In the years before his whirlwind romance with his now wife of five years Meghan Markle, Prince Harry enjoyed the affections of several others, including Cressida Bonus.
WATCH NOW: Cressida Bonas shades Prince Harry. Article continues after video.
The pair first sparked romance rumours in 2012 and dated for two years before amicably splitting in 2014.
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In the almost decade since their separation the former lovebirds have remained tight-lipped about their time together, but have continued to run in the same social circles and show their support for one another in various ways.
How did Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas meet?
Believe it or not, the former couple have Princess Eugenie to thank for their royal romance!
Reflecting upon a particuarly “painfully awkward” moment from their first date in his memoir Spare, Harry shared that their first kiss was anything but romantic.
“I leaned in to kiss her, but my aim was off. She turned, I tried again on the return trip and we managed something like a graze,” he wrote.
Also in his memoir, the now father of two wrote that Cressida was the “first person” in his life who helped him work through the tidal wave of emotions that had been brewing within him over his mother’s tragic 1997 death.
“She was the first person to help me across that barrier, to help me unleash the tears,” he wrote.
“It was cathartic, it accelerated our bond and added an element rare in past relationships: immense gratitude.”
Why did Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas break up?
Despite feeling “indebted” to his girlfriend for the support and empathy she had shown him, the couple split shortly after a 2014 ski trip to Kazakhstan.
“There was a massive affection, deep and abiding loyalty – but not love everlasting,” Harry also wrote in his memoir, noting that Cressida had always made it clear to him that she didn’t want “to take on the stresses of being a royal.”
Whilst heartbroken, the Prince said Cressida wasn’t surprised by his decision to end the relationship.
“These things had been on her mind as well,” he later reflected.
A representative of Cressida also shared a statement on her behalf at the time with US Weekly: “It’s very sad that they have decided to split. It’s very amicable, but they have decided to go their separate ways.”
What has Cressida Bonas said about Prince Harry?
In a rare interview with the BBC’s Woman’s Hour radio show in 2017, Cressida reflected upon her ongoing struggle to make a name for herself outside of being “Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend.”
“It’s incredibly frustrating, especially in the [acting] industry that I’m in,” the actress shared, reflecting on how she had been “pigeonholed” by her previous relationship.
“I feel people are very quick to put you in a box or put you in a corner and think, ‘Oh, well, you’re that so you must be that.”
What is Cressida Bonas doing now?
Whilst the love between the duo died out, both Harry and Cressida went on to find happiness with others.
For Harry, this was with actress Meghan Markle, for Cressida, she wed property investor Harry Wentworth-Stanley in 2020.
The now 34-year-old welcomed her first child through IVF, a son named Wilbur in late 2022.
He was named after her husband’s late brother James, who passed away at the tender age of 21 in 2006.
