There’s no denying that Meghan Markle’s most famous romance will always be her marriage to Prince Harry but the star also has several public exes who she dated before finding love with the royal.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met in 2016 when Markle was still starring in his legal drama Suits. After a whirlwind romance, the couple married in 2018 in a ceremony watched by millions around the world.
Their love story has been filled with trials and tribulations as they navigated life in the royal family before giving up their royal roles in 2020 to embark on their life in the US.
With so many books, documentaries and tell-all interviews that have given us insight into their relationship, it is hard to remember Markle’s love life before Harry. But just like her husband, whose high-profile romances were well-documented before his marriage, Markle has had her share of romances in front of, and out of, the public eye.
See Meghan Markle’s full dating history below:
Luis Segura
According to royal biographer Andrew Morton’s 2018 book, Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, Markle’s first relationship was during high school when she dated her friend’s brother, Luis Segura, for two years, via Express.
Morton claims that Markle and Segura were set up by his sister and the actress was close with the whole family, even going to prom with Segura’s brother in 1988. The pair ended things on good terms before Markle headed to college.
Steve Lepore
During her first year at Northwestern University, Markle reportedly dated Steve Lepore.
The duo split after the Ohio native, pictured here on the left, transferred to Wake Forest University to play basketball. According to Morton’s biography, “[Markle’s] association with Lepore raised her stock with her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sisters, who were impressed that she had snared such a hottie.”
Shaun Zaken
Before finding mainstream fame, Markle reportedly dated fellow Northwestern University alum Shaun Zaken in 2003. The pair met at college and, per Daily Mail, dated for six months the year Markle graduated.
Zaken went on to work briefly as a comedy writer but seems to have left Hollywood in the years since.
Brett Ryland
After graduation, Markle is believed to have dated TV actor, writer and producer Brett Ryland, pictured here with his now-wife, What to Expect When You’re Expecting star Mimi Gianopulos.
Markle and Ryland reportedly broke up after five months together.
In 2023, Ryland wrote and produced The Good Half, starring Nick Jonas.
Trevor Engelson
In 2004, Markle, then 23, met her first husband, film producer Trevor Engelson, then 28. Per Business Insider, the couple got married in 2011 at the Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
Markle and Engelson split in 2013 citing “irreconcilable differences” and were granted a “no fault” divorce. Neither have spoken about the cause of their split but Markle did land her role on the show “Suits” shortly after they wed and moved from LA to Toronto for filming.
In 2019, the Snowfall producer married millionaire heiress Tracey Kurland.
Cory Vitiello
After finalizing her divorce, Markle reportedly began dating Canadian celebrity chef Cory Vitiello (left). The pair dated for two years and even lived together at a point but seemingly split shortly before Markle met Harry.
Vitiello briefly discussed their romance in a 2018 interview with the Daily Mail.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Meghan and, from my end, to make it seem like I’m part of the story would seem self-serving and opportunistic,” he said. “I’m pleased for Meghan. She’s a great girl. There is no bitterness. I respect people’s private and personal lives, and although she has put herself in the public spectrum, I still hold to that.”
Prince Harry
Markle was introduced to Prince Harry through a mutual friend in 2016 and dated privately before their romance became public.
“We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news,” Markle shared in a 2017 interview with Vanity Fair.
“We’re a couple. We’re in love,” she explained. “We’re happy. Personally, I love a great love story.”
The couple got engaged later that year and tied the knot in 2018. Their son, Archie, was born in 2019 and they welcomed daughter Lilibet in 2021.
Leave a Comment