Royal Expert Warns of 'Nightmarish' Revelations in Prince Edward's Ex-Lover's Memoir
Buckingham Palace faces potential new turmoil as Prince Edward's former girlfriend prepares to publish intimate details of their secret five-year romance in a forthcoming memoir that royal commentators describe as potentially "nightmarish" for the monarchy.
West End Star's Explosive Account
Ruthie Henshall, the 58-year-old West End performer who secretly dated Prince Edward between 1988 and 1993, has written "The Showgirl and The Prince" after discovering old love letters from the Duke of Edinburgh while clearing out her garage five years ago. The book, scheduled for publication in July, promises to lift the curtain on what Henshall describes as "a crazy life in musical theatre and what happens next when a showgirl falls in love with a prince."
"I found old diaries which I began writing in the 1980s and then found all my letters from Prince Edward, and I was struck by how precious this time in my life was," Henshall told The Telegraph. "I was on the West End stage – my dream since I was a girl – and shared a love with a man very few people even know. If this was someone else's story, I would think they had made it up."
Palace Concerns Mount
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams has expressed serious concerns about the memoir's potential impact on the royal family, particularly coming at a time when the monarchy faces what he describes as "its most serious crisis since the 1990s."
"If she is as open about their romance as she was on television, just think what it could contain," Fitzwilliams told The Daily Mail. "There will be considerable concern that it will contain intimate insights into their time together. It will likely cause much concern at the Palace."
Fitzwilliams emphasized that Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, represent two of only four working royals under 70 and perform invaluable duties for the monarchy. "He will now be drawn into the line of fire," the expert warned.
Previous Revelations Hint at Content
The memoir's potential explosiveness is underscored by Henshall's previous candid revelations about her relationship with Prince Edward. During her appearance on "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!" in 2020, the actress unexpectedly disclosed intimate details to fellow contestant Shane Richie.
"You performed in Buckingham Palace, you sang in the gardens, I sh****d in the bedrooms," she told Richie during the broadcast, which reached millions of viewers. Henshall later expressed shock that the conversation had been aired, explaining she had covered her clip-on microphone during the chat.
"When I was having my exit interview, Ant and Dec played my best bits, and out of the ether I could hear myself saying: 'I've sh***d in the Palace,'" Henshall recalled. "I was quite shocked. You say things in there, and you forget you are on a show 24/7."
Relationship History and Aftermath
The romance began in 1988 when 23-year-old Prince Edward was working as a production assistant for Andrew Lloyd Webber and crossed paths with the rising West End star. What started as conversations about rehearsals quickly blossomed into a secret relationship that saw Henshall making discreet visits to Buckingham Palace and even taking tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor.
The couple parted ways in 1993 when Henshall realized continuing the relationship would mean sacrificing the stage career she had worked tirelessly to build. "I think I had hopes that we could walk on in our relationship, but really and truthfully I think I was very aware that I wouldn't be able to do what I do for a living if I'd stayed with him," she explained.
Following the romance, Henshall achieved significant success in musical theater, starring in productions including Chicago, Billy Elliot, Miss Saigon, and Cats. She later had a six-year relationship with Scottish actor John Gordon Sinclair and married Canadian singer Tim Howar in 2004, with whom she shares two daughters before their divorce in 2010.
Timing Adds to Royal Woes
The memoir's publication comes at a particularly sensitive time for the royal family, following the arrest of Prince Andrew, Edward's brother, on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The former Duke of York spent 11 hours in custody while police searched his Sandringham property before being released under investigation.
Fitzwilliams noted that Henshall's previous television revelations already demonstrated her willingness to discuss intimate aspects of her royal romance. "What makes her memoir potentially toxic is the way she discussed their affair on 'I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!,'" he said. "For courtiers, the potential mix of scandal and stardom may well be nightmarish."
It remains unknown whether any members of the royal family have been given advance preview of the book's contents. Henshall, who is understood to have remained on good terms with both Prince Edward and his wife, described her time with the prince as "part of her history" and "a wonderful part of my story," adding that she "genuinely fell in love with him."
