Meghan Markle's Childhood Boyfriend Speaks Out About Her

Meghan Markle's dating history has been tabloid fodder ever since she went public with her now-husband Prince Harry in 2016. Before finding love with the Duke of Sussex, Meghan was married to movie producer and talent manager Trevor Engelson for two years, between 2011 and 2013. It's not clear exactly why the two called it quits, though, per Town and Country, and the two had their marriage dissolved in a no-fault divorce and cited "irreconcilable differences" for their breakup.

Following their split, Meghan went on to date celebrity chef and restaurateur Cory Vitiello, with The Telegraph reporting she met Harry while the two were still dating. Meghan and Cory dated for two years, but they split in July 2016. The chef said, when asked if Meghan's blossoming relationship with the British royal played a part in their breakup, "I can't comment on that."

But it's another of the former Suits actor's exes who is proving in March 2021 that he still has Meghan's back after she was hit with serious claims against her character. Read on to find out what her childhood boyfriend has to say.

Meghan Markle's ex addressed the bullying claims

Meghan Markle's childhood boyfriend Joshua Silverstein spoke out about her to Us Weekly in March 2021 as he addressed claims suggesting the Duchess of Sussex had allegedly bullied staff while she and Prince Harry were senior members of the royal family living at Kensington Palace. Silverstein claimed he does not "personally see her" behaving that way, and said, "I see her doing whatever it is she feels like she should do in order to be happy and coexist within a system that has probably not been very welcoming to who she is and where she comes from."

"When you find women of color — particularly Black women — standing up for themselves and speaking out and speaking against what they feel [is] disrespect or oppression, often times whiteness tends to classify that in negative ways because they don't want that to happen," Silverstein continued. "It's almost like people are expected to know their place and whenever they don't fall in line with that, then people say it's a problem."

The Times published a bombshell report shortly before Meghan and Prince Harry's shocking Oprah Winfrey tell-all interview aired, which claimed Meghan had allegedly brought one aide to tears and "drove two personal assistants out of the household." A rep for Meghan and Prince Harry denied the bullying allegations in a statement (via Sky News) and called the report "a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation."

Meghan tried to set the record straight with Oprah

In their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attempted to clear the air about those bullying claims and the way they were reportedly treated by the royal family. They insinuated that Harry's family refused to take pains to clear Meghan's name in the press after she was accused of bullying staff members, as mentioned above, and after tabloids published reports that she had made Kate Middleton cry. 

"The narrative with Kate, which didn't happen, was really, really difficult and something that I think, that's when everything changed, really. No. [I didn't make Kate cry]," Meghan said (via Elle) before revealing her side of the story. "No, no, the reverse happened. And I don't say that to be disparaging to anyone, because it was a really hard week of the wedding, and she was upset about something, but she owned it, and she apologized, and she brought me flowers and a note apologizing and she did what I would do if I knew that I hurt someone." 

Meghan then expressed that she was then shocked when the story about her making Kate cry hit the press months later. But in addition to Meghan's ex, it seems that everyone else also has an opinion about what really went down between the two women.

Kate Middleton's uncle thinks Meghan Markle is a "tiger"

Almost a month after the tell-all interview, Kate Middleton's uncle, Gary Goldsmith, weighed in on the situation. Goldsmith told reporters that he thinks it is downright impossible that his niece could make anyone cry. He wasn't there for the reported exchange but told the Daily Mail that he believes Meghan Markle was the one who had a "hissy fit" and that Middleton would have been looking to make amends. "I would fight for Kate's honor until the day I die. She is the most spectacular person I've ever met," Goldsmith said, noting that she doesn't have a "mean bone in her body." 

"It's just simply not in her nature. She's even lovelier on the inside than on the outside," Goldsmith said. He also quipped, "You can't blame a tiger for biting the head off a sheep. But I don't believe a word that comes out of her mouth. She's an actress and knows how to manipulate her audience." Judging by everyone's varying opinions, it looks like this saga won't be resolved anytime soon — or at least until Kate and Prince William nab their own sit down with Oprah.