Prince Harry and Chelsy dated on and off for seven years, before the prince met and married Meghan Markle.
Before he met Meghan Markle, Prince Harry was completely smitten by Zimbabwean-born beauty Chelsy Davy.
The former couple, who met in Cape Town, South Africa, dated on and off for seven years with Harry even introducing her to his grandmother, the Queen.
Eight years on, and friends are still convinced Chelsy is the one that got away. Now, New Idea can exclusively reveal Harry was desperate to marry his first love. But before he could propose, Chelsy ended their romance, leaving him heartbroken – with some even suggesting feelings that strong don’t ever go away.
Speaking to New Idea, Andrew Morton, author of Meghan: A Hollywood Princess, says: “Chelsy could have been the right girl for him. They spent a long time together, but she just couldn’t take the publicity. Now, by contrast, we have someone who is an actress, who was used to treading the red carpet, who [is] in the tradition of a Grace Kelly kind of character. Because after all, royalty is about theatre, and Meghan [knows] all about that.”
Despite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex having already celebrated their one-year wedding anniversary, some say Chelsy would have been better suited to the royal family than Meghan – who has been labelled ‘difficult’ and ‘controlling’.
Meghan recently came under scrutiny yet again, with rumours the former actress is on the hunt for a house in LA so that she and Archie can be closer to her mother, Doria.
“We know Doria and Meghan are very close, Doria has been a very special, intrinsic part of Archie’s life and it would make sense if they bought some place out in LA,” says The Sun’s correspondent Emily Andrews.
“Somewhere they could go for holidays, school holidays, and Doria could stay.”
While Harry is a dedicated father to Archie, now 3 months old, and committed to his marriage, body language experts reported that the prince appears unhappy and could be struggling with his wife’s dominating behaviour, which could be pushing Harry away.
Some worry that if Meghan continues to be ‘difficult’, it could drive a wedge between the royal couple, who have also come under fire for their use of multiple private jets, despite expressing their concerns for climate change.
WATCH: Prince Harry’s ex girlfriend Chelsy Davy makes awkward appearance at his wedding