Ruthie Henshall, renowned West End star, has revealed intimate details of her romance with Prince Edward, the youngest son of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Their relationship blossomed in 1988 while both were working for famed composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Describing the relationship as her first true love, Ruthie and Prince Edward were together for five years before amicably going their separate ways. With the release of her memoir, The Showgirl and The Prince, drawing near, Ruthie reflects on what it was like to be involved with royalty and shares a vivid memory of her first, somewhat awkward, meeting with the Queen.
Recalling the occasion, Ruthie admits to a major faux pas: “My dad had told me that if you ever met the Queen you curtsied and called her ‘ma’am.’ When I finally met her, I completely forgot to curtsy. Instead, I grabbed her hand and said, ‘I’m really pleased to meet you, really pleased to meet you.’ As a chorus girl dating her youngest son, I’m sure I was her worst nightmare!”
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Despite the slip, Ruthie remembers the Queen as gracious and warm. She describes Prince Edward as “kind and thoughtful” and “a lovely bloke.” She explains, “I genuinely fell in love with him. I wasn’t like anyone he’d dated before—a warm, flirty chorus girl, always in a leotard, telling risque jokes, and perhaps drinking and smoking a bit too much.”
Their relationship ended due to Ruthie’s demanding career on the West End stage. Yet, their bond remained friendly, and she was even invited to Edward’s 1999 wedding to Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, at Windsor Castle.
Ruthie later married Canadian-born British singer Tim Howar in 2004; they divorced in 2010. The pair met while starring in the West End production Peggy Sue Got Married and share two daughters.
Looking ahead to her memoir’s July release, Ruthie shared a glimpse on Instagram: “To release another dream in my life is bonkers but here it is—The Showgirl and The Prince. A deep love, brutally honest and a life beyond my wildest dreams.”
In an interview with The Telegraph, she said, “I found old diaries I started in the 1980s and letters from Prince Edward. I was struck by how precious that time in my life was. I was living my dream on the West End stage and shared a love that few even know about. If it was someone else’s story, I would think it was made up. So here it is—behind the curtain of a crazy life in musical theatre and what happens when a showgirl falls in love with a prince.”