As Prince Edward turns 62, he’s bracing for some VERY ‘intimate insights’ in a tell-all memoir by his first love – as royal expert says it’s ‘nightmarish’ timing amid Andrew scandal

Prince Edward’s first love is likely to disclose ‘intimate insights’ about their relationship in her memoir that ‘may be nightmarish’ for Buckingham Palace amid the scandal surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a royal expert has warned.

Ruthie Henshall’s The Showgirl and The Prince will document their secret on-and-off romance between 1988 and 1993. The West End star, 58, was inspired to put pen to paper after finding old love letters written to her by the Duke of Edinburgh during their five year-relationship.

Edward who celebrated his 62nd birthday today is one of the more staid members of the Royal Family, but he could have a more tumultuous year ahead with this book on the horizon.

‘If she is as open about their romance as she was on television, just think what it could contain,’ royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Daily Mail.

During her stint on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2020, Ruthie unexpectedly lifted the lid on her sex life with Edward.

‘You performed in Buckingham Palace, you sang in the gardens, I sh****d in the bedrooms,’ she told comedian Shane Richie.

Ahead of the publication of the book, ‘there will be considerable concern that it will contain intimate insights into their time together’, Mr Fitzwilliams added.

He said: ‘It will likely cause much concern at the Palace. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are two of only four members of the royal family under 70 and do invaluable work. He will now be drawn into the line of fire at a time when the monarchy faces its most serious crisis since the 1990s.’

Andrew – Edward’s brother and the former Duke of York – was arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

The former prince spent 11 hours in custody while officers searched his property at Sandringham before he was released under investigation.

According to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, Ruthie’s (pictured) upcoming book ‘is likely to cause much concern at the Palace’ and ‘may be nightmarish’ for Buckingham Palace

The Duke of Edinburgh and Ruthie dated from 1988 to 1993 after crossing paths when Edward, then 23, was working as a production assistant for Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Against a backdrop of chats about rehearsals, a romance quickly blossomed, and it wasn’t long before Ruthie was making secret trips to Buckingham Palace and enjoying tea at Windsor with Queen Elizabeth II. 

Now, Ruthie is set to revisit her and Edward’s romance, more than three decades on.

The Olivier Award-winner said she felt compelled to write the book, which will be published in July, after she discovered love letters from the prince while clearing out her garage five years ago.

‘I found old diaries which I began writing in the 1980s 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. 

‘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.

‘So here it is – 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.’

It is unknown whether any members of the Firm were given a preview of the book, which will be published in July. 

Ruthie, who is understood to have remained on good terms with both Prince Edward and his wife, raised eyebrows when she opened up about her Buckingham Palace sex sessions with Edward on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2020. 

Speaking to comedian Shane Richie, Ruthie also revealed she gave an intimate musical performance to the Royal Family, after she got ‘p****d on martinis’ during a trip to Balmoral.

‘You performed in Buckingham Palace, you sang in the gardens, I sh****d in the bedrooms,’ she said. 

Referring to Ruthie’s comments, Mr Fitzwilliams said: ‘What makes her memoir potentially toxic is the way she discussed their affair on “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!.

‘She talked of having sex with Prince Edward inside Buckingham Palace, though was apparently shocked when this was broadcast. She described him as “a lovely bloke”.

‘For courtiers, the potential mix of scandal and stardom may well be nightmarish,’ he continued.

In 2020, during her stint on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! Ruthie (pictured with Edward) unexpectedly lifted the lid on her and Edward’s Buckingham Palace sex sessions and even revealed that she gave an intimate musical performance to the Royal Family

In an interview with The Daily Mail in 2020, Ruthie (pictured while on I’m A Celebrity) revealed that she had covered her clip-on microphone with her hand during her chat with Shane and was unaware that there were microphones everywhere

In an interview with The Daily Mail in 2020, Ruthie revealed that she had covered her clip-on microphone with her hand during her chat with Shane, entirely unaware that there were microphones everywhere.

Recalling how she felt when she realised that their candid conversation had been broadcast to an audience of millions, the much-loved actress said: ‘When I was having my exit interview, Ant and Dec played my best bits, and out of the ether I could hear myself saying: “I’ve sh***d in the Palace.” 

I think that was the comment I made, something awfully crass like that.

‘I was quite shocked. You say things in there, and you forget you are on a show 24/7.’

She added that following her on-air mishap, she had been in touch with Edward – but Ruthie refused to divulge any details about their conversation. 

Describing her time with the prince as ‘part of her history’ and a ‘wonderful part of my story’, Ruthie fondly recalled: ‘I genuinely fell in love with him’.

In 1993, the couple parted ways when Ruthie realised that continuing the relationship would bring an end to the stage career she had worked tirelessly for.

‘I think I had hopes that we could walk on in our relationship, but really and truthfully I think I was very aware that I wouldn’t be able to do what I do for a living if I’d stayed with him,’ she said.

In the years that followed her romance with Edward, Ruthie went on to achieve vast success and starred in several hit musicals, including Chicago, Billy Elliot, Miss Saigon and Cats.

Her romance with Prince Edward was followed by a six-year relationship and engagement to Scottish actor John Gordon Sinclair, which ended when she won the role of Chicago’s Velma Kelly on Broadway in 1999. 

She went on to marry Canadian singer Tim Howar in 2004. The pair, who share two daughters, divorced in early 2010.