Prince Harry was my toyboy lover when he was 21 – here’s whether I think he was right to move to the US with Meghan
PRINCE Harry was right to move to the US with Meghan Markle as he’s now free, an ex of the royal has claimed.
Catherine Ommanney had a fling with the Duke of Sussex when he was 21 and she was a 34-year-old mum-of-two.
The divorcee, now 51, believes Harry, 38, did the right thing by quitting his royal duties and moving to the US with his wife Meghan.
Now living in Majorca, Catherine told : “Meghan and Harry look very happy together and I wish them all the best. I am so proud that Harry had the courage to move to the States and I think he really needed to do that – to finally be free.”
She then joked: “I have nothing but respect for Meghan, and the fact that Harry is with her shows that he does have more than one type after all – he is clearly not only interested in blondes.”
Catherine’s comments come after Netflix released the second trailer promoting their bombshell six-part documentary on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex which is due to start airing later this month.
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The second incendiary teaser released yesterday sees Harry accusing his family of “leaking” and “planting” stories in the media.
He also warns senior royals: “No one knows the full truth. We know the full truth.”
Catherine claimed that when she dated Harry, he dreamed of having a “normal” life and felt suffocated by his royal ties.
She told the magazine: “I did feel sorry for Harry and how little freedom he had to be himself. He seemed a little lost and I think that was because he was surrounded by so many hangers-on who didn’t have his best interests at heart.
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“I could see there was little upside to his position beyond the obvious privileges and the three bodyguards that shadowed him didn’t seem to allow for much privacy.
“I remember saying to him, ‘I imagine your life must be genuinely hard, being in such a goldfish bowl.’ He replied: ‘It definitely has its moments.’
“I also asked Harry, ‘Would you like to swap your life with somebody else’s life?’ He said, ‘Yes, often. I would love to lead a normal life.’”
Catherine spoke out ahead of the release of Harry’s memoirs, Spare, in early January.
It’s thought the release of the book could cause further problems with his family as he is expected to talk about his difficult relationships with both his dad, King Charles, and his brother Prince William.
As well as talking about his wife, Harry is also expected to talk about former girlfriends and the pressure they were under while dating the royal.
Catherine, who was born in Marlborough, Wiltshire, met Harry at the Art Bar in Chelsea in May 2006.
She said: “Later, when we were alone, Harry told me about his grandmother and how close they were, and how supportive she was of him as the younger brother. I got the impression he was her favourite, as he was the naughty one.”
They swapped phone numbers and went on a second date around a week later.
Catherine added: “I had a babysitter at home and wasn’t planning on having a big night. It was midweek and I had been at work until about 7pm. We had a kiss and Harry was very complimentary and attentive, telling me how beautiful I was. I think the biggest compliment he paid me was when he said that I made him ‘feel normal’.”
The pair had a couple more dates but the romance fizzled out and Harry changed his number.
Catherine said she wasn’t heartbroken though as she knew nothing would come of the relationship.
She previously told The Sun on Sunday: “I had the time of my life when I was with Harry as we got each other’s sense of humour.
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“Without being arrogant, I think we both quite fancied each other even though he was way too young for me. If he wasn’t a royal and was maybe ten years older, he would be my perfect man.”
Catherine told OK!: “I genuinely hope that Harry has more freedom now, as I think it was something he was clearly craving. And I hope he’s happy with Meghan. I only wish him the best.”
