A new book has claimed Meghan Markle’s now ex-boyfriend questioned her friendship with Irish golfer Rory McIlroy.
The tell-all book, titled ‘Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors’, by investigative reporter Tom Bower was released this week.
In a chapter called ‘The Irishman’, Bower recalled how Meghan first met Rory after he “unexpectedly” nominated her for the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014.
According to Bower, Meghan insisted he come to her friend’s apartment in New York to dump the ice on her himself – and he happily obliged.
“McIlroy had just split from his blonde fiancée, Danish tennis ace Caroline Wozniacki, and was reported to be chasing brunettes,” he wrote.
After posting their Ice Bucket Challenge video, which raised funds for motor neurone disease research, the pair went for a drink at the Fitzpatrick Hotel, where Rory was staying.
It’s understood they were spotted by the hotel’s owner, John Fitzpatrick, who invited them to join him at dinner with 20 friends at Cipriani that night.
Bower wrote: “The following morning, McIlroy arrived [Ridgewood Country Club] 30 miles away to play in a new competition. Worse for wear after a hectic night, he fell back to 101st place.”
“Nevertheless, he refused to sleep as usual near the golf course to be ready the following day. Instead, he drove back to New York to see Meghan. His performance suffered.”
Meghan, who was dating chef Cory Vitiello at the time, later gushed about the sports star on her blog ‘The Tig’, which was deleted ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.
In a blog post, the actress wrote: “Ah yes. Rory McIlroy. THE Rory McIlroy. Whispered (and shouted) to be the foremost golfer in the world, loved by Tiger, respected by Palmer, and dumper of frigid water on to my lone head for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. That Rory McIlroy.”
“He is a force who has the propensity to actually work hard and play hard — relishing intense practices to substantiate his title, embracing nights of sipping
Opus One (his bold and impressive choice of wine) and indulging in group dinners at Cipriani — for the balance, of course.”
“And yet, beyond his work/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. He is not just the real deal… he is real. And perhaps that is what makes him even more cherished.”
In the book, Bower claimed Meghan was “keen to use their close relationship to promote herself.”
“She encouraged the media to publish photographs of McIlroy and herself,” he wrote. “As she would later admit, she ‘occasionally set up a paparazzi photo or let info slip out to the press.'”
According to Bower, Meghan’s chef boyfriend Cory questioned her relationship with Rory at the time, but the Suits star insisted they were just friends, and “he believed her.”
Later that year, Meghan used her connections to nab a speaker role at the One Young World conference in Dublin.
“Excited about her trip, she posted a message to an Irish friend of McIlroy: ‘Lock something down. I head out there October 14-17. Have a wonderful night X MM,’” Bower wrote.
Meghan travelled to Ireland with her boyfriend Cory, but went for a solo dinner with Rory at Fade Street Social during their time in Dublin.
Their dinner date was written about in the press at the time, and a newspaper claimed Meghan looked “smitten” with Rory – which “annoyed” her Canadian boyfriend.
In the book, Bower alleged Cory once again “challenged” Meghan over her friendship with Rory, but she said they were just friends and “once more he believed her.”
It’s believed Meghan’s agent later contacted the newspaper for a correction, and the following day they printed a story about her and Cory looking “madly in love” in Ireland.
