In a new memoir, the Duke of Edinburgh’s ex-girlfriend shares the tidbit
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NEED TO KNOW
- One of Prince Edward’s ex-girlfriends shares the surprising reason he’d have two wives “in a perfect world”
- In her new memoir, West End star Ruthie Hansall recalled what Edward meant
- Hansall dated the future Duke of Edinburgh from 1989 to 1993; they split just before he met his future wife, Sophie
Prince Edward once told a girlfriend why he’d ideally have two wives.
Before marrying his now-wife, Sophie, in 1999, Edward, now 62, dated West End star Ruthie Henshall from 1988 to 1993. The Olivier-winning actress opens up about their time together in her newly released memoir, The Showgirl and the Prince.
Henshall writes that Queen Elizabeth’s youngest son once told her that “in a perfect world,” he would have two wives: “one for the job, and one for the woman you loved — because you wouldn’t want the woman you love [to go] through the job.”
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Due to her career ambitions, Henshall admits in her book, the couple knew “it was never going to work” between them.
“He had said to me, ‘Ruth, can you imagine what would have to happen if you wanted to do eight shows a week? The cost of that alone, of having to have sniffer dogs at the theatre every night and to have protection. That in itself would have been hard and expensive,” she said on Hello! magazine’s A Right Royal Podcast.
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The musical actress, who went on to build a career that included West End and Broadway starring stints in Cats, Crazy For You, Peggy Sue Got Married, Chicago and more, has previously joked about not fitting in with the royal family and making major faux pas in their presence.
During her 2020 stint on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here, Henshall recalled a dinner with the royals: “There’s people sitting round [a table], and I’m thinking, ‘That looks like the Queen.’ And I remembered my dad had said to me that if you ever meet the Queen, he said you curtsy and call her ma’am.”
“I grab her hand,” she recalled. “I forget all about the curtsy, and I’m like, ‘Really, really pleased to meet you, really pleased to meet you.’ ”
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Despite the frequency of scheduling conflicts and uncomfortable moments, Henshall writes that she “genuinely fell in love” with Prince Edward, whom she calls a “prince of a man.”
“I always thought we’d find a way,” she admitted on the podcast. “I thought this could be the greatest role of my life. And I could do some good. But the bottom line is, I was born to sing, dance and act. And I still get a kick out of it. If I’d have given it up, I would have been miserable. It’s not my kind of life.”
When she married Edward, Sophie gave up her career in PR and has taken on a larger role as a senior working royal in recent years.
When they welcomed their children —Lady Louise, 22, and James, Earl of Wessex, 18 — Edward and Sophie opted to let them decide whether they’d like to adopt a royal title or HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) styling when they came of age at 18. So far, neither of them has done so.
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As they’ve reached adulthood and their parents have stepped into more senior royal roles following the accession of King Charles, it’s believed that Louise and James ultimately may not be called upon for major royal duties.
“I think Sophie — and Edward — have been careful to prepare their children for a life outside the working royal family,” royal biographer Sean Smith told GB News last year.
Speaking to The Sunday Times in 2020, Sophie said, “We try to bring them up with the understanding they are very likely to have to work for a living. Hence, we made the decision not to use HRH titles. They have them and can decide to use them from 18, but I think it’s highly unlikely.”
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