Royal eyebrows may be raised after a former girlfriend of Prince
Edward announced plans to publish a memoir detailing their
five-year romance and her encounters with Queen Elizabeth II.
West End star Ruthie Henshall, 59, is set to lift the lid on her
relationship with the Duke of Edinburgh in a new book, The
Showgirl and the Prince, which promises what she describes as
a “brutally honest” account of a love affair that unfolded inside
royal circles.
Henshall began dating Prince Edward in 1988 after the pair met
while working for composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. Their relationship
lasted five years and represented one of the most serious romances
of the late Queen’s youngest son before he went on to marry Sophie,
now Duchess of Edinburgh, in 1999.
Ahead of the book’s publication next month, Henshall has
recalled what she described as a mortifying first encounter with
Queen Elizabeth II.
Speaking to Yours magazine, she revealed that despite
being instructed by her father on royal protocol, she completely
forgot to curtsy when meeting the monarch.
“The late Queen in particular was lovely,” Henshall said. “I
remember my dad had told me that if you ever met the Queen you
curtsied and called her ma’am.”
Instead, overcome by nerves, she instinctively reached out and
shook the Queen’s hand.
“When I did meet her, I forgot to curtsy and grabbed her by the
hand saying, ‘I’m really pleased to meet you, really pleased to
meet you’,” she recalled.
Reflecting on her position at the time, she added: “Here I was,
this chorus girl dating her youngest son – it must have been her
worst nightmare.”
Despite her fears, Henshall said the late monarch was gracious
and welcoming.
The actress and singer has also spoken warmly of Prince Edward,
describing him as “kind and thoughtful” and “a lovely bloke”.
“I genuinely fell in love with him,” she said. “I suppose I was
not like anyone he’d dated before, a warm and flirty leotard-clad
chorus girl, prone to telling risqué jokes and drinking and smoking
too much.”
The relationship ultimately ended because of the demands of
their respective careers, although the pair remained on good terms.
Henshall was later invited to attend Edward’s wedding to Sophie at
St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Her forthcoming memoir is expected to provide a rare glimpse
into Prince Edward’s life before royal duties took centre stage, as
well as offering readers an insight into the late Queen away from
the public spotlight.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have not commented on the
book.
Announcing its release on social media, Henshall described the
memoir as recounting “a deep love” and “a life beyond my wildest
dreams”.
The book is due to be published in July.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source royalcentral.co.uk ’
