The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are typically seen as being the squeaky-clean, scandal-free members of the royal family.
However, Prince Edward now faces major embarrassment, says a source, as an ex-girlfriend has inked a deal to write a tell-all book all about him, their romance and his relatives.
News of the book is reportedly causing further chaos inside The Firm, at a time when they could really do without it. It’s also added some unprecedented tension in Edward’s 26-year marriage to Sophie, 61.
“Edward and Sophie have built their entire lives around being discreet and drama-free,” reveals a well-placed palace source.
“They take enormous pride in keeping their heads down and doing the work without seeking publicity, so the idea of intimate details being dragged into the public domain is mortifying.”
In late February, Edward’s ex, British theatre star Ruthie Henshall, announced that she’s publishing a memoir about their “deep love” that will be “brutally honest”.
The book, which will be released in July, is titled The Showgirl and the Prince.
The 58-year-old says she was inspired to write the book after finding a box of old love letters from Edward.
“I was struck by how precious this time in my life was,” she says. “I was on the West End Stage – my dream as a girl – and shared a love with a man very few people even know.”
Ruthie and Edward, 61, met in 1988 when she was appearing in Cats and Edward was working in production for renowned theatre impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber. They dated on and off for about five years, and it’s thought they stayed on friendly terms after the break-up. Ruthie even attended Edward’s wedding to Sophie in 1999.
Despite her friendship with both Edward and Sophie, Ruthie still regularly spills the beans on her time dating the Duke.
During a 2020 stint on the UK version of I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, she shocked many when she boasted to her fellow campmates that she “shagged in the bedrooms” of Buckingham Palace.
In a previous 2008 interview with The Telegraph, Ruthie also revealed that she and Edward used to openly laugh about the rumours he was secretly closeted.
Our source says this new book is “the last thing” the royals need, given the “intense scrutiny” they are all under following the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. It’s not known if the royals have been given a preview of the book.
“Even if Edward ends up being portrayed in a relatively flattering light, the exposure alone is humiliating, and it’s put him in a terrible mood,” says the source. “Sophie is in a horrible spot because she’s having to contend with his bad temper and her own anger over being dragged into this.”
“It’s also still not clear what exactly will be included in the book, so she’s having to brace for what could come out and how it might be spun,” the source continued.
“At the moment Sophie’s got to keep calm and carry on — but she is far from calm.”
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