Before she married Prince Harry, Meghan Markle typically kept her private life out of the spotlight and even enforced a social media ban at her first wedding to Trevor Engelson. However, shortly after her 2014 divorce, a rumoured romance with Rory McIlroy quickly captured fans' interest.

Rory, who won the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year on Thursday night, and Meghan first crossed paths when the golf superstar nominated her for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge 11 years ago. A video of the newly-single Rory pouring freezing water over Meghan's head fanned the flames of speculation about their relationship, reports the Daily Mail.

Meghan also gushed Rory was the "real deal" and hailed him as a "force" in an archived post on her old blog. At one point, conjecture that Meghan, then 33, and Rory, then 25, were romantically involved was so widespread that the actress's former beau allegedly confronted her about it.

Royal author Tom Bower claimed celebrity chef Cory Vitiello, who was dating Meghan at the time, "angrily" asked the former Suits star if there "had been an affair" after reports she and Rory had met for dinner in Dublin.

"Emphatically, Meghan denied she had betrayed Cory. She and McIlroy were just friends, she said," Bower wrote in his book Revenge. According to Bower, their friendship began after Meghan accepted Rory's Ice Bucket Challenge nomination on the condition he personally douse her at her friend's NYC apartment.

They filmed the challenge to raise awareness about ALS and Meghan uploaded the clip to her Vimeo account. It showed Rory, on a step ladder, pouring freezing water over her head to raise money for various ALS organisations.

Later that evening, Irish hotelier John Fitzpatrick, a self-proclaimed "huge fan of Suits," spotted Rory and Meghan enjoying drinks at his Fitzpatrick Hotel. He invited them to a dinner at Cipriani alongside 18 other friends.

The next morning, Rory made the 30-mile trip to Ringwood golf course to compete but played poorly. Feeling "worse for wear after a hectic night," he dropped to 101st place and almost immediately "drove back to New York to see Meghan," Bower claimed.

Shortly after, Meghan praised Rory in a post on her defunct lifestyle blog The Tig, celebrating the sportsman as the "foremost golfer in the world."

"Ah yes. Rory Mcllroy," the future Duchess wrote. "THE Rory Mcllroy. Whispered (and shouted) to be the foremost golfer in the world, loved by Tiger, respected by Palmer, and dumper of frigid water on my lone head for the ALS Bucket Challenge. That Rory McIlroy."

She gushed about his "work/play ethic" and "endearing quality," calling him "as real and honest as they come." Meghan said Rory's "love for his parents" was "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," she wrote.

Two months later, they reunited in Dublin after Meghan "lobbied hard" to secure an invite to the prestigious One Young World summit. Bower suggested Meghan, whose Suits role made her a star, was learning that "celebrity in Hollywood was enhanced by philanthropy and activism."

Meghan spoke about gender equality at the event alongside tech entrepreneur Sheryl Sandberg and film director Maya Sanbar. The boost to her career also heightened speculation she and Rory were romantically involved after they were spotted dining at an upmarket Dublin restaurant.

Meghan looked "smitten" as she "gazed intensely" at Rory, while a source told Irish reporter Alexandra Ryan they "sat beside each other looking very cosy and chatted all night." Bower claims Meghan's friends in Ireland also "assumed" the pair had "met unseen, earlier during her visit."

However, Meghan had flown to Dublin from Toronto with Cory on a flight that "some would suggest was paid for by Rory." Described by Meghan as her "very favourite chef," she and Cory were together for two years before breaking up just two months before her blind date with Prince Harry.

But her friendship with Rory was said to have upset Cory early in their relationship. Bower revealed Cory asked Meghan in summer 2014 if she was "having a relationship" with the golf star.

Meghan reportedly "insisted their time together was innocent" and Cory "believed her." However, reports of Meghan and Rory's Dublin dinner allegedly "annoyed Cory" who "angrily" asked again if there "had been an affair."

"Emphatically Meghan denied that she had betrayed Cory," insisting they were "just friends," wrote Bower. "Once more he believed her."

The next day, Ryan wrote an updated report describing Cory and Meghan as "madly in love" and "sewn at the hip" their entire time in Ireland - to Meghan's great "relief."

"The golfer was not her future," Bower noted.

Since their rumoured romance, both Rory and Meghan have found love. Meghan famously wed Prince Harry in May 2018 after meeting on a blind date in 2016.

Meanwhile, Rory began dating Erica Stoll in 2015 and the couple married in April 2017. Despite briefly filing for divorce after seven years, they reconciled just a month later. Rory and Erica share a five-year-old daughter, Poppy.

Tonight, Rory has made history as the first golfer ever crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He was tipped to win following a year of unprecedented success.

Rory achieved the historic golf Grand Slam after winning The Masters in April, the first European to do so. He also played a key role in Europe's Ryder Cup victory in September.

A home win at the Irish Open capped off a career-defining year, with experts citing Rory as the obvious choice for the highly esteemed prize. However, he faced tough competition from shortlisted stars like darts champ Luke Littler, F1 title winner Lando Norris, and Lionesses Hannah Hampton and Chloe Kelly.