Chelsy Davy's relationship with Prince Harry has been brought up as part of his court case against MGN, but his appearance in London comes just weeks after his ex-girlfriend marked a special celebration in private.
Prince Harry is suing the publisher over claims their titles used phone hacking and other deception to gain information on the royal between 1996 and 2010. He said this intrusion into his personal life – which MGN has either denied or not admitted – has had an impact on his relationships, giving his break-up with Chelsy as an example.
The Duke of Sussex wrote in his witness statement: "I genuinely feel that in every relationship that I've ever had - be that with friends, girlfriends, with family or with the army, there's always been a third party involved, namely the tabloid press."
In the case of his relationship with Chelsy, which lasted from 2004 to 2011, he said press intrusion "led her to make the decision that a royal life was not for her, which was incredibly upsetting for me at the time."
Harry and Chelsy started dating in 2004 after crossing paths in Cape Town during Prince Harry's gap year. Speaking to The Times, Chelsy admitted she "couldn't cope" with the intense scrutiny their romance received. "It was so full-on: crazy and scary and uncomfortable," she explained.
Harry also penned in his memoir: "I cherished Chels's carefree and authentic spirit. She never worried about what other people thought. She wore short skirts and high boots, danced with abandon, drank as much tequila as I did, and I cherished all those things about her... but I couldn't help worrying how Granny might feel about them."
He added: "And the last thing I wanted was for Chels to change and accommodate them... I [didn't] know if Chels could handle it."
Chelsy has remained tight-lipped about her relationship with the royal, but she has since found love with Sam Cutmore-Scott, whom she secretly married in May 2022, five months after welcoming their son named Leo.
While very little is known about her marriage, the Aya founder would have celebrated her milestone first wedding anniversary with Bijou Collection director Sam last month. She hasn't shared any details about their celebrations, but it's possible they spent the day at their family home in Chiswick, West London.
The Cutmore-Scott family's hospitality company have a boutique hotel in Norfolk, a chateau in the South of France and an abbey in Buckinghamshire – perhaps one of them hosted Chelsy and Sam's wedding!
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