Photo: Instagram
The Duchess was rumored to be "chatting him up" before she met Prince Harry.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on May 21, 2019
He's a talented singer-songwriter who won "The X-Factor" one season, but he's making headlines for allegedly "chatting up" Duchess Meghan Markle of Sussex before she'd married into the British royal family by winning Prince Harry's heart. Who is Matt Cardle?
The rising British pop star probably never thought he would be making headlines for one date he’d had, but he should have known that the gossip rags were going to come a-knockin’ when it was revealed that the “one date” was with the future Duchess of Sussex.
Naturally, the British press pounced on this revelation, and tried to make it seem like Duchess Meghan was little more than a social climber who was trying to work her way up in British society (with an X-Factor winner, guys?), but really, it was little more than a normal interaction between two people who realized they weren’t good for one another.
Here’s what we know about Matt Cardle — and the date (that never was) heard ‘round the world.
1. He “always” had a crush on Meghan Markle.
According to Il Giornale, Matt Cardle admitted that he’d had a crush on Meghan Markle from the first time he saw her in Suits. So, as celebrities are wont to do, Matt decided to go through social media to track her down. When he finally found her, they exchanged phone numbers and began texting one another.
2. There was no shortage of people looking to date Meghan Markle.
According to the Daily Mail, Matt Cardle wasn’t exactly the only person looking to date Meghan Markle. In fact, there were several celebrities hoping to get their shot with the future Duchess of Sussex — including Ashley Cole!
“Meghan divorced from first husband Trevor Engelson in August 2013 and was hoping to find love during trips to London. On a night out with journalist Katie Hind at the time, she revealed that Ashley Cole had asked to take her out. The actress kept in touch with UK media contacts until she and Harry publicly revealed their relationship in June 2016,” said the outlet.
3. He was shocked when Meghan Markle expressed an interest in him, too.
According to Heart Magazine, Matt Cardle was “flattered” when Meghan first expressed an interest in him, and said she was a fan of his work.
“Matt couldn’t believe a Hollywood star like Meghan would even know who he was,” said the outlet. “He was very flattered, and they chatted a little bit online before she suggested meeting up.”
4. He ultimately ghosted her.
Unfortunately for Matt Cardle, his “timing” with Meghan Markle was a little bit “off.” According to Yahoo, around the same time he met Meghan Markle, he met 28-year-old Amber Hernaman, who would go on to become his serious girlfriend. He remains involved with Amber to this day.
“But then he met his girlfriend and knew it wasn’t appropriate to keep talking to Meghan, so he ended up ghosting her. It felt like there could have been a connection, but the timing was wrong. He didn’t reply to her last message,” the outlet reports.
Seems like it all worked out for the best for everyone, then!
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. Find her online at www.bernadettegiacomazzo.com and www.longlivetheuprising.com.