July 22, 2026

Prince Edward’s Ex Spills on Life Inside Balmoral and the bedroom

Show Notes
Transcript

Ruthie Henshall recalls her royal romance with Prince Edward, Darren McGrady reveals William’s ice cream habit, and Deep Crown asks whether Prince William is really furious — or just finished with Harry.

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Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.

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Calorouga Shark Media, Hello and Welcome through Palace Intrigue. I'm

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your host, Mark Francis a memoir by actress and West

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End performer Ruthie Henshall, is offering a different perspective on

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life inside the Royal family with recollections that contrasts with

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comments Megan, Duchess of Sussex made in the couple's Netflix documentary.

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Henschell's book The Showgirl and the Prince recounts her five

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year relationship with Prince Edward now the Duke of Edinburgh

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from nineteen eighty eight to ninety three. In excerpts published

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by The Mail on Sunday, Henschell described spending a weekend

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at Balmorrel, where she says she was struck by how

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relaxed the royal family seemed in private. She writes, at Balmorral,

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the weekend starts on Friday with drinks before dinner in

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the lounge, a huge room with an enormous fireplace. The

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sofas had removable covers, which struck me as deeply sensible

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because they could be washed. There were dogs everywhere, so

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maybe the Queen had thought her head like curtseyed. When

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I entered the lounge. As a dancer, I could get low,

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and the Queen's face lit up when she saw Edward

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that night, she was sitting on the arm of a

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sofa like any other mother. She threw her arms around

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him and they talked about horses, the wildlife, how Edward's

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work was going, and they chipped in every so often.

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It slightly surprised me how informal they all were. Perhaps

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more eye opening is the anecdote Among the personal stories

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in the book, Henzil says Edward was cautious about taking

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their relationship to the next stage. She writes, he sent

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me a letter asking me if I'd be patient about

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sleeping together. He didn't want to go too fast. I

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was always trying to tempt him into bed and not

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to sleep. She also describes Edward as thoughtful and romantic

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partner who regularly wrote letters expressing his feelings. I had

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never received anything so beautiful. It was romantic and gentle

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and definitely not gay. He clearly had experience. The memoir

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also recalls lighter moments during their relationship, including claims that

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the pair would sneak into palace cupboards to help themselves

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to biccardian coke when no one else was around. Despite

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the relationship eventually ending, Henshall writes warmly about Edward. She

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says his whole demeanor would calm me down, describing him

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as someone with a gentle, positive energy. According to Henshall,

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the relationship ended on good terms, and she was later

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invited to Edward's wedding to Sophie at Saint George's Chapel,

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Windsor Castle. Former Royal chef Darren McGrady is sharing another

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glimpse inside palace life, revealing how a simple request for

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ice cream highlighted the very different atmospheres at Buckingham Pallas

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and Kensington Palace when Prince William was growing up. McGrady,

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who first cooked for Queen Elizabeth I before becoming Princess

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Diana's personal chef, said the late Queen's household operated with

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strict formality, even for a child's dessert. McGrady recalled when

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I worked for the Queen, Prince William loved a dark

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chocolate and asked for a chocolate ice cream. The Queen

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would press a button, the page would come, She'd ask

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for the ice cream and it triggered a long chain.

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Head chef, pastry chef Silver pantry, glass, pantry, linen room. Finally,

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twenty minutes later, William got his homemade ice cream presented

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to him. At Kenington, it was much more relaxed. When

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he would walk into the kitchen and say, Darren, can

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I have some chocolate ice cream please? I'd say help yourself.

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He'd grab Hargan Does chocolate chip that was his favorite,

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open it and sit in the window still eating it,

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McGrady said. Princess Diana also preferred a more informal household

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off and stopping by the kitchen herself to chat with

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staff over snacks and catch up on the latest gossip. Meanwhile,

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Queen Elizabeth had a sweet tooth and loved dark chocolate,

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especially anything over sixty percent cocoa adding, and he dessert

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with chocolate on the menu is sure to be chosen.

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King Charles, however, has different preferences. Charles doesn't like chocolate

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and goes more for the fruit options. McGrady explained, you

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would rather have an orange olive oil tea cake or

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banana bread more balancing. Just a moment, Prince William has

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picked up an unexpected title style Icon. Fashion columnist Shane

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Watson argues that William's appeal has less to do with

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designer labels than we're consistently getting the basics right. According

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to Watson, the future King has quietly perfected the wardrobe

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of the middle aged man, relying on well fitted tailoring,

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simple colours, and classic styling rather than chasing fashion trends.

