Prince Edward is set to face renewed public scrutiny as his ex announces a new memoir, stirring fresh tensions within the Royal Family.
West End star Ruthie Henshall is writing a memoir about her romance with the Duke of Edinburgh in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The Showgirl and the Prince will cover their secret relationship, including Buckingham Palace visits and afternoon tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor.
Publisher Pan Macmillan has described the forthcoming work as "a funny, intimate and touching memoir" and "a real-life Cinderella story – if Cinders is a lycra-clad chorus girl from Bromley who drinks and smokes too much".
Henshall opened up about her experience, sharing that she was moved to write the book after pull out boxes of memorabilia whilst clearing out her garage five years ago.
"I found old diaries which I began writing in the 80s and then found all my letters from Prince Edward, and I was struck by how precious this time in my life was," she told the Telegraph.
She reflected, "I was on the West End stage – my dream since I was a girl – and shared a love with a man very few people even know. If this was someone else's story, I would think they had made it up."
Henshall assured the readers her upcoming book will give"a look behind the curtain of a crazy life in musical theatre and what happens next when a showgirl falls in love with a prince."
To note, the five-time Olivier Award nominee had a relationship with the Duke of Edinburgh on and off for several years before he met his then future wife, Sophie Rhys-Jones.
The couple parted ways in 1993 when Henshall opted to prioritise her theatrical career.
