While Prince Harry holidays in Africa with girlfriend Meghan Markle, his ex, Cressida Bonas, has spoken out about their relationship woes.
The professionally trained dancer-turned-actress and Prince Harry were together for two years, between 2012 to 2014, when they split up due to the pressures of being in the public eye.
The 28-year-old Brit It-girl, who is currently starring in the West End stage production Mrs Orwell, spoke to BBC Radio 4 about the parallels between her character, George Orwell’s overlooked wife Sonia, and her experience as Prince Harry’s girlfriend.
“I think it’s that thing of being pigeonholed, especially in this country, I find 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,” Bonas said.
“It’s incredibly frustrating, especially in the industry I’m in,” she says. “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.”
Bonas has struggled to shed her ‘Prince Harry’s ex’ label and be taken seriously as an actress. She was named a Mulberry ambassador in 2015 and danced in a campaign film for the luxury label, and will star alongside Alicia Vikander in the upcoming Tulip Fever.