Cressida Bonas: 5 Things About Prince Harry’s Ex Who He Cried To About Princess Diana’s Death

Prince Harry dated Cressida Bonas for two years, and opened up to her in a way he never had to anyone before. He details their relationship in his new memoir, ‘Spare.’

• Cressida Bonas is an actress and model, who famously dated Prince Harry.
• Cressida and Harry amicably split in 2014, and she was in attendance at his 2018 wedding to Meghan Markle.
• Cressida has since gotten married and had a child, as well.
• Harry opened up about his relationship with Cressida in his Jan. 2023 memoir ‘Spare.’

Prince Harry had a few famous exes before he married Meghan Markle, including English actress and model, Cressida Bonas. The two dated for two years after being introduced in May 2012. During their relationship, Harry experienced one of the most groundbreaking moments of his life, when he cried over his mom, Princess Diana’s, death for the first time since her 1997 funeral.

The conversation happened late night during a ski trip in the spring of 2014. Cressida asked Harry about his mother, and everything fell into place. “It was also the way she asked,” Harry wrote in his memoir, Spare. “Her tone was just the right blend of curiosity and compassion. The way she reacted to my answer was just right, too. Surprised, concerned, with no judgement.”

Harry answered Cressida’s question and “then started to cry,” he recalled. He informed Cressida that it was the first time he’d shed tears since Diana’s burial. “Wiping my eyes, I thanked her,” he continued. “She was the first person to help me cross that barrier, to help me unleash the tears. It was cathartic, it accelerated our bond, and added an element rare in past relationships: Immense gratitude.”

Learn more about Cressida and her relationship with Harry below:

How Did Prince Harry & Cressida Bonas Meet?

Harry and Cressida were introduced by Harry’s cousin, Princess Eugenie, at a music festival in 2012. “The setting was inauspicious,” Harry wrote in his book, Spare. “Also, I was still suffering a broken heart. On the other hand, the landscape was lovely, the music was good, the weather was fine. There were sparks.”

After meeting at the festival, Harry and Cressida went to dinner. However, they didn’t have their first kiss until weeks later — and it was incredibly awkward. “I walked her up the steps,” Harry wrote. “She didn’t invite me in. I didn’t expect her to, didn’t want her to. Take it slow, I thought. I leaned in to give her a kiss, but my aim was off. I could take out a cactus from three miles away with a Hellfire missle, but I couldn’t quite find her lips. She turned, I tried again on the return trip, and we managed something like a graze. Painfully awkward.”

Luckily, they were both game to try again, and met up again for dinner a few days later. “We tried another kiss. Not so awkward,” Harry recounted. “I had hope.” He soon added, “Before I knew what was happening, we were a thing.” Before he left for war, Harry made headlines after being exposed for playing a game of strip billiards in a Las Vegas hotel room, but Cressida stood by him amidst the intense media scrutiny.

What Happened To Prince Harry & Cressida Bonas?

Unfortunately, as Harry and Cressida were beginning their relationship, he found out he was being deployed to war. Cressida promised Harry that she’d wait for him, “but not forever.” She also said it would be easier to tell herself and others that she and Harry were not together. However, she gave him assurance that when he was back, they’d be able to reassess their public relationship.

When Harry returned from war, he said he felt some “distance” and “stiffness” with Cressida. He mentioned that she pointed out how “different” he seemed. “Whatever it was, it seemed frightening or off-putting to Cressida,” Harry wrote. They decided to start over, rather than trying to pick up exactly where they left off. They continued to quietly date, and were not exposed as an official couple until March 2014, when Cressida attended her first official royal engagement with Harry.

The ski trip where Harry opened up about Diana took place shortly after that. Harry said he felt indebted to Cressida for helping him open up, but he left the trip feeling “miserable,” because he also realized that they “weren’t a match.” He recounted, “I just knew. Cress, I think, knew as well. There was massive affection, deep and abiding loyalty, but not love everlasting. She was always clear about not wanting to take on the stresses of being a royal, and I was never sure I wanted to ask her to do so.”

Harry broke things off with Cressida shortly after the ski trip. “She nodded. None of it seemed to surprise her,” he admitted. “These things had been on her mind, as well.”

Cressida Attended Harry & Meghan’s Wedding

Despite the breakup, Harry and Cressida remained on good terms. Cressida was in the crowd at St. George’s chapel when Harry married Meghan in May 2018. Cressida wrote a diary for The Spectator after the wedding, but did not reveal her feelings about seeing her ex walk down the aisle. Instead, she discussed her fears about wearing the wrong hat to the ceremony. “I opted for a minimal feathered number — and can only hope I got it right,” Cressida shared.

Who Is Cressida Bonas’ Husband?

Cressida married Harry Wentworth-Stanley on July 25, 2020. They had a small, private wedding ceremony. Cressida and Harry welcomed their first baby together toward the end of 2022, and she confirmed that she had used IVF to get pregnant.

See more

Harry is a property developer in London. Harry’s mother is Clare Mountbatten, a former magazine editor, who divorced Harry’s dad in 1997. She went on to marry George Mountbatten, 4th Marquess of Milford Haven. George is a cousin of Prince Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, so Cressida’s new family also has royal connections.

What Does Cressida Do?

Cressida studied at the University of Leeds, then studied dance at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire. She starred in plays and musicals throughout her time at school. Her first on-screen appearance as an actress was in 2009, when she scored a small television role. She made her official theatrical debut in 2014. The gifted dancer starred as Daisy Buchanan in the musical version of The Great Gatsby in 2017. In 2015, she starred in a one-woman play, as Laura in An Evening with Lucian Freud. Most recently, she starred in the 2020 film White House Farm.

After starting her acting career, Cressida branched into modeling in 2014. She appeared in the pages of Vanity Fair, photographed by Mario Testino after being included on their International Best Dressed List. She has modeled for Burberry and Mulberry, as well.