Ruthie Henshall and Prince Edward had a secret romance from 1988 to 1993, but it ended in heartbreak.12:42, 02 Aug 2026Ruthie Henshall reflected on her secret five-year romance with Prince Edward in a new TV interview.‌The 59-year-old appeared on the latest instalment of Sunday Brunch to discuss her spectacular musical theatre career as well as her new book, The Showgirl and the Prince.‌Talking to presenters Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer, Ruthie shared insight into her relationship with Prince Edward and how they met.‌West End theatre star Ruthie, who revealed she is still in contact with Prince Edward, confessed that she gave him a heads-up before the book was published. But given their different careers, Tim touched upon the realistic longevity of their relationship.Tim said: "It's the impossible relationship. He's a prince and you've got a great career, it could never really work, could it?" Despite Tim's fairly blunt take, Ruthie appeared to agree.‌Ruthie replied: "No. It was never going to work."Tim then jokingly added: "Sorry to give away spoilers there - they didn't marry and have children. Sorry!"Ruthie first crossed paths with Prince Edward in 1988, when she was 20 years old and starring as Jemima in Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical, Cats.‌At the time, Edward, who is Queen Elizabeth's youngest son, was 23 and had recently left the Royal Marines before beginning work with Lloyd Webber as a production assistant.The pair quickly formed a close friendship, which later developed into a romantic relationship. Although their connection began as purely platonic, they eventually fell in love.‌Ruthie has described Edward as thoughtful and respectful during their time together. She also revealed that he asked her to be patient before they became intimate and later requested that they keep their relationship out of the public eye.In her memoir, Ruthie wrote: "The secrecy could be fun. I remember a Sunday brunch at Kensington Roof Gardens, a mixer for all the Really Useful performers. He was representing the company.Article continues below"I purposefully wore no knickers, so I could spend the whole time walking around the party and then coming back to him, leaving him under no illusion about what I was doing – trying to tempt him into bed. And not to sleep.""I was now spending most weekends with him. When we finally made love, in January 1989, it happened very naturally."Sunday Brunch airs Sundays from 10am on Channel 4.