Prince Edward’s Ex Explains the Sad Reason Why He Told Her That Having “Two Wives” Would Be Ideal

['Kristin Contino', 'Senior Royal', 'Celebrity Editor', 'Layer Van-Ds .Vds-Author Font-Size Var --Text-Base', 'Font-Size Var --Vds-Author-Font-Size', 'Var --Text-Base', 'Line-Height Var --Text-Base--Line-Height', 'Line-Height Var --Vds-Author-Line-Height', 'Var --Text-Base--Line-Height', 'Letter-Spacing Var --Tracking-Normal'] Latest from Marie Claire 2026-08-06 19:02:41

Before he met Duchess Sophie, Prince Edward dated musical theater star Ruthie Henshall for five years, and she shared some of the stories from their relationship in her new book, The Showgirl and the Prince. During a recent appearance on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch program, Henshall discussed her new memoir and her time dating Prince Edward, noting that marrying into the Royal Family “was never going to work.” Latest Videos From Marie Claire Watch full video here:Ruthie Henshall dated Prince Edward until 1993, the same year he met Duchess Sophie. (Image credit: Getty Images)The actress wasn’t willing to give up her career, and after their breakup, Edward met public relations executive Sophie Rhys-Jones, now the Duchess of Edinburgh. Sophie eventually quit her PR job to take on full-time royal charity work, but for Henshall, it wasn’t an option.