Rumors That Swirled About Prince Harry's Love Life Shortly Before Meeting Meghan Markle

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were inseparable after meeting on a blind date back in July 2016, and the happy couple were husband and wife within just two years. While Prince Harry's relationship history may very well end with Meghan, it certainly didn't start with her. Though much has been said, and written, about Harry's seven-year, on-and-off again romance with Chelsy Davy, the Duke of Sussex's last major relationship before settling down for good was actually with actor and model Cressida Bonas, whom he dated from 2012 to 2014. However, if certain rumors are to be believed, Harry may have had another brief entanglement in the interim, after breaking things off with Bonas but before crossing paths with his future wife.

It's no secret that the royal defector enjoyed some flings in between his more serious, long-term relationships. For example, there was Harry's short-lived romance with the late Caroline Flack, in 2009, as well as the summer he spent with Florence Brudenell-Bruce in 2011. One juicy bit of gossip, though, remains unconfirmed at the time of writing: The prince's supposed link to British pop star and one-time Taylor Swift bestie Ellie Goulding. In June 2016, just one month before the Sussexes' first date, The Sun reported that Harry and Goulding were "all over each other" after competing in the Audi Polo Challenge. 

An anonymous source, who was purportedly close to the prince's friend group, claimed that Harry, who had known the "Burn" hitmaker for some time by that point, claimed, "He has told friends how much he likes Ellie and she is clearly taken by him." Unfortunately, since there are no photos of the alleged make-out session that supposedly took place at the Audi afterparty (where cameras were reportedly banned), hearsay is all we have to go on.

Of course, Prince Harry's alleged romantic encounter with Ellie Goulding was hardly the only rumored or otherwise never-fully-confirmed fling the Duke of Sussex had prior to getting together with eventual wife Meghan Markle — even if some of the others didn't cut it quite as close. For example, in the spring of 2012, reports swirled that Harry was involved with another prominent singer, London's own Mollie King. "It's very early days for them but they're head over heels," an anonymous insider dished to TNT Magazine that April, further claiming that the supposed couple were doing their best to keep their relationship a secret. 

That very same month, however, the pop star herself took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to flat-out deny that she and the prince were an item. "Guys I'm getting a lot of tweets about Prince Harry but [...] I'm not dating him & we're not in a relationship. We're just friends," King clarified at the time (via Page Six). If all the tabloid chatter is to be believed, it seems that Harry really had a thing for musicians at one point, as the former Saturdays star wasn't even the first, or last, one he was rumored to be involved with. 

All the way back in 2010 (during one of the prince's last "off" periods with Chelsy Davy before they finally broke up for good) sources detailed a supposed fling between him and Norwegian rock star Camilla Romestrand. "She talks about staying overnight at 'the palace.' She says he was a 'total gentleman' but doesn't divulge much else," a supposed insider source informed the News of the World (via CBS News) in October. But given that any additional information is scarce, we'll take it with a grain of salt.