Meghan Markle’s Parents and Details of Her Romantic Relationships Before Prince Harry

Quick Facts

Upon her engagement to Prince Harry of the United Kingdom, Meghan Markle made history as the first American to be officially engaged to a British royal and on May 17, 2018, the pair tied the knot. She subsequently became the first American to be given the title “Her Royal Highness”.

There’s definitely sufficient coverage on her life as Prince Harry’s wife but Miss Markle sure had a life in the spotlight before prince charming swept her off her feet. Even though all of that fades out when compared to what she has now, it’s something that many would find interesting. She used to be a Hollywood actress and lifestyle blogger mostly known for TV series Suits and her website known as The Tig. Giving up her Hollywood career may be one of the sacrifices Meghan has to make as a royal but who needs Hollywood royalty when you can be a real-life royal?

Ever since her name got linked to Prince Harry’s, Meghan’s life – past and present, has been under public scrutiny, not in a negative way though. We explore her family background and relationship timeline before she became a part of the prestigious English Royal family.

An Insight Into Her Birth Family Background

Meghan Markle was raised as an only child following her birth on August 4th 1981, in Los Angeles, California, USA. She was raised in one of the most affluent African-American neighbourhoods in the US, the View Park-Windsor Hills often referred to as the ‘Black Beverly Hills’.

Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Sr., is a descendant of Dutch, English, and Irish settlers. According to the former actress, her father is Caucasian while her mother, Doria Ragland, is African-American which leaves her in-between two races. This is why she describes herself as half black and half white. As a result of her mixed heritage, Meghan faced some difficulties getting movie roles early in her career as she was either considered too light for the black roles or too dark for the white ones.

Meghan is notably close to her mother who used to serve as a social worker and yoga instructor. While her mother resides in View Park–Windsor Hills, California, her father, resides in Rosarito, Mexico. Her father may have influenced her career path as he was once a television director of photography and lighting director. Now retired, Thomas used to have his daughter tag along while working on the set of Married…with Children.

Meghan was only six when her parents pulled the plug on their marriage. Through her father’s earlier marriage to a woman named Roslyn Loveless, she got older half-siblings – Samantha Markle and Thomas Markle Jr. but does not relate well with them. her relationship with her father is also strained to say the least.

Meghan Markle’s Relationship Timeline Pre-Harry

Trevor Engelson (Married – 2011–2013)

Meghan’s first known relationship was with LA-based producer Trevor Engelson. They were in a relationship for about six years, having the time of their lives with no hitches. However, after a lavish beach-side wedding ceremony in September 2011 that lasted for days in Jamaica, trouble entered their paradise. Thus, the marriage only lasted for two years before they filed for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. The suspected cause of the rift between them is her Suits gig which she landed shortly after getting married to Engelson. The TV series took her to Toronto for filming while Trevor stayed in Los Angeles. A long way from each other, they probably grew apart.

Rory McIlroy (2014)

Meghan’s alleged relationship with the Irish pro golfer started making the rounds when they were often spotted together in 2014. They went on dinner dates together, gallivanting around New York City and Dublin and even shared a suggestive video of their bucket challenge together. Nevertheless, nothing was confirmed by the two.

Cory Vitiello (2014-2016)

The last man linked to Meghan before she found love again with Prince Harry, Cory Vitello, is a celebrity chef. It was during a visit to The Harbord Room owned by Cory that the two met and hit it off. They started their romance shortly afterwards and even lived together in Toronto. She also wrote about Cory’s career on her lifestyle blog at the time but all the fun they had together could not keep them forever. They went their separate ways after two years and not long after that, Prince Charming came into the picture and has maintained his stance.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.