“It was never going to work”- I’m A Celebrity star Ruthie Henshall lifts the lid on ‘impossible’ Prince Edward relationship
Ruthie Henshall has admitted that her relationship with Prince Edward was never likely to last, despite the pair sharing a close romance for several years.
The West End star reflected on their time together during an appearance on Sunday Brunch on August 2, where she was promoting her new memoir, The Showgirl and the Prince.
Ruthie and Edward first met in 1988, when she was appearing as Jemima in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Cats. At the time, Edward was working alongside Lloyd Webber as a production assistant.
Their relationship began as a friendship before gradually becoming romantic. Although Ruthie was building a successful career in musical theatre, Edward was living with the expectations and responsibilities that came with being a member of the Royal Family.
During her Sunday Brunch interview, presenter Tim Lovejoy suggested that those two very different lives made the relationship almost impossible to sustain.
Referring to Edward’s royal position and Ruthie’s growing career, Tim described it as an “impossible relationship” and asked whether it could ever realistically have worked.
Ruthie agreed without hesitation.
“No. It was never going to work,” she replied.
Tim then broke the tension with a joke, pointing out that viewers already knew Ruthie and Edward had not gone on to marry or start a family together.
“Sorry to give away spoilers there – they didn’t marry and have children. Sorry!” he said.
Although Ruthie now accepts that the relationship had no long-term future, her memoir describes the excitement and secrecy that surrounded their romance.
The couple largely kept their relationship away from public attention, which allowed them to enjoy moments together without immediately becoming the subject of headlines.
In one extract from the book, Ruthie recalled attending a Sunday brunch at Kensington Roof Gardens. The event was held for performers connected to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group, while Edward was there representing the company.
Ruthie wrote that the secrecy surrounding their relationship could sometimes feel exciting. She described deliberately trying to attract Edward’s attention during the gathering by choosing not to wear underwear beneath her outfit.
According to Ruthie, she spent the event moving around the party before returning to Edward, making her intentions clear without openly revealing their relationship to those around them.
She explained that she was trying to tempt him into bed rather than simply bringing the evening to a quiet end.
The actress also wrote that she began spending most weekends with Edward as their relationship became more serious.
She recalled that they first slept together in January 1989, describing the moment as something that happened naturally after their friendship had developed into a romance.
Their relationship continued for several years but remained mostly private. The couple eventually separated in 1993.
Despite the breakup, Ruthie has spoken warmly about Edward and has described him as thoughtful and respectful during the years they were together.
She also revealed during her Sunday Brunch appearance that the two have remained in contact.
Before publishing her memoir, Ruthie made sure Edward knew that she would be writing about their relationship. She gave him advance notice about the book rather than allowing him to discover its contents after it had already been released.
The Showgirl and the Prince revisits Ruthie’s experiences during that period of her life, including the unusual pressures that came with dating a member of the Royal Family while pursuing her own career on the stage.
At the time they met, Ruthie was still establishing herself in musical theatre. Her role in Cats was part of a career that would later make her one of the best-known performers in London’s West End.
Edward, meanwhile, was attempting to build a professional life connected to theatre and television while remaining part of the monarchy.
The pair’s shared connection to the entertainment industry helped bring them together, but their different circumstances eventually proved difficult to reconcile.
Ruthie’s career required her to perform, travel and remain committed to the demanding schedule of theatrical productions. Edward’s position came with a separate set of public duties, expectations and restrictions.
Looking back, Ruthie appears to have accepted that affection alone was not enough to overcome those differences.
Her comment that the relationship was “never going to work” was direct, but it did not appear bitter. Instead, she spoke about the romance as an important chapter in her life that had reached a natural conclusion.
The memoir offers a more personal account of that chapter, including details about how they met, how the relationship developed and how they managed to keep much of it away from public view.
While Ruthie has been open about intimate moments from their time together, she has continued to describe Edward positively.
The fact that they remain in contact suggests the relationship did not end with lasting hostility between them.
Edward later married Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1999. The couple went on to have two children.
Ruthie also continued building her career in theatre, appearing in major West End productions and becoming known for her performances in shows including Chicago, Les Misérables and Billy Elliot.
More than three decades after her relationship with Edward ended, Ruthie is now sharing her version of the story in greater detail.
Her memoir does not present the romance as a royal fairy tale that narrowly missed a happy ending. Instead, it looks back at a relationship between two people whose lives were moving in very different directions.
For Ruthie, the feelings may have been genuine, but the practical reality was unavoidable. Edward was a prince, she was determined to pursue her career, and neither could easily step into the other’s world.
That is why, despite the affection and memories they shared, Ruthie now believes their relationship was always destined to end.
