William and Catherine are happily married and now the spotlight turns to Prince Harry. With his on-off girlfriend, Chelsy Davy, in no hurry to wed, will “the spare”, asks William Langley, follow his heart?
At the age of 26, Prince Harry, Britain’s third-in-line to the throne (although first-in-line for parties and nightclub openings) finds himself in the character-forming role of the world’s most eligible bachelor.
The splendiferous April marriage of his elder brother, Prince William, to Catherine Middleton caught the imagination of millions around the globe, but in doing so raised the question of where Harry is heading.
In pictures: The evolution of Prince Harry
It was generally agreed that the younger prince played a blinder at the wedding. Taking his duties as best man with deadly seriousness, Harry organised an epic pre-nuptials party, delivered William to Westminster Abbey on time and didn’t lose the ring.
All of which has dramatically improved the image of a young man who, in the past, has sorely tested the public’s goodwill. There have been times when Harry has appeared wayward to the point of boorishness — stumbling dishevelled from nightspots in the early hours to scream abuse at photographers and, on one occasion, being photographed at a party dressed as a Nazi.
Now, with William safely married, the focus of interest is subtly shifting towards Harry’s romantic prospects. There’s no easy way to sum them up, for while the girl he loves shows every sign of loving him back, she’s far less enamoured with the idea of joining the royal family.
Chelsy Davy, 25, a chic, clever, South African-based blonde, has been Harry’s only regular girlfriend for the past seven years. She has met the queen and made a favourable impression on Harry’s father, the Prince of Wales, but the relationship has been as much “off” as “on” and the prime sticking point is that Chelsy just can’t see herself as a princess.
“It’s a case of gilded-cage syndrome,” says Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine. “Chelsy’s been in Harry’s orbit for long enough to understand what marriage would mean, and she doesn’t want to lose her freedom.”
Harry’s childhood, such as it was, ended with the car crash that killed his mother when he was just 12, in 1997. While William seemed, at least outwardly, to have coped with the trauma, there was a sense that the younger boy’s conspicuous grief and loss would translate into future problems.
So, when Chelsy began showing up in London, blonde tresses billowing, perilously short-skirted and thirsting to hit the town, the sense prevailed that nothing too serious could be going on.
Seven years later, the relationship remains both real and tantalising. In the course of it, Harry has grown up, serving in Afghanistan and recently qualifying as a front-line helicopter pilot.
Proving himself to Chelsy has been more problematic. The ambitious blonde will shortly start work as a trainee solicitor in London. She gives no interviews, meeting questions with a steely stare, but occasionally channels snippets through friends, one of whom told Katie Nicholl, Harry’s biographer, “Chelsy thought that the wedding was wonderful and she had a ball, but there is no way marriage is on the cards for her. She wants her freedom and to start a career, and that is going to be her focus for now.”
Related: Chelsy Davy says she will ‘never’ marry Harry
British bookmakers are currently offering odds of 4-1 that Harry will propose before Christmas. The smart money says otherwise, but it would be rash to believe that this complicated, can’t-live-with-or-without-you relationship has run its course.
We’ve seen Harry the Playboy and Harry the Hero, but Chelsy appears to know a different Harry altogether. It may be her task in life to introduce us to him.
Read more of this story in the June issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly.
Your say: Do you think Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy will get married?
Video: Prince Harry partied hard on the eve of royal wedding
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