According to royal expert Neil Sha, Meghan Markle's first marriage to Trevor Engelen wasn't exactly a fairy tale. Instead, it seemed to involve a trio of people all vying for the spotlight: Meghan, Trevor, and her mother, Doria. Despite Trevor's relentless efforts to help Meghan climb the Hollywood ladder, it was never enough for her. Meghan was always seeking something bigger, something that her mother, Doria, believed she was entitled to—a luxurious, royal-like lifestyle.
However, Trevor, despite his devotion, could never quite provide the grandeur Meghan was chasing. But here’s where it gets even more intriguing: rumors swirl that Meghan’s first marriage might not have been just to Trevor Engelen. Whispers have surfaced about a mysterious and much earlier marriage to a lawyer named Joe Gilano. There are no wedding photos, no documents—nothing to prove it—but that hasn’t stopped the speculation from taking on a life of its own.
According to the theory, Meghan married Joe while still at Northwestern University. The alleged wedding was a very low-key affair, attended by a Catholic priest, a few witnesses, and of course, Meghan, who was reportedly pregnant at the time. Oddly, Joe’s parents were completely unaware of the marriage and allegedly pressured their son into annulling it after offering Meghan a generous payout. Did they do this to keep the marriage under wraps? Could they have suspected that Meghan’s ambition would soon push her to leave Joe behind in search of an even bigger prize?
This might all just be a series of strange coincidences, or perhaps it’s a well-kept secret hiding an even bigger revelation—a secret child. In 2017, Joe, now living in Boston, posted a photo of himself with a young girl, an African American child who bears a striking resemblance to Meghan at that age. While we can't say for certain that the child is Meghan’s, the resemblance is hard to ignore. If Joe truly is Meghan’s secret first husband, could he also be raising a child with a woman who looks remarkably like her?
The real question is: Why would Meghan go to such lengths to hide this alleged chapter of her life? Could it be that she’s afraid her past might come back to haunt her? After all, this is a woman who’s been more than willing to air her grievances with both the royal family and her own relatives. Why, then, is her father, Thomas Markle, not allowed anywhere near Prince Harry, despite their supposed closeness? Could Meghan have feared that he would reveal too much about her past? And why, when she married Harry, was Doria the only family member in attendance? Could Meghan have known that if the rest of her family had shown up, they might have had too much to say?
Some would argue that if there were truly a hidden marriage and an unacknowledged child, her half-sister Samantha would have already spilled the beans. After all, Samantha has never hesitated to criticize Meghan publicly. But perhaps there’s a method to her madness. Maybe she understands that some family skeletons are best left buried. Or perhaps Meghan’s carefully crafted image of a modern princess would collapse under the weight of these secrets.
It would certainly explain some of Meghan's more questionable decisions—such as conveniently ignoring the reality of her relationship with her father or never inviting other family members to her wedding. But, of course, maybe it’s all just one big conspiracy theory. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s not.
