5 Wrong Rumors About Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Before The Wedding

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Even before it was announced Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were engaged, the tabloids were obsessed with the couple. But since their plans to wed were announced last fall, the rumor mill has been in overdrive. Now with the royal wedding taking place in just a few days, Gossip Cop is looking back at five of the wrong rumors.

After the engagement was revealed in November, the magazine Nova claimed Prince Harry said Donald Trump was “not welcome” at his wedding. In its headline, the outlet featured a quote seemingly attributed to the red-headed royal: “Trump is a serious threat to human rights.” But as Gossip Cop reported, that line was from an anonymous source quoted nine months prior in an Us Weekly story about Prince Harry supposedly not being a “fan” of the president. Prince Harry himself never actually uttered the remark, nor did he ever say anything about Trump being “not welcome” at the nuptials. That said, it was later confirmed in April that Trump would not be attending, nor would other political leaders, like UK prime minister Theresa May.

The same week as the engagement, In Touch ran a cover story announcing Markle was pregnant. The tabloid contended the “Suits” star’s purported pregnancy was the “reason the couple have fast-tracked their nuptials,” with it being alleged she wanted to tie the knot with a “small bump” and not be seen as a “pregnant bride.” Of course, as Gossip Cop pointed out then, the couple’s May wedding date meant that if Markle really was already with child, she certainly wouldn’t have a “small bump” six months later. Regardless, Gossip Cop was exclusively told on background by an impeccable Markle contact that she was “most certainly not expecting.” Time has proven that was correct, and recent photos of Markle show that roughly half a year after the pregnancy claim, she still has no baby belly whatsoever.

In December, OK! alleged Prince Harry and Markle had their “first fight” over a prenup. The publication claimed Queen Elizabeth was insisting her grandson not “take any chances” when it came to protecting his fortune, but the actress was “insulted that it would even cross the queen’s mind that Meghan would have an ulterior motive for marrying Harry.” Gossip Cop highlighted, however, that neither Prince Charles nor Prince William had prenuptial agreements, nor is there evidence that anyone else in the royal family ever required such documents as a stipulation for marriage. While a Markle source told us at the time that claims of such a dispute were both “untrue” and “ridiculous,” other reputable publications, such as People, later backed our reporting up and similarly relayed that Markle and Prince Harry would not have a prenup and that there was no dilemma over one.

Before March came to a close, Star claimed Markle was actually considering calling off the wedding due to Prince Harry’s continued closeness to his ex, Cressida Bonas. The tabloid maintained he was “refusing to end” their friendship, and that it could be the “final straw” for his relationship with Markle. But at the time the tale was published, Prince Harry and Bonas hadn’t been seen together since a December Christmas carol event, in which they both happened to take part as a philanthropic endeavor. There was no proof that he was regularly hanging out with his former girlfriend. And wedding plans were moving full steam ahead. Just days before the claims were made, invitations were sent out and security plans for the big day were unveiled.

After that flub, Star continued to spread misinformation in April with a cover story that declared Prince Harry and Markle were “moving to Malibu.” With no acknowledgment that it was wrong about the wedding being canceled, the magazine now claimed the couple had picked out a “lavish new love nest” in California, with plans to “spend at least four months of the year there.” On top of Gossip Cop explaining how this wrong assertion was copied from another equally uninformed outlet, we detailed how such a move wouldn’t be feasible. With Markle in the process of becoming a British citizen, she is required to spend a certain amount of time residing in the U.K. She would not fulfill the requirements if she were to spend a third of the year living in the U.S., in addition to any time spent out of the area for other travel, such as royal trips.

The busts highlighted above are just a fraction of the more than 40 untrue claims Gossip Cop has busted since Markle and Prince Harry became engaged, all of which can be seen in our archives. From laughable stories on whether Kim Kardashian and Charlize Theron would be invited to the wedding to absurd allegations about Queen Elizabeth ordering the couple to tone down their PDA and Markle having a “secret first husband,” virtually each and every contention could be disproven through research and investigating. Gossip Cop does not expect the gossip media to slow down much even after Markle and Prince Harry are married on Saturday. That’s why we remain committed to transparently fact-checking claims about the bride and groom as necessary going forward.