I’m A Celeb's Ruthie Henshall once dated a royal and got pranked by Prince Charles

Prince Edward once dated Ruthie Henshall - one of this year’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! contestants. 

• The actress enjoyed an on/off five-year romance with Prince Edward and got on very well with ‘hilarious’ Prince Charles
• Ruthie - a new addition to the I’m A Celeb line-up - recalls being pranked by Prince Charles and Prince Edward
• It follows royal news of the Queen's plans to abdicate 

West End actress, Ruthie Henshall, will no doubt have some stories to tell around the I’m A Celeb camp-fire, as she used to date the Queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward. 

Ruthie, 53, made the admission back in 2008 during an appearance on Kirsty Young’s Desert Island Discs and described being “smuggled” into Buckingham Palace as her relationship with Edward Windsor, as he was known at the time, was not public knowledge.

The pair remain good friends and Ruthie even attended his wedding to Sophie Wessex.

On their relationship, she said, “It always make me laugh, I'd sort of say 'I'm going to my boyfriend's tonight'. Nobody knew who he was.

“It was very exciting, but I genuinely fell in love with him."

Sadly the pair went their separate ways as Ruthie knew she could not pursue a career in theatre and be part of the Royal Family.

Recalling the difficult decision, Ruthie explained, “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 have stayed with him.

"If you think about it I would be in the theatre (doing) eight shows a week, they'd have to check out the theatre every night, check everyone's bags, it would be just impossible, and there was nothing - at that stage - that was more important than what I did."

Having grown close to the Royal Family during their courtship, Ruthie has fond memories of being pranked beside a loch in Scotland by Edward and his brother, Prince Charles. 

“They told me there were ghosts in this particular place and when I went the toilet with a candle - as there was no electricity - they waited me to come out and then jumped out on me,” she revealed. 

"I screamed the place down! They were hilarious."

Prince Edward went on to marry Sophie Wessex, who was nicknamed ‘royal key worker’ for the work she’s carried out during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Ruth joins the I’m A Celeb camp as a newcomer, alongside opera singer, Russell Watson.