Meet the 9 royal couples who never made it down the aisle

It was Princess Eugenie who introduced her friend Cressida Bonas to Prince Harry in 2012, his most recent public girlfriend before Meghan Markle. The former couple shared a lust for life and they were often snapped holidaying together, appearing the perfect pair.

But as rumours of a royal engagement for the couple escalated, Cressida is said to have become increasingly overwhelmed by the public attention. While the pair split in 2014, they proved they are still on good terms, with Cressida attending as a guest to Harry's wedding to Meghan in 2018.

For a period of time, the late Queen's youngest son was dating West End star Ruthie Henshall, with the pair meeting while the actress was just a production assistant back in 1988. The relationship got pretty serious, with the now Duke of Edinburgh sending dozens of love letters to Ruthie, and also bringing her to meet his family up at Balmoral.

However, Ruthie later revealed that the couple split due to the incompatibilities of their respective careers. "I think I was very aware that I wouldn't be able to do what I do for a living if I'd have stayed with him," she said back in 2008. During her appearance on I'm a Celebrity back in 2020, she admitted that she did "genuinely love" the royal.

Beatrice enjoyed a 10-year relationship with businessman Dave Clark, which lasted from 2006 until 2016. Beatrice first met her former beau thanks to her royal cousin, Prince William, who introduced them after meeting Dave while studying at St Andrews University. The couple's relationship seemed to be going from strength to strength, with the pair even running the London Marathon together back in 2010.

However, it was the marriage question that ultimately drove them apart. Although Beatrice was hoping to marry Dave, he was reluctant to propose, so the pair called time on their relationship. Dave later married Lynn Anderson two years after his split from Beatrice, while the royal walked down the aisle with Italian property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in 2020. 

Young loves Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy were seen together in the public eye for a total of seven years – and it was long enough for rumours of a royal engagement to spark.

Harry met the Zimbabwe-born beauty in Cape Town when they were both at boarding school and their romance continued to blossom under the interest of the public, with Chelsy attending King Charles' 60th birthday and even meeting the late Queen at a society wedding. However, things sadly came to an end in 2011, when being in the royal spotlight became too much for Chelsy.

King Felipe sparked concern among royalty and the public in 2001 when rumours began to pick up pace surrounding his relationship with former Norwegian lingerie model Eva Sannum.

The romance and rumoured engagement prompted months of public debate over whether the prince should marry the model – deemed unsuitable to hold a royal position – with government officials even giving their opinions. Felipe eventually called the relationship off, saying it was not as a result of pressure from the establishment, but rather that he had made the decision "freely, with mutual accord and jointly".