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.
