Edward was the late Queen’s real favourite, claims RUTHIE HENSHALL as she lifts the lid on her secret royal romance – and tells Palace Confidential what the family are REALLY like behind closed doors

at lLatest episode of Palace ConfidentialOlivier Award-winning artist Ruthie Henshall shares the stories of her passionate five-year love affair with Prince Edward.

Henshall, 59, first met the Prince in 1988, when he was 23 and had just left the Royal Marines to work backstage in the West End.

Henshall claims that the Queen and Prince Philip had reservations about this surprise career milestone, but ultimately gave their approval because Edward had developed a passion for the performing arts during his years at Cambridge.

Henshall and Edward became close while working on a stage project for Andrew Lloyd Webber; The prince was her daily contact before inviting the young star to Buckingham Palace to watch the 1954 classic A Star Is Born.

Henshall first met the Prince in 1988, when he was 23 and had just left the Royal Marines to work backstage in the West End.

Henshall told Palace Confidential that he believed Edward was the Queen’s favorite of her children, contrary to popular belief that Andrew was the apple of her eye.

‘That was a moment that really upset me,’ Henshall recalled.

‘The food, the wine, everything was great. He was a complete gentleman.

‘I don’t remember anything about the movie because my mind was spinning as I sat there.

‘At one point towards the end of the evening our hands were touching and we were not moving them. This was the beginning of really getting to know him and slowly getting to know him. I think the first big kiss was about three months after we saw each other.’

After their evening together at the Palace, Henshall and the Prince embarked on an on-again, off-again romance that they kept secret from the public for five years.

The actress said she had been welcomed into the wider family with open arms, spending time with them in Windsor and her stay at Balmoral including an evening ‘dinner’ at the remote cottage in Loch Muick.

She met both the Queen and Prince Philip on several occasions and recalls the late monarch complimenting her singing voice after she performed I Dreamed a Dream for the family.

Henshall told Palace Confidential that he believed Edward was the Queen’s favorite of her children, contrary to popular belief that Andrew was the apple of her eye.

‘People talk about Andrew being the Queen’s favourite: I don’t think that’s true at all,’ he said.

‘Every time Edward walked into a room his face lit up.’

Henshall revealed that the amicable end of the relationship came in 1993, when she realized she would eventually have to choose between her career and life as a royal consort.

She said Edward made it clear on several occasions that continuing their relationship would mean giving up the stage, because his career in live theater required the audience and backstage areas to be searched by security every night.

The two eventually separated, and Edward began a new relationship with his current wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, later that year.

The two eventually separated, and Edward began a new relationship with his current wife, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, later that year.

Looking back, Henshall said Edward was ‘the love of my life’ and praised the men and women who took on the difficult task of marrying a member of the royal family.

He said: ‘I remember something Edward said to me when people asked me what the royal family was like.

‘ He said: ‘In a perfect world you would want two wives. One for work, the other for love, because it seems wrong to make the person you love do this job.’

‘There’s a job to be done and I think that’s why there’s some sort of division. We see the royal family doing their job, we don’t see it behind closed doors.

‘I think we need to remember, they have a duty and the Queen has put that first. His duty was to this country. That’s how they were raised.

‘I think I’d be a good match for the job, until… I couldn’t keep it up. This is a huge job. ‘To be judged, to be looked at, to be one of the most famous women in the world.’

Henshall’s memoir, The Showgirl and the Prince, is available to purchase now.

Hear Ruthie Henshall’s full story in her own words by subscribing to Palace Confidential on YouTube.