Prince Edward’s ex-girlfriend has revealed details of her first meeting with the royal family ahead of the publication of her memoirs.
Ruthie Henshall, 59, admitted she broke royal protocol seconds after meeting the late Queen Elizabeth II, calling it a disaster.
In a conversation with a magazine, she stated that despite her father’s careful instruction in royal etiquette, nerves got the best of her when the time came.
talking to Yours Before the book’s publication, the actress and singer praised the late monarch, saying: “The Queen in particular was lovely.”
Henshall added: “I remember my dad had told me that if you ever met the Queen you would bow and call her ma’am.”
But things went unexpectedly out of plan. Instead of bowing or curtsying, he instinctively grabbed the monarch’s hand.
“When I met her, I forgot to bow and I grabbed her hand and said, ‘I’m really pleased to meet you, really pleased to meet you,'” she recalled.
“Here I was, this showgirl hanging out with her youngest son must have been her worst nightmare.”
Despite her concerns about how she might be perceived, Henshall said the late monarch was friendly and welcoming during their meetings.
“I really fell in love with him,” she admitted.
The memoir promises to offer readers a rare window into the Duke of Edinburgh’s life before royal responsibilities became his main focus, along with glimpses of the late Queen outside the public eye.
Their courtship represented one of the most important relationships in Eduardo’s life before his marriage in 1999 to Sophie, now the Duchess of Edinburgh.
The two began dating in 1988 after they crossed paths while both working with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.
