Did Meghan Markle have any common-law marriages or long-term partners before Harry?
Executive summary
Meghan Markle was legally married once before Prince Harry — to film producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 until they separated in 2013 and divorced in 2014 [1] [2]. Reporting and biographical accounts also document several long-term relationships and live‑in partnerships before Harry, most notably with Canadian chef Cory Vitiello (reported as a live‑in relationship that lasted about two years) and earlier steady relationships dating back to high school and college [3] [4] [5].
1. A confirmed prior marriage: Trevor Engelson
Meghan Markle’s only documented legal marriage prior to Prince Harry was to Trevor Engelson. The pair married in 2011, separated in 2013 and their divorce was finalized in 2014; contemporary biographies and encyclopedias list that marriage as an established fact [2] [1].
2. Long-term, live‑in partner: Cory Vitiello
Multiple outlets report that Meghan dated Canadian chef and restaurateur Cory Vitiello after her divorce and that they lived together in Toronto; their relationship is commonly described as lasting roughly two years and ending in 2016, immediately before she began dating Harry [4] [3] [6]. Sources quote Vitiello and his family as describing the split as amicable and private [4].
3. Earlier steady relationships: college and high school partners
Biographers and news profiles name earlier serious relationships: a high‑school boyfriend, Luis Segura, and a college relationship with Steve Lepore among others. These are presented in profiles compiled by reporters and biographers rather than as legal unions, and coverage treats them as part of a conventional dating history rather than formal domestic partnerships [5] [7] [8].
4. Shorter links and rumours: Rory McIlroy and others
Press coverage has carried rumors and brief links — for example, speculative reports about golfer Rory McIlroy in 2014 — but many such items are described as unconfirmed or speculative in the sources. Outlets note that some alleged relationships were never formally acknowledged by both parties [9] [10].
5. What “common‑law marriage” means here — and what sources say
None of the provided reporting describes Meghan as having been in a legally recognized common‑law marriage prior to Harry. Sources indicate a legal first marriage (Engelson) and later a live‑in relationship (Vitiello) but do not claim a common‑law marriage status for Markle in any jurisdiction [1] [3] [4]. Available sources do not mention Meghan holding a formal common‑law marriage status before marrying Harry.
6. Media treatment and potential agendas in the reporting
Coverage of Markle’s dating past has been thorough and sometimes sensational. Tabloids have at times pushed unverified claims [11] [6]. Biographers like Andrew Morton provided early profiles that media outlets recycled; personal details from ex‑partners’ interviews have been selectively used to frame narratives about Markle’s suitability for royalty [5] [2]. Readers should note that celebrity coverage often mixes confirmed facts (marriage/divorce dates) with anecdotes and rumours.
7. Limits of the current reporting
The sources consistently document one prior legal marriage and several long‑term relationships, but they do not offer exhaustive private legal records or statements from Meghan enumerating every partnership [1] [3]. If you are asking specifically about legally recognized common‑law marriage, the sources provided do not report any such status for Meghan before she married Prince Harry.
8. Bottom line for your question
Meghan Markle had one prior legal marriage (Trevor Engelson) and at least one documented live‑in, long‑term partnership (Cory Vitiello) before Prince Harry; reporting and biographies list other steady relationships earlier in her life. The provided sources do not state that she ever held a common‑law marriage status prior to marrying Harry [2] [4] [3].