Prince Harry made it no secret that he was hoping to marry young during his confessions in his book Spare.
The bombshell memoir saw the Duke of Sussex discuss his relationships before meeting his wife Meghan Markle in 2016, including his long-term girlfriend Chelsy Davy. The former couple dated for seven years before splitting for good in 2011, after they enjoyed one last romantic holiday together.
Harry and Chelsy jetted to Botswana – a location close to the Prince's heart – shortly before he headed to Afghanistan.
Referring to their on-off relationship, he wrote: "We had all the same old problems, nothing had been solved. Also, Chels wanted to travel, have fun, be young, but I was once again on a path to war. I’d soon be shipping off. If we stayed together, we’d be lucky to see each other a handful of times over the next two years, and that was no kind of relationship."
© GettyHe added that his friend Teej helped the "delusional" couple come to terms with their split during their Botswana holiday.
"We went to Botswana one last time. One last trip upriver, we said. One last visit to Teej and Mike.
"We had great fun, and naturally wavered about our decision. I tried now and then, and talked now and then, of different ways this might still work. Chels played along. We were being so obviously, willfully delusional, that Teej felt the need to step in.
© Getty"It’s over, kids. You’re postponing the inevitable. And making yourselves crazy in the process.
"We were staying in a tent in her garden. She sat with us in the tent, delivering these difficult truths while holding hands with each of us. Looking us in the eyes, she urged us to let this breakup be final. Don’t waste the most precious thing there is. Time," he recalled.
Harry also spoke openly about how Chelsy didn't conform to the expectations of the royal family – something that attracted him to her in the first place.
"She wasn't visibly fitting herself for a crown the moment she shook my hand," he gushed, but when Teej pointed out these glaring lifestyle differences, Harry realised that he didn't want her to have to change who she was if she married into the Firm.
© Getty ImagesHe wrote: "Teej asked point-blank if I could see myself married to Chels[...] 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. Or the British public. And the last thing I wanted was for Chels to change to accommodate them."
2011 not only marked the year that he ended his relationship with Chelsy, but it also saw his elder brother Prince William marry Princess Kate. The royal wedding brought up thoughts about his own marriage, with Harry stating he had hoped to be a "young husband."
© Netflix"I thought long and hard about my singlehood. I’d always assumed I’d be the first to be married, because I’d wanted it so badly. I’d always assumed that I’d be a young husband, a young father, because I’d resolved not to become my father," he added.
Five years later he was set up on a blind date with Suits actress Meghan, and they fell in love very quickly. In fact, their third date took place in Botswana, where they "[got] to know each other before the rest of the world – and the media - joined it," they admitted in their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan.
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