Will and Kate's Wedding Convinced One of Prince Harry's Exes to Leave Him for Good
Before he married Meghan Markle, Prince Harry was involved, on and off, with Chelsy Davy for seven years. Davy realized she couldn't stay with Harry after seeing the spectacle of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding in 2011.
It may not seem like it now, but there was a time before the modern fairytale that is Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's romance. And, like everyone else, Harry has a romantic past. One of his most serious girlfriends was Chelsy Davy, who he dated off and on for seven years and reportedly considered proposing to one point.
The thing that killed Harry and Chelsy's relationship for good? Prince William and Kate Middleton's royal wedding in 2011, which Chelsy attended as Harry's date. There was no blow up fight you missed in the tabloids or anything dramatic like that. The wedding just made Chelsy realize that she couldn't see herself as a royal bride.
According to The Mirror, journalist Angela Levin revealed the reason for Harry and Chelsy's split in her royal biography Harry: Conversations with the Prince.
"A friend revealed that seeing the enormity and pomp of the day convinced Chelsy that she and Harry had been right to separate," she wrote. "Although they had a lot in common, she saw clearly that because they came from such different worlds it could never have worked, especially as she valued her privacy and guarded it so carefully."
While Harry and Chelsy did try one last time to rekindle their romance in 2015, according to royal expert Katie Nicholl's biography of Harry, Will and Kate's wedding was the moment Chelsy felt sure she couldn't take the pressures of the public life of a royal. This makes sense, since Chelsy has been very open about the stress that came with dating Harry in interviews.
"It was so full-on: crazy and scary and uncomfortable," Chelsy said during a June 2016 interview with The Times. "I found it very difficult when it was bad. I couldn’t cope. I was young, I was trying to be a normal kid, and it was horrible."
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
This Week's Best On-Sale Picks Include a Tory Burch Bag and Pretty Silver Ballet Flats
Warm weather is finally here—it's time to dress like it.
By Brooke Knappenberger Published
-
A Sporty It-Sneaker Era Is About to Begin
Nike's next Air models are designed for Olympic athletes, but they'll soon be all over street style.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
These Luxury Beauty Gifts Are Proven to Make Mom Feel Spoiled on Mother’s Day
The best in makeup, haircare, and skincare for your favorite woman.
By Brooke Knappenberger Published
-
Prince Harry Has Changed His Official Residence to the U.S.
Don't make it mean more than it does, k?
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Yes, That’s Meghan Markle’s Calligraphy on American Riviera Orchard’s Logo
Everything having to do with the lifestyle brand seems personal to the Duchess of Sussex.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meghan Markle’s New Netflix Cookery Show Begins Filming Today—But Not Where You’d Expect It to Be Shot
The Sussexes are having a busy week this week, shooting both of their his-and-her Netflix shows and rolling out the first product offering for Meghan’s new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meghan Markle’s Lifestyle Brand American Riviera Orchard Reveals Its First Product Offering
Fifty samples were sent out in the company’s first limited edition run of the item.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Meghan Markle Thinks Prince Harry Is "Making a Big Mistake" in Wanting to Reach Out to William, Kate: Source
She's worried he'll get hurt again.
By Iris Goldsztajn Published
-
Prince Harry "Loves Being a Dad" to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, According to His Longtime Friend
Parenthood suits the Duke of Sussex.
By Meghan De Maria Published
-
King Charles “Desperately” Wants the Sussexes to Join Him at Balmoral This Summer
The castle in the Scottish Highlands, independent of a potential Sussex visit, is undergoing a major change starting this summer.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Officially Announce Two New Netflix Series, Both In the “Early Stages” of Production
One show focuses on one of Meghan’s primary hobbies, while the other goes behind the curtain of one of Harry’s foremost passions.
By Rachel Burchfield Published