Meghan Markle's Unexpected Friendship With This Famous Athlete

Royals are just like everyone else, but it sometimes seems weird when they're friends with other celebrities who aren't part of the British aristocracy. That's exactly how people felt when they learned Matt Damon is friends with both Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and William, Prince of Wales, as well as realizing Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, is friends with professional golfer Rory Mcllroy. While both are famous, they come from completely different celebrity backgrounds. McIlroy is from Northern Ireland and the sports world, while Markle started out as an actress — most notably on "Suits" — before leaving that life behind to marry Prince Harry and become enmeshed in royal family drama.

How did this friendship come to be? The duo teamed up back in 2014 for the Ice Bucket Challenge, a movement that aimed to raise awareness for motor neuron disease, aka ALS. McIlory challenged Markle, who agreed if McIlory doused her with freezing water himself, which he did. The Daily Mail reported that the future duchess and golf star also grabbed drinks at a New York City hotel at the time. McIlory posted a pic of himself with Markle to X, formerly known as Twitter, calling the "Suits" star "a good sport."

The year 2014 was a simpler time. COVID-19 didn't exist, no one cared who was in President Donald Trump's inner circle, and Meghan Markle hadn't yet met Prince Harry. Way before she joined (and then left) the royal family, Markle was charming audiences as Rachel Zane on "Suits" and writing on her blog, The Tig. It was on that blog that Markle gushed about Rory McIlroy. Daily Mail also reported what Markle wrote before The Tig was shut down. She called him "THE Rory McIlroy," and wrote about his inspiring work-meets-play ethic.

"The most endearing quality of this man is his character – as real and honest as they come, appreciating a simple smile, never shunning a fan photo, enjoying a plate of pasta with veal ragu, and expressing a love for his parents that is rarely seen in men his age. Or at any age, to be honest," she wrote. "He is not just the real deal... he is real. And perhaps that is what makes him even more cherished." That amount of gushing comes across as swooning, which, of course, led fans to believe she and McIlory were more than just platonic.

However, nothing came of this rumor and both parties eventually married other people: Markle to Prince Harry and McIlroy to Erica Stoll, the latter couple of whom nearly got divorced before reconciling.