Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas encouraged him to seek therapy, book claims
Former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown has written a bombshell book titled 'The Palace Papers'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prince Harry was encouraged by a former girlfriend to seek therapy.
Before the British prince embarked on a whirlwind romance with Meghan Markle, he met English actress and model Cressida Bonas through his cousin Princess Eugenie in 2012.
Bonas, the daughter of an earl, "was of his world, but not obsessed with it," Brown wrote in her latest bombshell book. "A beauty but not a preening one, with a burgeoning career as an actress on stage and TV after leaving the University of Leeds."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brown, a former editor of Vanity Fair, has written a new book about the royals titled "The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor – the Truth and the Turmoil." It explores "the scandals, love affairs, power plays and betrayals" that have rocked the royals during the last 20 years and features new revelations based on Brown’s access to palace insiders.
Cressida Bonas is an English actress and model. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Dunhill)
The bestselling author previously wrote a biography on the Princess of Wales titled "The Diana Chronicles," which was published in 2007. For her latest book, Brown said she spoke to more than 120 sources who were close to senior members of the royal family.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brown explored Harry’s relationship with Bonas, which took place between 2012 and 2014. She wrote that, among friends and family, "there was a general agreement that Ms. Bonas had all the makings of a perfect partner for Harry, who was madly in love with her."
However, Brown alleged that Bonas, 33, was concerned about Harry’s mental health and how he coped with public life.
"Without his army mates to cut him down to size, his sense of entitlement was out of control," Brown alleged in her book. "His outbursts were ever more frequent and childlike. He took up boxing because, as he later said, he was always ‘on the verge of punching somebody.’ Cressida began to have serious worries about his mental health. It is not widely known that it was she who first persuaded Harry to see a therapist."
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Cressida Bonas and Prince Harry attend We Day UK, a charity event to bring young people together at Wembley Arena on March 7, 2014, in London. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
An anonymous family friend alleged to Brown that Bonas "got him to accept he had problems, and see a psychoanalyst."
A mutual friend of the former couple also told Brown that when the pair called it quits, Harry, 37, wrote Bonas a letter and thanked her for pushing him toward therapy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He wrote her a sweet letter saying I admire you, I wish you well and above all thank you for helping me to address my demons and seek help," wrote Brown.
Disappointed pals were expecting an engagement announcement from Harry and Bonas. But at the time of their breakup, reports alleged that Bonas wanted to focus on her acting career. It was also speculated that the media scrutiny made her realize that she didn’t want to face the pressures of royal life.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cressida Bonas arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle before the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018, in Windsor, England. (Ian West - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Still, the split was amicable. Bonas and Harry remained friends, and she even attended his wedding to Markle in 2018. In 2020, Bonas married another Harry – Harry Wentworth-Stanley. While her famous ex didn’t attend, it’s noted that the ceremony took place during the coronavirus pandemic.
"I had a lockdown wedding," Bonas wrote in Spectator. "A 30-person, socially-distanced, sanitized church service was organized in under two weeks. Restrictions meant no hymns, no wind instruments, and no speaking too loudly. A disappointment for a musical family. Not what we’d envisaged, but a more intimate and special day than we could ever have imagined. Imperfect yet perfect – a day we will never forget."
Brown said Harry was "convinced he was going to be single for the rest of his life," until he laid eyes on Markle, an American actress. The pair met in 2016 on a blind date and the relationship was said to have gone from "0 to 60." In 2017, the prince proposed, and the couple said "I do" in 2018.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brown alleged that Harry wanted to marry the former "Suits" star "as quickly as possible" because he wanted her to have police protection. He was also ready to start his own family.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, seen here on their wedding day, reside in California with their two children. (Getty)
A palace spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment concerning Brown’s book. However, a spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that the palace doesn’t generally comment "on such books." A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also didn’t immediately reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departures from royal duties began in 2020 over what they described as the British media’s intrusions and racist attitudes toward Markle, 40. The family now resides in the coastal city of Montecito, California, with their two children.
In the wake of quitting royal duties, they gave an explosive TV interview to Oprah Winfrey in which the couple described painful comments about how dark Archie’s skin might be before his birth. The duchess talked about the intense isolation she felt inside the royal family that led her to contemplate suicide.
Buckingham Palace said the allegations of racism made by the couple were "concerning" and would be addressed privately.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.