Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie at the Eventing Cross Country Equestrian event on Day 3 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Greenwich Park on July 30, 2012 in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
Despite the physical distance and the reported family tensions, a family insider disclosed, “They’re still the best of friends and talk constantly.”
Meanwhile, Cressida Bonas, a model who previously dated the Prince, has navigated her path with a grace that belies the challenges of royal association.
Her career leap illustrates her commitment to professional growth over royal life. Per reports, just eight months after she ended her relationship with Prince Harry to concentrate on her career, Bonas was hired as the new face of Mulberry.
Bonas’s life is interwoven with notables and royalty, a testament to her heritage and the circles she moves in. Her mother Lady Mary-Gaye Curzon is the daughter of the late Earl Howe, who was married to her entrepreneur father, Jeffrey Bonas for six years.
Notably, Bonas’s presence at the wedding of her sister, Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe to filmmaker Branson, alongside Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie in March 2013, attests to her seamless fit within the royal milieu and her close relations with the family.
The narrative of the actress and Prince Harry’s relationship adds a layer of fascination to her story. Introduced by Princess Eugenie in May 2012, their romance blossomed against the backdrop of royal duties and the global stage.
Prince Harry recounted the day he met Bonas, sharing that Princess Eugenie tapped him on his shoulder and said, “’Harry, this is my friend Cressida.’ The setting was inauspicious. Lots of people, zero privacy,” added the royal.
The duo’s first date together was “awkward,” and he described their first kiss as “painfully awkward.” Prince Harry called Princess Eugenie the next morning, telling her his first date with Bonas had gone well but that “the ending left something to be desired,” and she agreed. The royal and Bonas went on another dinner date days later.
However, there was added pressure on Bonas, who was thrust into the limelight by dating the Prince and had to choose between marrying into the royal family and pursuing her acting and modeling career.
One of the “Tulip Fever” star’s friends revealed in an October 2013 interview, that she and Prince Harry were set to marry. The pal divulged:
“Harry never stops talking about marriage and children, and she has now got used to the idea. The wedding is likely to take place next year.”
Still, Bonas, then 24, was reportedly opposed to the idea of marriage at such a young age and was constantly in tears knowing the Prince was ready to take on such a big step. When the royal was sent to war in Afghanistan, he phoned Bonas regularly and pleaded with her to “wait for him.”
During their relationship, Prince Harry was vulnerable with her and even cried for the first time about his late mother, Princess Diana, since her burial. He remembered wiping his tears and thanking Bonas for being there for him.
The exes’ relationship lasted for two years before it reportedly ended in 2014, marked by mutual respect and affection. Upon the announcement of their split, they were said to have remained “the best of friends.”
The two were last seen together in December 2017, when they attended the Henry Van Straubenzee Memorial Fund Carol concert and St. Luke’s Church in London.
Their split, while amicable, did not sever Bonas’s ties to the royals, as evidenced by her attendance at Prince Harry’s wedding to Markle in May 2018, and her continued close relationship with Princess Eugenie.
The TV star, who has been “labeled” because of her past with the Prince, even commented on his wife Markle in a January 2020 interview, when asked whether she felt for her regarding the criticism she receives. Bonas said:
“I wouldn’t take a position on that because it would be a headline. Also out of respect. It feels like a long time ago. When it comes up it feels strange because I’m in a different place.”