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Fact check: Was Megan Markel married to Joe Giuliano and have a child with him?
Executive Summary
Multiple reporting threads since 2018 have touched on rumors that Meghan Markle was married to or had a child with a man variously named Joe Giuliano or Joseph Goldberg‑Giuliano. Contemporary fact checks and reporting find no credible evidence that Markle was ever married to a Joe/Joseph Giuliano or that she has a secret child with him; her verified marriages are to Trevor Engelson (2004–2013) and Prince Harry (married 2018), and her publicly confirmed children are with Prince Harry [1] [2]. Recent 2025 articles raised new allegations but the available coverage describes them as unverified and lacking corroboration; journalists who revisited the claim concluded the allegations are speculative and unsupported by documented proof [3] [4].
1. Why the Joe/Joseph Giuliano story keeps resurfacing and what’s actually claimed
The narrative has reappeared in mid–2025 amid online chatter and a handful of articles asserting Meghan Markle had a "secret daughter" with a man identified as Joseph Goldberg‑Giuliano or Joe Giuliano; some items framed him as a former partner who allegedly married Markle prior to her public relationships. These pieces repeat the core claim—Markle secretly married and parented a child—but differ on sourcing and certainty. Reporting from June and August 2025 characterized the allegations as rumor-driven and unsupported, noting the absence of verifiable documentation, credible eyewitness accounts, or photographic evidence tying Markle to Goldberg‑Giuliano [3] [2]. Earlier background reporting identifies a Joe Giuliano as an ex‑boyfriend in Markle’s pre‑fame life but does not describe any marriage or children [5].
2. What established records and credible biographies say about Markle’s marriages and children
Public, verifiable records and mainstream biographical reporting list Meghan Markle’s marriages as Trevor Engelson (2004–2013) and Prince Harry (2018–present), and her two children as born to her and Prince Harry; no marriage or registered birth record linking Markle to any Joe or Joseph Giuliano has been produced in the credible reporting summarized here. A December 2022 debunking review explicitly stated there is no proof that Markle was married to a Joe Giuliano and reaffirmed her known marital history, using public records and credible reporting as the basis for that finding [1]. The absence of official documentation is a central reason multiple outlets treat the new 2025 claims as unverified.
3. How journalists treating the 2025 allegations framed evidence and credibility
Coverage in June and August 2025 repeatedly labels the "secret marriage/secret child" claims as unverified and grounded in unnamed sources, hearsay, or internet speculation rather than independently confirmable facts. Several articles emphasize that no corroborating photos, legal documents, or reliable eyewitness testimony have been produced, and that Markle herself has not confirmed any such claim [3] [2]. One piece notes that a lighthearted public comment by Markle about a fictitious "secret third baby" called Honsworth was treated as jest and not evidence, illustrating how offhand remarks can be conflated with factual claims in rumor cycles [4].
4. Conflicting labels, possible motives, and what people should watch for next
Reports contain inconsistent naming (Joe Giuliano, Joseph Goldberg‑Giuliano) and varying levels of certainty; this inconsistency is a red flag for weak sourcing. Outlets repeating the story often include qualifiers that the allegations lack proof, suggesting motivations may include traffic, sensationalism, or leveraging public interest in Markle rather than delivering verified news [3] [2]. Reliable next steps for verification would be production of primary documents—marriage certificates or birth records—or statements from credible, named witnesses; absent those, mainstream fact‑checking and prior debunking remain the strongest available basis for judging the claim as unsupported [1].
5. Bottom line: what the facts support and what remains unproven
The established facts are that Meghan Markle has two confirmed marriages (Engelson and Prince Harry) and two publicly acknowledged children with Prince Harry; no credible evidence produced to date proves a marriage or child with anyone named Joe/Joseph Giuliano. Multiple recent articles revisiting the allegation conclude it is baseless or speculative, and mainstream debunking dating back to 2022 reached the same conclusion after reviewing public records and reporting [1] [3]. Until verifiable primary evidence appears, the claim that Markle was married to Joe/Joseph Giuliano and had a child with him remains unproven and contradicted by established public records [1] [2].