Cressida Bonas took to Instagram on Tuesday to share an inspirational message with her followers – some 24 hours after her ex-boyfriend Prince Harry announced the news of his engagement to Meghan Markle. Cressida, who dated the Prince from 2012 until 2014, uploaded a sketch of a boy and a girl sat side-by-side on swings and reaching out to one another, accompanied by the message: "No matter how educated, talented, rich or cool you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells it all." Alongside the post, the 28-year-old simply wrote: "Truth."
Cressida, a talented actress, was initially introduced to Harry through his cousin Princess Eugenie. The pair kept their romance largely out of the spotlight, and it was only in March 2014 that Cressida accompanied the Prince to her first official event, attending the launch of the We Day in London. The couple are believed to have called time on their relationship amid frustrations about their life in the public eye, and the impact it was having on Cressida.
Cressida Bonas posted an inspirational message on Instagram following Prince Harry's engagement
Earlier this year, notoriously-private Cressida spoke of her frustration at having been "pigeonholed" as Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend. In August, she appeared on BBC's Woman's Hour to speak about her role in the play, Mrs Orwell, in which she played Sonia, the second wife of George Orwell. While discussing the project, the show's host asked Cressida whether dating Harry had given her an insight into "being defined by a much more famous man". "I think it's that thing of being pigeonholed," she replied. "Especially in this country, I find that people are very quick to put you in a box, or put you in a corner, and think 'Oh, well you're that so you must be this.'"
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The former couple dated from 2012 until 2014
She continued: "It's incredibly frustrating, especially in the industry that I'm in. But you know, it is the way it is. It's about making a stand and saying, 'No, this is who I am and this is what I want to do'." Cressida added: "It's the same with Sonia, but obviously in a completely different context. I think if Sonia were in today's world she'd be celebrated because she's very ambitious, very modern, but at that time, in that world, it was a man's world."