What Meghan Markle’s Ex-Husband Predicted When She Started Dating Prince Harry

Bethenny Frankel Recalled Trevor Engelson’s Brief Reply After the Relationship Became Public

When Bethenny Frankel learned that Prince Harry was dating Meghan Markle in 2016, she realized she might already know someone connected to the story. Trevor Engelson had once mentioned an ex-wife who appeared on Suits. Frankel had been unfamiliar with both the show and the actress at the time. Seeing coverage of Harry’s new relationship prompted her to get in touch with Engelson and ask whether the woman was his ex.

Frankel later recounted the exchange on The Toast. When she asked Engelson whether he thought the relationship would lead to marriage, she remembered him giving a short, certain answer. “Oh, she’ll close.” Meghan and Engelson had divorced three years earlier, after a marriage that began with a three-day wedding celebration in Jamaica.

Meghan and Trevor Married at the Jamaica Inn in 2011

Meghan met Engelson while she was still building her acting career. He worked as a producer, and both had professional commitments that took up much of their time. They married in 2011 at the Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios, where the wedding celebrations lasted three days. A bridesmaid later described it to biographer Andrew Morton as a “moving wedding”.

By then, Meghan had already landed the role on Suits that would become the most recognizable part of her acting career. The opportunity had come a few months before the wedding. At the same time the couple were preparing to get married, they were facing the practical question of how often they could see each other once work put them a five-hour flight apart.

The wedding and the new role belonged to the same period in Meghan’s life. One brought friends and family together to celebrate a decision she and Engelson had made. The other gave her a long-term commitment to a television series. As the marriage continued, her work on the show and his work as a producer shaped how they spent their time.

Morton Described Two People With Demanding Careers

In his biography Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, Morton traced some of the distance back to Meghan’s time as a briefcase model on Deal or No Deal. He described other models receiving visits from husbands, partners or friends on set and said Engelson’s absence stood out. Morton characterized it as “unusual” and linked it to the time Engelson spent on his own work.

“They were driven individuals, Trevor as busy, if not more so than his girlfriend,” Morton wrote. He also described occasions when Meghan had time to travel and Engelson was occupied with his commitments as a producer. Those details reflect Morton’s account of the couple before Meghan became internationally known through her relationship with Harry.

Once Meghan joined Suits, getting together could mean a five-hour flight. Video calls helped them stay in contact, although the distance continued to shape their married life. The series remained part of Meghan’s working life long after the marriage ended. She appeared in more than 100 episodes and stayed with the show until 2018.

Their Divorce Came in 2013

Meghan and Engelson divorced in 2013, citing “irreconcilable differences”. That was the reason they gave publicly. Morton’s account added a more personal detail, suggesting that the decision surprised Engelson and that Meghan mailed him her engagement and wedding rings after the marriage broke down.

“Whether she wanted to admit it to herself or not, Meghan, who once said she couldn’t imagine life without Trevor by her side, was now building a new world for herself,” Morton wrote. His description presented the returned rings as a sign of how definitively the relationship had ended. It was his account of the breakup, while the couple’s stated reason for divorcing remained brief.

Both went on to find new partners. Meghan began dating Prince Harry, and Engelson found love with Tracey Kurland. By the time Frankel saw photographs of Meghan and Harry together, several years had passed since the divorce. What made her think of Engelson was a detail he had mentioned in an earlier conversation about his ex.

Frankel Remembered Learning Who Engelson’s Ex-Wife Was

Frankel, who appeared on The Real Housewives of New York City and previously dated Engelson, said he had described his ex as someone from a show called Suits. The reference meant little to her at first. “I didn’t know what the show was,” she said. “I didn’t know the woman.”

Months later, photographs of Harry and the woman he was dating gave Frankel a reason to revisit that conversation. She remembered seeing the coverage and texting Engelson to ask if it was his ex. A passing reference to a television series had become enough for her to make the connection.

The timing gives Frankel’s account some of its interest. She first heard about Meghan from a person who had been married to her, before she recognized the actress herself. Once Harry’s relationship became public, she could put a name and a face to the person Engelson had described. Her later question was about where he thought the new romance might lead.

Engelson Thought the Relationship Would Lead to Marriage

Frankel remembered asking him, “Do you think she’s going to close?” In the context of their conversation, she was asking whether he thought Meghan and Harry would end up marrying. She recalled his answer as immediate and concise. “Oh, she’ll close.”

Frankel kept the rest of the conversation private. The words she shared suggest Engelson expected the relationship to reach the milestone she was asking about. Her account gave no further explanation for his confidence or what, if anything, he knew about the relationship at the time.

Meghan and Harry later married, giving the exchange its significance in hindsight. When Frankel asked the question, the news was that Harry was dating someone and that she had recognized a possible connection to Engelson. He had known Meghan during the years when she was establishing herself as an actress, and Frankel wanted to hear what he thought would happen next. Years later, the part of his answer she chose to repeat was the short prediction that Meghan and Harry would go ahead and marry.