5 People Meghan Markle Allegedly Cut Off When She Rose to Stardom, Royal Life
Meghan Markle has cut ties with several people over the years, especially after she made major milestones in her life.
The Duchess of Sussex has lost several friends and even family members at different points in her life. Some she reportedly left when she scored her breakthrough role in the legal drama "Suits," others after her engagement and royal wedding to Prince Harry. Here are some of them.
Piers Morgan
Piers Morgan, an English broadcaster, journalist, writer and social media personality, is an open critic of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. However, he was once a friend of the former actress.
In a 2018 appearance on Ireland's "Late Late Show," Morgan recounted how he met Markle in 2016 on the same night she was introduced to Prince Harry. They reportedly had a good time, but when her romance with Prince Harry got serious, he never heard back from her again.
"We spent two hours in a pub, she had a couple of dirty martinis, I had a couple of pints, we got on brilliantly. And then I put her in a cab, and it turned out to be a cab which took her to a party where she met Prince Harry. And the next night, they had a solo dinner together, and that was the last I heard from Meghan Markle," he said.
"I have never heard from her again," he added with a laugh.
When host Ryan Tubridy pressed on for more details, Morgan had nothing more to share.
"She ghosted me, Ryan," Morgan said. "Meghan Markle ghosted me."
Lizzie Cundy
Lizzie Cundy, a British socialite and TV personality, also rubbed elbows with Markle before the latter met the Duke of Sussex at a pre-awards dinner hosted by mobile phone tycoon John Caudwell. According to the TV presenter, when they met, Markle reportedly told her she wanted to be on an English reality show and settle in London. The "Horrible Bosses" actress also reportedly wanted an English boyfriend.
"We were having a chat and then she said: 'Do you know any famous guys? I'm single and I really love English men.' So I said: 'We'll go out and find you someone,'" Cundy said, recounting their conversation.
Cundy added she suggested Ashley Cole, but Markle said her friends advised her to stay away from the footballer. When she returned to Canada, Markle dated high-profile chef Cory Vitiello. They were together from 2014 to 2016. When Cundy heard about Markle and Prince Harry's royal romance, she texted her.
"I texted saying: 'Oh my God, I heard about Harry.' And she was like: 'Yeah, I know. We'll try and hook up.' She was probably told by the Palace to end contact with people she befriended in the media,'" Cundy shared. "I was literally ghosted by her."
Thomas Markle Sr.
Markle spoke fondly of her father before she joined the royal family. He was set to walk her down the aisle on her big day, but weeks before the event, the former lighting director staged photos for his financial gain and eventually canceled his attendance at the royal wedding. The father and daughter have not spoken to each other since.
In a recent interview, Markle's estranged father said he wanted to hear from his daughter on his 80th birthday. He will celebrate his milestone birthday on July 18. However, the Markle patriarch also admitted that reconciliation was unlikely to happen. Markle Sr. has never met Markle's children -- Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3 -- and husband, Prince Harry.
"I've never been one for birthdays, but I know the one person I most want to hear from, Meghan, won't be in touch," he told the Daily Mail. "I would love to meet my grandchildren, but I would be happy with a photograph at this stage."
Jessica Mulroney
Jessica Mulroney, a Canadian stylist and marketing consultant, was among Markle's close friends. Mulroney helped Markle keep her royal romance with Prince Harry from the public when they were in Canada. She was invited to Markle and Prince Harry's special day and her three children were even among the bridal entourage.
However, the duchess and the socialite reportedly had a falling out after Mulroney was accused of making a tone-deaf remark about "white privilege" in June 2020. At the time, Markle was allegedly already upset with Mulroney because she thought her ex-BFF was "benefitting" from exploiting their friendship.
"Life changes. You lose love. You lose friends. You lose pieces of yourself that you never imagined would be gone. And then, without even realizing it, those pieces come back. New love enters. Better friends come along. And a stronger, wiser you, is staring back in the mirror," Mulroney shared on Instagram amid the speculations that her friendship with Markle was over, the Mirror reported.
Trevor Engelson
Markle was previously married to producer Trevor Engelson before Prince Harry. In the book "Meghan, A Hollywood Princess" by Andrew Morton, he detailed their love story and how she allegedly ended their marriage.
Markle and Engelson had an intimate wedding in Jamaica in 2011. One bridesmaid said it was a "moving wedding." However, as her acting career took off, he was "treading water" and Markle allegedly shocked their pals and her now ex-husband by ending their marriage "totally out of the blue." They divorced in 2013, just two years later after they exchanged "I dos."
"Trevor went from cherishing Meghan to, as one friend observed, 'feeling like he was a piece of something stuck to the bottom of her shoe.'" Morton wrote, per Fox News. "A wealthy entrepreneur friend claimed the marriage ended so abruptly that Meghan sent her wedding and engagement rings back to Trevor by registered post."
Markle's childhood BFF, Ninaki Priddy, sided with Engelson following their divorce and ended their 31-year-long friendship. Markle and Priddy had been friends since they were 2.
Priddy told the Daily Mail that Markle used to tell her "she couldn't imagine a life without Trevor." He also reportedly "cherished" the former "Deal or No Deal" model. However, Markle decided to end their marriage after three seasons of "Suits." Priddy believed the only issue was that Markle was filming her show in Toronto, and he was based in Los Angeles. However, she saw how much Engelson wanted to make their marriage work.
"A month after the divorce I wanted to see how Trevor was doing, so we met and talked," Priddy said. "We met and talked. It's not up to me to speak for Trevor, but I know he was travelling to Toronto every few weeks and would have walked the earth to make their marriage work."
"I tried to get details from her, but she wouldn't tell me. What came to light after Trevor and I spoke ended my friendship with Meghan. I think everybody who knew them both was in shock," Priddy added.