Prior to her departure from the Hollywood spotlight to embark on a royal journey with Prince Harry, Meghan Markle had already experienced wedded bliss with another man.

The former Suits actress married American film producer Trevor Engelson in September 2011. Their ceremony unfolded in the picturesque setting of Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where 100 guests gathered for the celebration.

Their love story began in a bar in 2004, leading to a six-year courtship. Engelson eventually proposed during a romantic getaway in Belize, marking the next step in their relationship.

In stark contrast to the grandeur of her subsequent wedding to Prince Harry at Windsor’s St George’s Chapel in 2018, Meghan’s first wedding was described as “low-key, unpretentious, and informal” by royal biographer Tina Brown in her acclaimed book, “Palace Papers.”

The festivities were attended by a host of friends from the entertainment industry, who flew to the serene coastal town for four days of celebration. The event featured lively activities, including a traditional chair dance and even a wheelbarrow race.

On her special day, Meghan wore a simple white dress with a sparkling silver waistband. This significant milestone in her life occurred just six months after she joined the cast of the popular legal drama, Suits, at the age of 24.

But for her guests, there was to be one ‘jarring’ rule enforced by the bride that left them feeling rather bemused – in the itinerary, there was a clear note: ‘No social media, please’.

‘We were all laughing because she had been on Suits for a few months at this point and we were like: “Is she kidding me?”,’ a guest allegedly told Ms Brown. 

The Suits star tied the knot with American film producer Trevor Engelson in September 2011 at a barefoot ceremony held in Ocho Rios, Jamacia. But in the itinerary provided to guests ahead of the big day, there was one simple rule: ‘No social media, please’

The note suggested, they added, that Meghan already saw herself as ‘a really big actress’, leaving those in attendancer confused given that she was only at the start of her career.

Very few members of the public knew of her marriage to Engelson, with it merely earning a brief section of coverage in the Hollywood Reporter. 

But Meghan’s determination to further her career on the big screen continued – following their nuptials, she quickly boarded a flight to Toronto to resume filming, while Engelson returned to Los Angeles.

It was to mark the start of a rather unique long-distance marriage that ‘would be primarily conducted on Skype’, Ms Brown wrote. 

As filming for the second series of Suits began, Meghan’s career, and indeed her earnings, were quickly beginning to take shape, with the star amassing around $50,000 an episode while she also laucnhed her lifestyle blog, The Tig. 

As such, she intentionally leaned into the online domain to help further her career. 

The ‘passion project’ became an incredibly well-known platform where Meghan shared personal insights alongside content on travel, food and fashion.

But it was also a strategic ‘commercial venture’, and one that strengthened Meghan’s popularity. 

‘We were all laughing because she had been on Suits for a few months at this point and we were like, is she kidding me?’, a guest allegedly told bestselling royal author Tina Brown

After her wedding to Engelson, Meghan leaned into the online domain to help further her career

The blog served as a clear indication that the future duchess ‘understood her market and how to compartmentalise between her real life and the fantasy life she offered her increasing numbers of followers’, according to royal author Tom Bowers in Revenge: Meghan, Harry And The War Between The Windsor’s.

Yet while Meghan worked hard to develop her public image and brand, there was one notable individual missing – her husband.

As the pair tried to navigate their long-distance marriage, Engelson was said to have continually ‘rearranged his life to spend sojourns working from Toronto’ while, in contrast, ‘Meghan rarely reciprocated’.

And as his wife began mixing among high-brow celebrity circles, Engelson was alleged to have become increasingly anxious about the likelihood of a break-up.

Ms Brown revealed how a friend recalled speaking to Engelson at a wedding where he ‘mournfully’ confided: ‘She’s not coming back any more. We are not really talking that much.’

The source claimed that Meghan’s then-husband described their living situation as ‘ridiculous’, adding that they were ‘barely seeing each other’ and he had been left with ‘this awful feeling she’s just going to become huge and leave me now’.

And it wasn’t long before Meghan ultimately decided that their marriage was over.

‘One weekend when he came to see her in Toronto, she told him she was out of love and it was over,’ Ms Brown wrote. 

