Chelsy Davy and Prince Harry were an item long before he fell in love with former actress
Meghan Markle.
In fact, the Duke of Sussex was quite the ladies man — with no shortage of eligible
bachelorettes who hoped to steal the prince's heart.
But none came closer to leaving him absolutely smitten, than his former girlfriend, Zimbabwe-born
jeweler Chelsy Davy.
After meeting in the spring of 2004 in Cape Town, South Africa, the pair embarked on a
seven-year romance that was full of highs and lows.
They journeyed into adulthood together, with Prince Harry beginning his military training
in 2005 and Davy focusing on her education.
As a result, they spent more time apart than the average couple.
With the media scrutinizing their every move, their relationship was practically in shambles
by the time they finally broke up for good, in 2011.
Thankfully, they've managed to remain close friends since then, with Davy even attending
Harry's May 2018 wedding.
They both have clearly moved on, but what exactly ended their romance?
Here are some of the reasons why Chelsy Davy and Prince Harry broke up.
Not feeling those royal duties
Many women dream of becoming a princess and joining the British royal family, but not
Davy.
The daughter of a Zimbabwean millionaire, she grew up in the lap of luxury, but that
didn't deter her from working hard to become successful in her own right.
Not only is she well-educated, receiving a bachelor's degree in economics from the University
of Cape Town, a law degree from the University of Leeds, and a gemology diploma from the
Gemological Institute of America, Davy also launched her own ethical jewelry line, which
was inspired by her African hometown.
With a bustling life of her own and ambitions to tend to, it's no surprise that she was
apprehensive about a life in the monarchy.
According to People, Davy was,
"Reportedly wary of marrying into the royal family.
[...] 'She's her own woman.'"
Rugby love first
At the height of their relationship, Prince Harry was living his best life, running around
London and hitting up the city's hotspots.
And it didn't take long for the media to peg him as the royal wild child, a party boy who
was just looking to have a good time.
Allegedly, his love of the nightlife combined with his tendency to flirt with the ladies
strained his relationship with Davy.
A source told News of the World,
"Chelsy just couldn't put up with his antics any more.
She feels they've fallen out of love.
She was sick to the back teeth of Harry not putting the maximum amount of effort into
the relationship."
In one instance, Harry skipped Davy's 22nd birthday party to go to the Rugby World Cup
Final in Paris, according to The Telegraph.
His decision allegedly prompted one of the couple's many breakups in 2007, when Davy
infamously switched her Facebook status from "in a relationship" to "single."
Did he cheat?
Davy was allegedly miffed in November 2007 after peeking at the prince's cell phone.
According to the Courier Mail, Davy discovered text messages he had sent to an unnamed woman
and supposedly overheard him having a "whispered conversation with a girl" the month prior.
Sources claimed Davy,
"Hit the roof.
[…] She then confronted Harry and they had a blazing row.
But that wasn't the only time the alleged two-timing prince had stepped out on his former
flame.
Two years later, in 2009, the couple was on the outs again, with Davy reportedly telling
a source, via the Mirror, the reason they had broken up was quote, "Because [Harry]
cheated."
Long-distance damage
While the couple endured their fair share of breakups during the course of their relationship,
each time news broke that they'd gone their separate ways, fans around the world were
gutted.
One of their most notable splits occurred in January 2009.
At the time, People magazine spoke to friends close to the then-couple who blamed their
breakup on their long-distance relationship.
Davy, who was finishing up her law degree in England at the time, was homesick and missing
her native Zimbabwe; while Prince Harry was deployed to Afghanistan with the British Army.
While some insiders believed the relationship had "run its course" during their 2009 hiccup,
others hoped for a reconciliation.
A friend close to the couple told People,
"I don't see this [breakup] as long-term."
And by September of that same year, they were giving their relationship another shot.
Penciling it in
During their courtship, Davy remained committed to various charitable organizations.
She also lent her time and resources to the organizers of the Pearl Ball, an event that
raises money for the Ndoro Children's Charities with proceeds going to underprivileged children
in Africa.
Davy was set to attend their 2010 gala, but she was reportedly forced to pull out at the
last minute at Prince Harry's request.
A source told The Telegraph,
"Harry had just finished his helicopter training course and was adamant that she should make
time for him."
Davy obliged, but not without a fight.
She was so passionate about the cause that she was reportedly "exasperated" when she
was forced to decline the invitation.
Re-prioritizing her schedule to accommodate the busy prince was allegedly "the final straw"
for Davy, who decided to break it off with him and head back to South Africa to pursue
her career in the legal field, according to the news outlet.
A media frenzy
Imagine being hounded by the British media nonstop.
The constant camera flashes and fake news constantly published in the press would be
enough to make any sane person feel the heat.
As such, Davy would frequently greet camera lenses with ice-cold glares.
Five years following her 2011 breakup with Harry, she discussed the media attention with
The Times, saying,
"Yes.
It was tough.
It was so full-on: crazy and scary and uncomfortable.
I found it very difficult when it was bad.
I couldn't cope.
I was young, I was trying to be a normal kid and it was horrible."
Harry was able to sympathize with his then-girlfriend, especially since his mother, Princess Diana,
passed away in 1997 in a fatal car crash that was blamed on the paparazzi.
He said,
"I can see how upset [Davy] gets.
[…] My girlfriend is somebody who's very special to me, and yes, she's gone through
some very hard times."
Seeing into the future
After Davy and Harry's 2011 breakup, the couple reunited to attend William and Kate's wedding
in April of that year.
The Daily Mail reported that Davy was open to giving Prince Harry another chance at the
time, but she allegedly made one thing crystal clear to her friends, saying,
"There's no way we are getting married.
It's not a life for me."
But some say Prince Harry tried to change her mind.
An insider told The Mail,
"Harry adores Chelsy and really wants things to work.
He has brought up marriage in the past, usually when he's drunk, but Chelsy's the one to quickly
play it all down.
[...] The truth is she really doesn't like the attention that comes with dating a prince."
Prince Harry's wild ways
Once Davy and Harry's relationship was officially done-zo, no one expected the royal to drown
his sorrows in a tub of ice cream, but many didn't expect him to move on so quickly.
Within weeks, he was reportedly dating Florence Brudenell-Bruce, a woman he'd been friends
with for years.
According to the Mirror, Davy was surprised by the prince's rapid rebound and allegedly
told a friend:
"Harry's a great man but a terrible boyfriend.
He doesn't take relationships seriously and it was impossible to tame him."
It seems Meghan Markle was the one person able to rein in the prince.
He proved that he was willing to leave his wild-child persona in the dust by popping
the question just over a year after they began dating.
Looking back on the ups and downs of his relationship with Davy, the former couple clearly made
the right decision to end their romance and remain friends.
Davy got to pursue her personal and professional goals, and Harry found a partner who's excited
to get down to royal business.
No regrets
Following Prince Harry's televised wedding to Meghan Markle, heavy attention was placed
on the sort of rules that those who marry into the royal family must abide by, such
as a strict dress code that calls for the knees and shoulders to be covered at all times.
Davy was certainly granted a front row seat to some of the strict policies Kate Middleton
struggled with during her early relationship with Prince William, and according to the
Daily Mail, the jewelry designer wasn't a fan of all those rules.
After attending William and Kate's 2011 wedding, a source told the Mail,
"Chelsy thought the wedding was wonderful and she had a ball, but there's no way marriage
is on the cards for her.
She wants her freedom and to start a career."
If she had attempted to work things out with Harry one last time, she likely would not
have enjoyed the freedom to launch her ethical jewelry line or practice law, so she clearly
made the right decision.