Prince Harry and his girlfriend Cressida Bonas have split up, but remain “the best of friends” after calling time on their two year relationship.
The pair had been widely tipped to walk up the aisle, with speculation growing in recent months that the 29-year-old fourth in line to the throne and 25-year-old Cressida would marry.
“It’s very, very sad that they have decided to split. It’s very amicable but they have decided to go their separate ways,” a source close to the couple said.
Rumours that Cressida was “the one” for Harry gathered pace in
March when she joined the Prince at one of his official engagements for the first time. They sat together and embraced in the stands at Wembley Arena at a We Day UK charity event.
The pair are still the “best of friends” and did not split because Harry found Cressida “too needy”, the source added.
One of the reasons they decided to end their relationship was to enable Cressida, who completed a one year contemporary dance course at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire in Greenwich, London, last year and now has a marketing job in London’s West End, to concentrate on her career.
Cressida is also thought to have disliked the attention she faced while dating a member of the royal family as rumours of a possible engagement escalated.
The couple will be hoping their split will bring an end to the media interest in Cressida and allow her the privacy to focus on her work life.
But the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge broke up briefly and amicably during their long term relationship, four years before they married, which is likely to prompt suggestions that Harry and Cressida’s decision to separate may eventually be temporary.
The Prince, who turns 30 in September, has a busy few months ahead and is planning two overseas official royal tours, including a visit to Estonia and Italy in May, followed by a visit to Brazil and Chile in June, which is likely to coincide with the football World Cup.
Kensington Palace declined to comment.
