Meghan Markle‘s been a celebrity for years, but she didn’t turn into a global phenomenon until she met Prince Harry.
In mid-2016, the Suits star welcomed in a completely new kind of celebrity after she began her romance with the younger Royal son, and in the years since she’s endured a scrutiny almost no one else is subject too. She’s been decorating headlines, of both legitimate papers and toxic tabloids, for nearly a decade now, and the endless probing is responsible, in part, for Meghan and her hubby’s decision to step back from Royal life.
Before she welcomed in a new era of life with her Royal romance, Markle was just like any other Hollywood star. She wasn’t flirting with mega-fame, but she was getting work, and while she was appearing in Fringe, Suits, and Horrible Bosses, she was also enjoying a much more low-key love life. She kept her dating to those Hollywood inner-circles, as do many stars, and even tied the knot once before she found her forever in the Duke of Sussex.
Meghan Markle’s first husband
Meghan Markle’s love life didn’t begin the moment she met Prince Harry. The now-43-year-old enjoyed a healthy romantic history ahead of meeting the father of her children, but she’s always been a “forever” kind of girl.
That much is clear when you examine her previous relationships — or relationship, if you boil it down. While he’s not the only man she’s ever dated outside of Harry, Meghan’s always had her eye on forever. She started dating Trevor Engelson, a film producer responsible for releases like the televised Snowfall and 2010’s Remember Me, in 2004, and stayed loyal to her former flame for years.
The pair dated from 2004 to mid-2011, when they tied the knot in a gorgeous Jamaican ceremony. They enjoyed a relatively short-lived marriage, but ended on far better terms than many Hollywood couplings. After right around three years of marriage, Markle and Engelson separated in July of 2013, and by February of 2014 their no-fault divorce was finalized.
Following her first marriage, Markle enjoyed a brief romance with celebrity chef Cory Vitiello, who she dated from 2014 to May of 2016. It was right around then that she met Prince Harry — and the rest, as they say, is well-reported history.