It wasn’t long before the Suits actress and rising star decided that her first marriage was over 

Two years after their fairytale wedding, Engelson was said to have been left ‘hurt beyond anything’ by Meghan’s ‘quick’ and ‘unexpected’ calls for separation, with the friend describing how her husband had been left ‘in a lot of pain’ and feeling ‘used’.

Shortly after she delivered the devastating blow, he received a package in the post – his beloved wife’s diamond engagement ring, alongside her gold wedding band. 

The couple separated in early 2013 and divorced in 2014, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’, with Engelson remaining in LA while Meghan made the permanent move to Toronto to continue filming for Suits.

For Meghan, described by Ms Brown as an ‘aspiring cosmopolite’, the separation offered an opportunity for her to wholly embrace celebrity life in the city.

She added: ‘Within a couple of years, she was hobnobbing with the son of former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney, TV host Ben, and his style-queen wife, Jessica, as well as singer Michael Bublé and an assortment of celebrity chefs.’

Meghan also quickly jumped back into the world of dating – being linked to hockey player Michael Del Zotto alongside chef Cory Vitiello, before she found Prince Harry.

In May 2019, Engelson married Tracey Kurland in a lavish ceremony at Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito, California. 

Engelson married Tracey Kurland in California in May 2019. They now have three children

The news of their engagement came just two weeks after Meghan and Harry tied the knot in Windsor. Engelson and Kurland had their third child in February this year.

Meghan appears to have continued her rocky relationship with social media

When the Sussexes stepped down as working royals in 2020, there was one overwhelming reason they gave for their decision: privacy.

The couple expressed their frustration at the intense public scrutiny they encountered and claimed the constant barrage of criticism was detrimental to their well-being.

But Harry and Meghan have since raised eyebrows with their public conduct.

They shocked onlookers with their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview, for example, in which serious allegations were wedged against the Royal Family.

Royal author Tom Quinn has argued that ‘if Meghan really wanted to be a private person, all she needed to do was go back to America and keep quiet – but what Meghan wants is privacy combined with world fame’.

Meghan went on to marry Prince Harry in May 2018 in a lavish ceremony at Windsor Castle

The duchess has since embarked on a number of projects, including a Netflix lifestyle series

Despite her numerous ventures, including a Netflix series, lifestyle brand and now-defunct podcast, the duchess insisted in an interview with People Magazine in March that she is ‘not an influencer’, but rather a ‘female founder’.

When Harry and Meghan said ‘I do’ in May 2018, St George’s Chapel was filled with a plethora of A-list celebrities that included George and Amal Clooney, Oprah and stars from the casts of Suits.

At the ‘core of the difficulties’ the couple faced while senior royals, one key dilemma dominated. Ms Brown said: ‘Whether the Sussexes were celebrity royals or royal celebrities’. 

The royal expert adds that during her time in the Firm, Meghan, ‘like many global influencers, still hankered for the gravitas of old media’s validation’.

Meanwhile, PR and branding expert Hayley Knight told The Daily Mail Meghan’s previous ShopMy link venture in particular made it rather ‘difficult to deny’ that the duchess is increasingly adopting ‘standard influencer behaviour’.

She explained: ‘Meghan’s new shop directly contradicts her claim that she’s not an influencer because affiliate marketing is one of the most common revenue streams for influencers.

‘Meghan is also showcasing standard influencer behaviour by curating selections of products in order to drive sales, so it is not surprising that she has received backlash for there being a disconnect between her comments and her actions.’

In October, the duchess even hinted at building a career as an online content creator. 

At Fortune’s Most Powerful Women summit, Meghan outlined her plans to ‘leverage her significant influence to build a successful, long-lasting business empire’ since launching her lifestyle brand As Ever earlier this year.

She also spoke about the changing nature of the brand, suggesting a move away from her Netflix show With Love, Meghan and a turn towards quicker, influencer-type content.

As the duchess celebrates the launch of her latest As Ever holiday collection while also preparing for the release of her latest Netflix series release on December 3, there is no denying that Meghan has chosen to embrace the world of celebrity.

For those present at Meghan’s first wedding, many may be still somewhat bemused by her social media ban – ironic, perhaps, given her unwavering commitment to maintaining her online presence 14 years on.