Cressida Bonas has broken her silence following her ex-boyfriend Prince Harry's decision to step back from his royal duties with his wife Meghan. The British actress, who was in a relationship with the royal from 2012 to 2014, was asked if she can relate to the heavy scrutiny Meghan has faced in the past few years - however, Cressida declined to comment out of respect for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. "I wouldn't take a position on that because it would be a headline," she said in this week's ES Magazine. "I want to talk about my work. And also out of respect."
Cressida Bonas talks Prince Harry and Meghan's recent news credit Jenny Brough for ES Magazine
"What's the expression," she added. "How would I feel if the shoe was on the other foot and it was an ex talking about me? It feels like a long time ago, so when it comes up it feels strange because I'm in a very different place now - I'm getting married, I've learned a lot. I'm much more comfortable in my own skin. I'm growing."
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Cressida, who is now the star of ITV's new crime drama White House Farm, announced her engagement to fiancé Harry Wentworth-Stanley in August, four years after they rekindled their romance. The pair are believed to have met when they were both students at Leeds University; they briefly dated before the property developer left for a year abroad in Argentina. During this time, the 30-year-old embarked on a two-year relationship with Prince Harry after they were introduced to each other by Princess Eugenie in May 2012.
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Asked about how she is perceived six years after her relationship with Prince Harry came to an end, the actress shared: "No one likes to be labelled, no matter what it is about or where they come from. The hurdles and barriers for me are when I'm trying to do my work and people want to talk about him." She added: "I work very hard and love what I do - I just want to continue. But it is still something I have to contend with. It is what it is. People will perhaps always ask me about it."
Cressida has remained good friends with Prince Harry as she was one of the guests to attend the royal wedding in 2018. Looking ahead to her own nuptials, the star explained: "I am not the most organised person - I won't have those graphs that some brides do." On keeping her big day relatively low-key, she continued: "I won't have a huge wedding, that's not really us. We aren't traditional people, even though Harry [Wentworth-Stanley] proposed in a traditional way – I've never thought about how someone would propose to me. And I don't want a meringue dress. People look beautiful in them but I don't think I would."
The full interview appears in this week's issue of ES Magazine, Thursday 16th January 2020.
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