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Before Prince Edward married his royal family’s “secret weapon,” he once told an ex-girlfriend he wished he could have two wives, according to her new memoir.
Years earlier, the youngest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II dated actress Ruthie Henshall from 1988 to 1993. The West End star recently opened up about their romance in her memoir “The Showgirl and the Prince.”
“Ruth, I couldn’t put you through the job,” Henshall recalled Edward telling her. “If I could, I would have two wives. One for the job, and one whom I loved, because you would never want to subject the woman you love to the job.”
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Prince Edward’s former flame, actress Ruthie Henshall, has written a memoir about their past romance. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images; David M. Benett/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to Henshall, 59, and Edward, 62, for comment. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital the palace doesn’t comment on books.
The pair first met in 1988 while Henshall was starring in “Cats” and Edward was working as a production assistant for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Theatre Company. Henshall recalled making a beeline for the young prince when he arrived at the theater, playfully welcoming him “to the litter.” A romance blossomed.
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“The Showgirl and the Prince” by Ruthie Henshall is available now. (Macmillan Publishers)
As their relationship grew more serious, Henshall said the realities of royal life began to set in.
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“Honestly, this type of thinking is very standard for royal men throughout history,” royal commentator Amanda Matta told Fox News Digital. “It’s why royal mistresses were so common. For most of history, official marriages have been strategic and political arrangements. But the royals are still people, and they need intimacy and companionship like anyone else.”
“Edward and Sophie have been married for over 25 years though and seem genuinely well-matched,” Matta added.
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh attend Day 2 of the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Home Park at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, on May 2, 2024. (Getty Images)
Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital it’s easy to see why the prince was drawn to Henshall.
Actress Ruthie Henshall poses at a photocall for the Broadway musical “She Loves Me,” date unknown. (PA Images via Getty Images)
“Ruthie Henshall has been a renowned theatre actress for several decades and Edward loved that world,” he explained. “I personally remember working with the National Youth Music Theatre of which Edward was president, so Ruthie would have been his ideal partner at the time.”
“The relationship went on for quite a while, and she was very nervous meeting the royal family, especially the queen,” Turner said. “She forgot to curtsy to her. She also saw first-hand how the royal family operated with all their high jinks behind the scenes. I feel, although she felt deeply fond of Edward, she realized she could not marry him and still have her beloved career, which was her main passion.”
Prince Edward during the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson on July 23, 1986, in London. (WireImage)
In the book, Henshall wrote that, at least initially, she believed love might be enough to overcome the rigid expectations of marrying into the royal family.
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Ruthie Henshall, as Marguerite, and Julian Ovenden, as Armand, perform in “Marguerite” at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London. (Corbis via Getty Images)
“Of course, I had spotted some etiquette dilemmas, but typically I’d just assumed that I’d be able to break the rules,” Henshall wrote. “That an exception would be made for me. I knew how to be a good girl, but I also knew that the possibility of me going out on a wild night and flashing my boobs in public was quite high. So, there were times when I felt torn about it all, but as far as I was concerned, I just wanted him.”
Matta suggested Henshall would have adapted to royal life rather than challenged its traditions.
Diana, Princess of Wales, Prince Charles (left) and Prince Edward (right) visit Wanganui Collegiate in Wanganui, New Zealand, during the Royal Tour of New Zealand on April 22, 1983. (Getty Images)
“I don’t think Henshall would have shaken up the institution very much,” Matta said. “Growing up British, she would have understood the monarchy and grasped the weight of its traditions in a way a true outsider or foreigner might not. In that sense, she’s similar to Edward himself. He has a big personality and a real love of the art world, but he’s also deeply dutiful.”
Ruthie Henshall is seen here performing on stage. (Redferns)
“I suspect that, if she’d married him, she would have adapted to the role rather than reinvented it. That may have even meant giving up her career, as Sophie later had to do.”
Henshall wrote that she even turned to Sarah Ferguson, who was then married to the former Prince Andrew, for guidance.
Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are seen here on their wedding day in 1986. (Derek Hudson/Getty Images)
“One time when I was pining for Edward, I remember saying to Sarah, ‘Would I ever be allowed to marry him?'” Henshall wrote.
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Sarah Ferguson, later Duchess of York, is surrounded by press photographers as she arrives for work in Mayfair, London, on March 3, 1986, shortly after the announcement of her engagement to Prince Andrew. (David Levenson/Getty Images)
“She probably knew there wasn’t a chance in hell, but still kindly said she didn’t know. Later, in her memoir, she described how she wanted to make any other woman coming into the royal family feel comfortable. And she absolutely did that. She made it her mission. So, I think I got the best side of her. And I was grateful to her on many occasions.”
As Henshall’s career continued to rise, she realized that she and Edward came from different worlds — worlds that were too different. Unwilling to give up her career for royal life, Henshall knew their relationship wasn’t going to work.
Prince Edward is seen here in London, date unknown. (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
“We had wanted to be together,” Henshall wrote. “We had tried desperately to make it work. But it seemed impossible because of who he was, and what I wanted to do in my career. There was this push–pull going on all the time, and we’d reached a point of no return.”
Host Ruthie Henshall performs on stage during “Magic at the Musicals” at the Royal Albert Hall in London on May 4, 2017. (John Phillips/Getty Images)
“… I fell in love with him, and it wasn’t because he was a prince. … But at times, it was only too obvious that we came from different worlds.”
Despite the breakup, Turner suggested Edward and Henshall remained close.
Ruthie Henshall attends The Olivier Awards with Mastercard at the Royal Opera House on April 3, 2016, in London, England. (Getty Images)
“As far as I know, their great friendship has remained through the decades,” Turner said.
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The newly-wed British royal couple Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones greet wellwishers on their way from Windsor Castle after their wedding ceremony on June 19, 1999. The royal couple took a brief ride through the historic town of Windsor. (AFP via Getty Images)
In 1999, Edward married Sophie, who later gave up her public relations career to become a full-time working royal. The couple have two children: Lady Louise, 22, and James, Earl of Wessex, 18.
Edward and Sophie decided not to use prince and princess titles for their children, allowing them to choose whether to use those titles and His or Her Royal Highness (HRH) styling when they turned 18, People magazine reported. Neither has chosen to do so.
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, James, Earl of Wessex and Lady Louise Windsor watch an RAF flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey in London, England, on May 6, 2023. (Getty Images)
Over the years, Sophie has earned a reputation as one of the royal family’s most dedicated and reliable members. She has taken on additional royal duties as King Charles oversees a slimmed-down monarchy and has largely avoided public scandal.
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh attend The Royal British Legion’s 80th Anniversary of D-Day Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, England, on June 6, 2024. (Getty Images)
“Prince Edward is married to the characterful, dependable, hardworking and personable Duchess Sophie,” royal broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital.
“She is also viewed as the royal family’s ‘secret weapon.’ She really is a huge asset to King Charles and the institution. Behind the scenes, she is putting duty above all else. She’s also applauded for her personal patronages. Edward and Sophie are a great match.”
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, departs after attending a bingo night at The Royal Hospital Chelsea in London on April 29, 2025. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Matta suggested Edward ultimately found in Sophie the qualities he once believed he would need two different women to provide.
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Duchess Sophie and Prince Edward depart Soufriere by boat on Day 6 of their Platinum Jubilee Royal Tour of the Caribbean on April 27, 2022, in Soufriere, Saint Lucia. (Getty Images)
“If anything, she ended up being everything he once thought he’d have to look for in different places!” Matta said.