Meghan Markle almost ended up marrying a footballer instead of Prince Harry

26 October 2023 , 10:40

1277     0

Meghan Markle was pursued by a footballer

Meghan Markle almost had a very different life as she was once asked on a date by then-Chelsea player Ashley Cole.

The Duchess of Sussex eventually settled down with Prince Harry, with the couple getting married back in 2018. They currently live in Montecito, California, with their two children - Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

However, Meghan had a "sliding doors" moment when the former Suits star was pursued by Ashley. She's believed to have been tempted by the offer to go on a date with the footballer, but journalist Katie Hind convinced Meghan to turn him down.

READ MORE: Harry and Meghan would 'Hollywood split' and stay together for their careers, says expert

Meghan Markle almost had a very different romance (Getty Images)

She was pursued by Ashley Cole (Ashley Allen/Getty Images)

Katie said she told Meghan that Ashley was known for cheating on his partners and Meghan was put off pursuing the romance. The reporter has admitted that 10 years later, she still wonders "what if" and questions what would have happened if she hadn't warned Meghan.

Kate Middleton swears by £19.99 rosehip oil that helps 'reduce wrinkles & scars'

"If ever there was a 'sliding doors' moment, this was it. The moment I told a thirtysomething American actress, who had just confided in me that she was being pursued by a famous British footballer, to steer well clear of him," Katie explained in her column for the Daily Mail.

She said things would have been very different if she had encouraged Meghan to "go on that date and try out as a WAG". She suggested Meghan and Ashley might have even gone on to tie the knot.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex got married in 2018 (Getty Images)

Katie added: "And if they had [married], would Prince Harry still be a working royal here in the UK, a valued and popular member of the Firm, close to his father Charles, brother William, and sister-in-law Kate?" The journalist suggested Harry might have settled down with someone else.

"Might he have resumed a relationship with one or other of his exes, Chelsy Davy or Cressida Bonas, or met someone new and be settled now in Kensington Palace or at Windsor with a growing family?" she wondered. Meghan and Harry ended up meeting on a blind date in July 2016.

They were set up by a mutual friend and admitted they clicked very early on. "We met for a drink, and then I think very quickly into that we said, 'Well what are we doing tomorrow? We should meet again'," Meghan recalled during an interview with the BBC. They then went on back-to-back dates in London in the following days.

Scarlett O'Toole