Prince Harry's Ex-Girlfriend on His Relationship With Meghan: "He Seemed a Little Lost."
“I only wish him the best.”
Prince Harry has had a rough few weeks, as controversy has erupted over the new Netflix series Harry & Meghan and previews of his autobiography Spare. And now one of his ex-girlfriends is talking to the press. Catherine Ommanney says she had a short fling with Harry when he was 21, and she was a divorced 34-year-old mother of two.
She approves of Harry's decision to move to the U.S. with his wife, Meghan Markle, because it will allow him to be free of a royal life he found stifling. That's one of the things Harry confided in her during their time together. Read on to find out more about what came from their short romance.
In an interview with OK! magazine, Catherine said that she met Harry in a London bar in May 2006. He talked about his family from their first meeting. "Later, when we were alone, Harry told me about his grandmother and how close they were, and how supportive she was of him as the younger brother," she said.
"I got the impression he was her favorite, as he was the naughty one." The pair swapped phone numbers and went on a second date around a week later. "We had a kiss and Harry was very complimentary and attentive, telling me how beautiful I was. I think the biggest compliment he paid me was when he said that I made him 'feel normal.'"
Catherine said that when she dated Harry, he dreamed of having a "normal" life and felt smothered by his living as a royal. "I did feel sorry for Harry and how little freedom he had to be himself," she said. "He seemed a little lost and I think that was because he was surrounded by so many hangers-on who didn't have his best interests at heart."
Catherine discovered it was difficult for them to be alone. "I could see there was little upside to his position beyond the obvious privileges and the three bodyguards that shadowed him didn't seem to allow for much privacy," she said. "I remember saying to him, 'I imagine your life must be genuinely hard, being in such a goldfish bowl.' He replied: 'It definitely has its moments.' I also asked Harry, 'Would you like to swap your life with somebody else's life?' He said, 'Yes, often. I would love to lead a normal life.'"
Today, Catherine told the magazine, "Meghan and Harry look very happy together and I wish them all the best. I am so proud that Harry had the courage to move to the States and I think he really needed to do that—to finally be free." She added: "I have nothing but respect for Meghan, and the fact that Harry is with her shows that he does have more than one type after all—he is clearly not only interested in blondes."
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Catherine and Harry only went on a few dates before things petered out, and he changed his phone number, she said. But she took it in stride, as she knew the relationship didn't have much of a future. "I had the time of my life when I was with Harry as we got each other's sense of humor," she told the Sun.
"Without being arrogant, I think we both quite fancied each other even though he was way too young for me. If he wasn't a royal and was maybe ten years older, he would be my perfect man." "I genuinely hope that Harry has more freedom now, as I think it was something he was clearly craving," she said. "And I hope he's happy with Meghan. I only wish him the best."
