Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend might have left him for the same reason he stepped down from Royal duties

Before Prince Harry met Meghan, Princess Eugenie introduced him to Burberry model Cressida Bonas.

Friends were expecting a ring

Prince Harry and Cressida met in 2012, after having reportedly been introduced by Princess Eugenie. According to former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown, who wrote the explosive The Palace Papers, there was an agreement among family and friends alike that Cressida and Harry were well suited.

She wrote:

Ms Bonas had all the makings of a perfect partner for Harry.

The author also claimed that the Prince was head-over-heels for the Burberry model.

According to Fox News, Harry and Cressida's mutual friends were expecting a formal engagement announcement.

Not Princess material

Unfortunately, the couple split in 2014. According to Robert Lacey's book Battle of the Brothers, Cressida was 'spooked' by the Royal Family and what having a relationship with Prince Harry entailed.

In his book, Lacey claimed that Cressida realised that life inside the Royal Family was too much for her after having seen the TV coverage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's tour of New Zealand with an 8-month-old Prince George in tow.

Royal commentator Julie Montagu spoke about Prince Harry's relationships on the Channel 5 documentary Harry and Meghan: Three Troubled Years. She told of Cressida and another of Prince Harry's former girlfriends and their unwillingness to commit. Was the pressure of being in the public eye after joining the Royal Family too big a burden to bear?

She then questioned:

Is that the exact same reason that Harry and Meghan have now left?

A more sinister reason for the split?

At the time of their split, a friend close to the couple said:

It's very sad that they have decided to split, but this is a completely amicable separation.

However, in her book, Brown writes that Cressida was concerned about Harry's mental health and how he coped with public life.

Per the author, Prince Harry's 'sense of entitlement was out of control' and he had frequent childish outbursts. The Prince later admitted on Bryony Gordon's Mad World podcast that he took up boxing because he was 'on the verge of punching someone'.

Apparently, Cressida was the one who encouragedPrince Harry to seek therapy and work on his problems. When the pair called time on their relationship, Prince Harry allegedly wrote Cressida a thank-you letter for 'helping him to address his demons and seek help'.

Whatever the reason for their breakup, all reports show that Cressida and Prince Harry have remained good friends over the years. Bonas was even invited to Prince Harry's and Meghan's wedding in 2018.

Sources used:

- The Mirror: Prince Harry's ex-Cressida Bonas ended romance after being 'spooked by Kate Middleton'

- My London: Royal Family: Prince Harry's famous actress ex who broke up with him after becoming 'spooked' by the royals

- Geo News: Prince Harry's ex-girlfriends knew they didn't want to marry into the royal family

- Fox News: Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas encouraged him to seek therapy, book claims

- The News: Prince Harry practices boxing to tame 'urge to punch someone'