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One of her biggest observations is fit. Whether he's wearing

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a morning suit at ascot, a polo shirt on an engagement,

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or jeans on a casual outing, William's clothes are tailored properly.

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Watson argues that good tailor and creates stronger shoulders of

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longer silhouette and neater appearance, while poorly fitting jackets and

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trousers have exactly the opposite effect. She also points to

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William's preference for clean, understated casual clothing. His polo shirts

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are fitted rather than baggy, his shorts are slimmer than

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traditional cargo styles, and his sweaters tend to be playing

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crew necks in muted colors. Watson notes that William has

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largely abandoned the quarter zip sweaters favored by many middle

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aged men, joking that some husbands seem determined to wear

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them under every jacket they own. Another rule is restraint.

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William typically wears crisp shirts beneath tailored jackets, leaving only

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the top button undone. Watson Joe, too many men decide

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three open buttons are acceptable in warm weather, producing the

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look she compares to former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlasconi.

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Colour is another area where she believes William excels. Rather

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than introducing bright reds or bold patterns later in life,

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he sticks to shades that compliment him, particularly blues his

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pale blue shirt with a contrasting white collar at Royal

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Ascert Droue particular praise. Watson also says William has modernized

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formal evening wear by choosing velvet dinner jackets in midnight

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blue or burgundy instead of more traditional black styles. When

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it comes to grooming, she argues the Prince benefits from

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keeping things simple. He maintains neatly trimmed facial hair, stands upright,

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keeps himself fit, and pays attention to small details that

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elevate an otherwise conventional wardrobe. Footwear also earns praise. Rather

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than relying on one pair of shoes for every occasion,

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William alternates between simple white sneakers for casual appearances, oxford

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lace ups for suits, and desert boots when appropriate. And finally,

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Watson says, William understands casual dressing better than many men

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is age. His genes are usually dark, well fitted, and

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in good condition, avoiding the worn, oversized look that can

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make even expensive clothes appear untidy. When not being fashionable,

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William is often described as being furious royal inside a

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deep ground, commented on his substack. If you assembled every

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story published about the Prince of Wales of the past

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three years in which an unnamed source described his emotional state,

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you would find a man in a condition of near perpetual,

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white hot volcanic fury. You would picture someone pacing the

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corridors of Kensington Palace at midnight, rattling the wainscotting and

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frightening the staff. I'm told by colleagues in the media

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that unconcerned doesn't sell newspapers. Neither does mildly exasperated, privately disappointed,

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wearily resigned, or quietly skeptical. The English language offers us

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a rich vocabulary for human displeasure, irritated, vexed, aggrieved, peauked, displeased,

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put out, indignant, shaped, rankled, and the tabloid presss evaded

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this magnificent landscape and decided unanimously and apparently irrevocably, to

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pitch its tent on furious and never leave. I have

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a theory about this, and it's not a flattering one

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for the press. Furious keeps Harry relevant. If Willy was furious,

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it means Harry has gotten to him. It means the

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wound is fresh, the nerve is live, the drama is ongoing.

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It gives the Sussex story oxygen. It suggests that somewhere

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in that Montecito compound, the strategy is working. But the statements,

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the docuentaries, the court cases, the anonymous briefings are landing

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with force. But what if they're not. What if the

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more accurate headline is that women has, with considerable discipline,

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simply moved on. That he has looked at the situation,

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made his assessment and filled it under. Not my problem anymore.

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That is a far less exciting story, that is in

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fact almost no story at all, And so we get

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furious instead. Conjured from unnamed sources whose access to the

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Prince of Wales's interior life is shall we say, speculative.

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I will tell you what I know from people who

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have actually been in proximity to the Prince of Wales

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in recent months. The word they use is not furious.

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One of them used the word indifferent, Another said detached.

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A third, who has known will him for some years,

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said simply he's moved on. He's genuinely moved on. And

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there you have it. If you'd like to email Ussel

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appreciate your support, Man Francis, my thanks to John McDermott.

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This is Palace Intrigue and good times.

Prince Edward’s Ex Spills on Life Inside Balmoral and the bedroom

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