Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend, whom he assured was ‘the one’, had concerns about his ‘roving eye’ after he had ‘endless supply of gorgeous women,’ according to royal expert

Before settling down with Meghan Markle, Prince Harry was known as a bit of a party animal.

His royal status meant he had many late nights at the exclusive Boujis nightclub in South Kensington with free drinks and the company of an ‘endless supply of gorgeous young women’.

Katie Nicholl, former Royal Correspondent for the Mail, wrote about Harry’s Boujis nights in her book, The Making of a Royal Romance.

He was a regular at the glamorous private members’ club where he had his own barmen to look after him in the exclusive VIP room.

She wrote: ‘Harry was out with one girl guaranteed to rile Chelsy Davy, who was at home in South Africa working on her finals.’

Zimbabwean businesswoman Chelsy Davy had an on-off relationship with Prince Harry between 2004 to mid-2010.

In his Spare memoir, the royal writes that he ‘couldn’t help’ but think what his grandmother thought about Davy’s free-spirited lifestyle at the time. 

‘I loved Chels’ ease, that she wasn’t complicated,’ he wrote. 

Zimbabwean businesswoman Chelsy Davy had an on-off relationship with Prince Harry between 2004 to mid-2010. They are pictured in November 2008 before the South Africa and England game at Twickenham

Harry and Chelsy are pictured in summer 2006 – a challenging season for the couple

Harry and Natalie Pinkham are spotted driving around South Kensington in February 2007

‘She didn’t care what anyone thought. She wore miniskirts and high-heeled boots, danced however she wanted, drank tequila like me, and all of this made me really happy. 

‘I couldn’t help what my grandmother thought about it. Or the people. And the last thing I wanted was for Chels to change to please them.’

The royal author continued:  ‘Natalie Pinkham, a pretty TV presenter, was Harry’s date for the night. 

‘In December 2001 there were reports that Harry had sent her a thong for Christmas and that he “fancied her rotten” despite the six-year age gap.’

Natalie told Nicholl that the two ‘got on well’ but that was ‘as far as it went’.  

The royal author continued: ‘On this particular occasion they were in the mood to party, and the champagne corks continued to pop as they danced and chatted in the dimly lit VIP room.’

When the club closed, Harry suggested the two continued partying at former equerry Mark Dyer’s house.

Nicholl wrote: ‘At Dyer’s, Harry can be himself and, safe in the knowledge that what goes on inside those four walls stays there.

Nicholl wrote: ‘Sadly for Chelsy, 2006 was a summer of rather tacky confessions’ 

In his Spare memoir, the royal writes that he ‘couldn’t help’ but think what his grandmother thought about Davy’s free-spirited lifestyle at the time. Chelsy and Harry are pictured in July 2005

Harry wrote: ‘She didn’t care what anyone thought. She wore miniskirts and high-heeled boots, danced however she wanted, drank tequila like me, and all of this made me really happy’

‘The drink always flows freely, and good-looking girls are never in short supply.

‘As the prince escorted her to his waiting Range Rover, Natalie, a little unsteady on her feet after eight hours of drinking, begged Harry for a kiss goodnight.

 ‘”Not here,” he said before whisking her back down the steps. 

‘They emerged seconds later, blissfully unaware that their late-night encounter had been captured by a long lens.

‘When the story hit the newspapers the next day, there was an awkward long-distance call to Chelsy in South Africa.’

And this wasn’t the only time Harry had to explain himself.

In May 2006 Harry regularly enjoyed VIP treatment at Boujis on Friday nights.

Nicholl wrote: ‘Sadly for Chelsy, 2006 was a summer of rather tacky confessions.

Chelsy is pictured arriving at Heathrow in November 2005

Chelsy and Harry at a charity polo match at Englefield House, Berkshire, in June 2006

Chelsy is pictured with Kate Middleton in July 2006

‘The flurry of tabloid tales left Chelsy in tears and cast fresh doubts on their relationship. 

First came the reports of Catherine Davies, a 34-year-old mother who claimed she was seduced by Harry at a house party in Fulham.

Then in July there was allegedly a page three girl whom he danced and a masseuse who claimed she kissed him.

‘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.

‘Harry assured her that she was the one, and for the first time Charles gave his seal of approval, allowing Harry and Chelsy to share a room at Highgrove.’

Before the relationship came to a halt Charles had warned his sons to stay away from Boujis as the media had dubbed them ‘the booze brothers’. 

Chelsy reportedly called things off with Harry before he left for a six-month tour of Iraq in 2007, just a week after he was photographed falling out of a London club with ‘favourite drinking buddy’ Natalie Pinkham. 

When the on-off relationship ended for a final time in 2010 after seven years, Harry said this was primarily due to the intense media scrutiny and pressures of being in the public eye.

Chelsy and Zara Phillips laugh together at Polo at Tidworth Polo Club, Wiltshire, in July 2006

Harry and Chelsy kiss while sitting in the Royal Box as they attend the Cartier International Polo Match in July 2006

‘ I loved Chels’ ease, that she wasn’t complicated,’ Harry wrote. The two are pictured in 2008

Davy reportedly struggled with the relentless attention and press intrusion, ultimately leading her to decide that a royal life was not for her.

Chelsy and Harry have stayed amicable since breaking up and in 2011 they went to Prince William’s wedding together.

Harry got back in touch with Chelsy to invite her to his wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018. He also invited his other old flame Cressida Bonas – but the invites were for the ceremony only.

An emotional phone call followed, with the conversation reportedly acting as closure for the former couple.

But body language expert Judi James said that Chelsy’s feelings were evident during the wedding.

She told the MailOnline: ‘When she arrived, everyone else was chatting and laughing, but she sat in the pews just looking to one side – gazing reflectively into space and biting her lips slightly.

‘She was doing that at the end as well. It was almost the soap opera part of the ceremony.’

In 2023 Harry told the High Court in his witness statement that ‘whenever’ he has been in a relationship, the woman ‘is not just in a relationship with me but with the entire tabloid press’ who try to ‘ruin it‘.

 Harry and Chelsy attend a service of remembrance and thanksgiving at the Holy Trinity Church in May 2008 in Windsor

In 2023 Harry told the High Court in his witness statement that ‘whenever’ he has been in a relationship, the woman ‘is not just in a relationship with me but with the entire tabloid press’ who try to ‘ruin it’. Charles, Chelsy and Harry are pictured in Hampshire in May 2010

Harry is pictured greeting Natalie in 2011 at 1 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, for the seventh annual Global Charity Day

Harry and Natalie are pictured at the Community Gala Dinner at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in July 2014

Chelsy has since put her partying days behind her and seems happier than ever with her jewellery brand Aya and the travel agency Aya Africa. 

She has two children, a boy and a girl, like Harry, and married her boyfriend of three years, Sam Cutmore-Scott, in a secret ceremony in 2022.

Cutmore-Scott was in the year above Harry at Eton College and is managing director at The Harper Hotel in Holt, the family business.

The couple are believed to split their time between a townhouse in Chiswick and the Norfolk coast.

Chelsy seems to be enjoying her life outside of the public eye and didn’t share the news of the birth of her son until three months later when he was introduced to their local parish council in Norfolk. 

Many of Chelsy’s friends didn’t even know she had become pregnant in lockdown.

Chelsy’s new life seems to be the complete opposite of Harry’s – and perhaps that is for the best.