Ruthie Henshall Lifts the Lid on Her Private 5-Year Romance with Prince Edward
Before marrying Sophie, Prince Edward shared a five-year romance with West End star Ruthie Henshall.
Long before he married Duchess Sophie and became one half of the monarchy's most private couples, Prince Edward shared a quiet, five-year romance with West End star Ruthie Henshall. Now, in a candid excerpt from her memoir, the actress has lifted the veil on life behind Palace gates, revealing a relationship that was far more ordinary, affectionate, and domestic than many would expect.
Far from grand royal gestures, Henshall recalls a boyfriend she affectionately dubbed "Edders," who would prepare mini croque monsieurs after her performances in Cats, carefully shaping them into circles with a cookie cutter. Whenever she stayed overnight at Buckingham Palace, he would leave handwritten notes before heading to work, directing her to where she could find a sandwich, ice cream, or even ice.
"A couple of nights a week, I'd stay over after the show," she writes, painting a picture of quiet evenings together at the Palace. While she helped herself to Bacardi and Coke from the drinks cabinet, Edward "didn't drink very much—it wasn't his thing." Henshall notes that she fell in love with a side of Edward that the public rarely witnessed. "He had a very gentle, positive energy. I never heard him criticise or trash people," she writes, adding that his calm demeanor beautifully balanced her own fiery personality. Whenever self-doubt crept in, he was always there to reassure her, saying, "It will happen, Ruth. You have a rare talent."
As highlighted by the Daily Mail, the couple frequently exchanged heartfelt love letters, with Edward writing on Buckingham Palace letterhead and signing them with three kisses instead of his name for privacy. Looking back, Henshall describes the correspondence as "very poetic" and admits that receiving mail bearing the Queen's stamp felt entirely surreal. Edward’s thoughtful nature extended beyond the page; he regularly sent her bouquets of freesias—knowing they were her favorite flowers—and left tender notes by the bedside if he had to slip away early.
One memory, however, stands out above all. Henshall recalls Edward returning to Buckingham Palace during his lunch break for the sole purpose of handing her a letter describing how deeply he had fallen for her. After she read it, the pair lay together before exchanging their very first "I love you." "I'd never received anything so beautiful," she writes. "This man was declaring his love, and I felt safe enough to say the words back."
Despite the romance they shared in private, Henshall admits it was difficult reading contemporary media reports that routinely portrayed Edward as Britain's most elusive eligible bachelor. When one magazine famously published a feature bluntly asking, "Who'd Want to Wed Ed?" her answer behind closed doors was simple: "I bloody did!" Their relationship eventually ran its course, but Henshall's memoir peels back the royal mystique to reveal a deeply human love story. It proves that behind the grand titles and palace gates, Edward’s five-year romance with his West End star was, at its heart, beautifully ordinary.
