Prince Harry reportedly once “stormed off” from a royal fan after they made one small request, a royal expert has claimed.
The prince, 40, was still a senior working member of the Royal Family at the time of the incident in 2013 when he was out for lunch with his former girlfriend Cressida Bonas and her family in Kidlington.
While the family and the duke were able to eat their lunch in peace at a table towards the back of the restaurant, it was what happened after the prince had finished eating that reportedly made him angry.
According to royal author and expert Tina Brown, Harry was asked by an elderly royal fan for a photograph, however the fan received a less-than pleasant reply.
Recalling the incident in her book The Palace Papers, Tina Brown wrote that the man said to Harry, “Oh, sir, so sorry, I know it’s Christmas time, but could I just take a photograph to give to my wife who isn’t well?”
Ms Brown continued: “And so Cressida opened her mouth and said: ‘Oh, of course.’ And Harry said: ‘Get out of my way’ and went bright red in the face and stormed off in a huff.”
The incident has never been mentioned by Prince Harry himself, however it wasn’t the only time during their relationship, which started in 2012 and ended in 2014, that the prince’s fame left him in a sour mood.
Brown wrote: “A few weeks later, Harry and Cressida were headed for a romantic night out for Valentine’s Day.
“En route to the restaurant, they were driving down Kensington High Street when Harry got word that there was a photographer lying in wait. He slammed on the brakes, did a spin turn in the middle of the street and gunned it back to (Nottingham Cottage) for a Valentine’s night of pizza.”
According to the author, the couple – who were introduced through Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie – spent most of their time together in Harry’s home for privacy.
Since breaking up in 2014, Cressida has rarely spoken about her time with the prince, especially in 2020 when it was revealed that he had stepped back from royal life with his wife Meghan Markle.
As reported by The Standard, when asked about Harry and Meghan in an interview, Cressida said: “I want to talk about my work. And also out of respect. What’s the expression? 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.”
Cressida attended Harry’s 2018 Windsor wedding despite their break-up four years earlier.
