her "secret rock."

Publicist Izzy May has reportedly been one of the Duchess' closest confidantes in the two years since Meghan moved to London to be with now-husband Prince Harry, supporting the American-born royal through her move to the UK.

The pair met through a mutual friend, Soho House director Markus Anderson, whom many believe set up Harry and Meghan's first dates together.

From there it's said that the two women formed a close bond, and May even attended Meghan's royal wedding last year with Anderson, where she was sat in the second row on the bride's side – closer even than Oprah or the Clooneys.

May is clearly a treasured friend, but the sudden reveal of just how important she is to the Duchess has left many royal fans wondering why they'd never heard of her before.

"Izzy keeps their relationship really quiet and very much under the radar," a source told Daily Mail UK, adding that the 40-year-old publicist has never been one to boast of her royal connections.

"The time they spend together is private."

It helps that May shuns social media, where many of Meghan's close friends often share details of their relationship with the Duchess, allowing May to keep their friendship on the down low.

She values her friendship with Meghan so much that she refuses to use her royal connections for any kind of personal gain, and won't be sharing intimate details about the Duchess' private life any time soon.

Listen: Tune in to 9Honey's royal podcast, The Windsors, for more details on Meghan's famous friends.

It's something Meghan is deeply grateful for, according to the source; "Izzy is one of Meghan’s dearest and closest friends and she values her friendship so very much."

And Meghan isn't May's only famous friend, in fact she serves as a link between the Duchess and another set of British icons; the Beckhams.

May currently works as the chief marketing officer for David Backham's company DB Ventures, and clearly knows how to maintain great relationships with famous and important people.

The Beckhams were also at Meghan's wedding last year, and with this new connection it may only be a matter of time before May, Meghan and Victoria Beckham are brunching together in London.

Not that we'd know, of course – these ladies like to keep their private lives private.