The Shadiest Things Prince Harry's Exes Have Said About Him

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle became inseparable after the two first met on a blind date in 2016, and ultimately tied the knot in a beautiful 2018 ceremony. Obviously, a lot has happened since then — such as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex very publicly exiting the working royal family in early 2020. Through it all, though, Harry and Meghan's relationship has endured, and they're not afraid to show it, either. In fact, the pair's willingness to defy royal norms by engaging in frequent acts of PDA has even resulted in people making some shady comments about the more reserved Prince William and Kate Middleton, who very rarely display affection in a public setting. However, that's not to say Harry hasn't had some shade thrown his way, as well.

After all, while he's since followed in his older brother William's footsteps by settling into family life, Harry was once one of the most eligible bachelors in Great Britain — if not the entire world. Unsurprisingly, Harry had quite an extensive dating history before getting serious with Meghan, from long-term girlfriends to short flings. So, even though Harry is among the royals who tend to stay on good terms with their exes, you can bet that a number of them have some stories to tell. With that in mind, here are some of the shadiest things Harry's exes have said about him.

To be fair, it'd be a bit of a stretch to call glamour model Cassie Sumner one of Prince Harry's exes. Rather, the two had the briefest of flings at a nightclub in the early 2000s. Nevertheless, a then-21-year-old Sumner wasn't shy about spilling the tea while describing the encounter to The Mirror in 2004. Sumner recalled spending the evening with Harry, who was 19 at the time after being invited to his private table. "It was certainly a close encounter of the royal kind. It's not every day you have a real-life Prince Charming coming on to you," she shared. For a variety of reasons, though, things never really progressed beyond that.

For starters, Sumner confessed that while the experience was certainly interesting, Harry's physique at the time wasn't really up to her standards. "If I'm honest I didn't really fancy Harry. I prefer more muscles on a man," she said. Apart from this playful swipe, however, Sumner didn't have many negative things to say about the Duke of Sussex. That said, by the time she told her story to the press, she had apparently also made peace with the fact that she most likely wasn't going to become the Duchess. "He came across as a lovely lad who was just enjoying a normal night out like any red-blooded single 19-year-old," Sumner said, adding, "Anyway, I can't see myself getting invited home for tea with Prince Charles and Camilla!"

Prince Harry's last real romance before meeting Meghan Markle was with fellow actor Cressida Bonas, whom the Duke of Sussex dated from 2012 to 2014. Harry's relationship with Bonas was marred by all the media attention surrounding it, which Bonas reportedly wasn't the biggest fan of. Despite her own apprehensions about their relationship being under constant scrutiny, however, Bonas allegedly felt that Harry's paranoia regarding the press was a bit much.

"[Bonas] complained to friends that Harry has a neurosis about the media," biographer Robert Lacey wrote in his 2020 book "Battle of Brothers" (via the Daily Express), which chronicles the fallout between Prince Harry and Prince William. The book goes on to claim that Bonas told her friends that Harry would "rant and complain about paparazzi lurking where clearly there were none." Lacey also alleges that Harry's preoccupation with the media changed how Bonas saw him, pointing to a cryptic Instagram post where she wrote, "No matter how educated, talented, rich or cool you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells it all."

Notably, Harry's relationship with Bonas would have taken place during a period when the Duke of Sussex was struggling immensely with his mental health. Furthermore, Harry's paranoia is certainly understandable, given his tragic family history. That said, we can also see how it may have strained things with Bonas. At any rate, the two apparently mended fences, as Bonas was in attendance for Harry and Meghan's wedding in 2018.

We also have to consider comments made by Chelsy Davy, whom our readers overwhelmingly voted as the Duke of Sussex's best ex. One tragic detail about Davy is that she, much like her former royal beau, found herself overwhelmed by all the media attention their romance received. But while Harry and Davy were on the same page in that respect, their seven-year relationship wasn't without its hiccups. More specifically, Davy reportedly confessed that she had her doubts regarding the Prince's loyalty.

Like we said earlier, Harry was very popular with the ladies before getting hitched. According to royal biographer Katie Nicholl in her 2011 book "The Making of a Royal Romance," this didn't always sit right with Davy. Not helping matters was Harry's alleged gallivanting ending up in the British tabloids while Davy was in Africa. "She had told her friends in South Africa that she was in the relationship for the long term but was worried about her boyfriend's roving eye," Nicholl wrote (via Marca). Despite how difficult the public nature of their relationship could be, as well as any insecurities she may have had when they were a couple, Davy remains on good terms with Harry. Not only that, but much like Cressida Bonas, she was in attendance for the Duke's wedding to Meghan Markle.