Cast your mind back to 2015 – the year we were all listening to Adele’s hit album 25, Caitlyn Jenner made her grand debut and Fifty Shades of Grey was a box office smash.
It was also the year when HRH the Duchess of Sussex was swapping secret messages with a certain British singer, just a few short months before she would meet her Prince Charming.
Turns out the-then Meghan Markle had a bit of a soft spot for UK X Factor winner Matt Cardle and asked to meet him before he starred in the West End musical Memphis.
“Matt followed Meghan initially in early 2015 because he thought she was a beautiful star from Suits,” a source told The Sun.
“But he was stunned when she followed him immediately back and started messaging him. She said she was a big fan of his work.”
Meghan and Matt: The one before the one?
(Images: Getty Images)According to the source, Matt couldn’t believe such a high-profile star like Meghan would even know who he was so he was “very flattered.” The pair were messaging online for a little bit before the now Duchess of Sussex suggested that they meet up.
However, there was one slight issue.
“But then he met his girlfriend and knew it wasn’t appropriate to keep talking to Meghan so he ended up ghosting her,” the source went on to say.
“It felt like there could have been a connection but the timing was wrong. He didn’t reply to her last message.”
WATCH: See inside Meghan Markle’s former home. Post continues…
That wasn’t the only Brit Meghan was romantically linked to before Harry. According to journalist Katie Hind, who spent a night out with the former Suits star, footballer and ex-husband of Cheryl Tweedy, Ashley Cole, was trying to take her out for a date.
“She asked me about British men, and confided that she had recently got divorced from her husband, and now she was single and very much ready to mingle.”
“I quizzed her about American men, but she didn’t seem so keen on them.”
But by June 2016, Meghan had met a certain red-headed royal and gone public with him. By November 2017 they were engaged and the rest, as they say, is history.
We can’t imagine these two with anyone else!
(Image: Getty Images)Meanwhile Matt, who beat One Direction in his season of the X Factor, is reaching new heights in London’s West End, most recently starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit musical Jesus Christ Superstar.
And it looks like he was right to “ghost” Meghan, as Matt is still in a relationship with girlfriend Amber Hernaman, who he says helped him stay sober following his drug and alcohol addiction after The X Factor.
Happy endings all round!
Meghan who? Matt is still dating his girlfriend Amber Hernaman.
(Image: Instagram @mattcardleofficial)