Prince Edward’s former partner Ruthie Henshall details breakup in new memoir

Ruthie Henshall, a West End musical‑theatre star, appeared on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch to promote her memoir The Showgirl and the Prince. In the interview she confirmed a secret five‑year romance with Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, that began in 1988 when she was starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats and he was working as a production assistant after leaving the Royal Marines. Henshall said the relationship was never sustainable because “he’s a prince and you’ve got a great career,” and the couple kept it out of the public eye. She revealed she warned Edward before the book’s publication and that they have remained in contact despite the breakup in 1993. The memoir revisits their on‑and‑off relationship, the pressures of royal duties, and her own rising theatre career.