Meghan Markle was flirting with The X Factor singer Matt Cardle way before she met Prince Harry. The two swapped messages on social media and almost met until Cardle suddenly stopped making contact.
According to The Sun, Markle and Cardle were exchanging messages in 2015. She initiated by complimenting the singer for his West End appearance.
Cardle was dating Ashley Cole at that time, but he had a huge admiration for Markle, the reports stated. He followed the former actress on social media because he was stunned by her beauty and was a fan of her show, Suits.
The report further stated that Markle suggested they would meet up in person. However, this never happened because Cardle ghosted the duchess.
Cardle met another woman, Amber Hernaman, who would eventually become his girlfriend. He felt it was not appropriate to keep texting Meghan when he was with someone else.
"It felt like there could have been a connection, but the timing was wrong. He didn't reply to her last message," a friend of Cardle said.
According to the Daily Mail, Markle knew Cardle because she saw him on The X Factor. A friend of the singer confirmed that he did exchange messages with the actress then.
Cardle was the winner of the British singing contest in 2010, where One Direction was the runner up. The singer's career stalled when he became addicted to painkillers and alcohol, but he has since gotten into rehab in 2013 and remain sober.
Markle, on the other hand, started dating Prince Harry in mid-2016. The royal couple recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary following the birth of their first-born child. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently released a series of behind the scenes photos to commemorate their anniversary.
"We hope you enjoy reliving this moment, and seeing some behind the scenes photos from this special day," the royal couple stated in their post on Instagram."Thank you for all of the love and support from so many of you around the world. Each of you made this day even more meaningful."
Meanwhile, the Duchess is still currently on maternity leave and has been hardly seen in public. Prince Harry, on the other hand, has been performing his royal duties and receiving gifts for his son, Archie Harrison.
The first-time dad doesn't look like he has no sleep at all with a newborn at home. The birth of his child has made him more upbeat whenever he's around people, and he once said that he "cannot imagine" a life ahead without his son.
