While Prince Harry holidays in Africa with girlfriend Meghan Markle, his ex, Cressida Bonas, has spoken out about their relationship woes.
The professionally trained dancer-turned-actress and Prince Harry were together for two years, between 2012 to 2014, when they split up due to the pressures of being in the public eye.
The 28-year-old Brit It-girl, who is currently starring in the West End stage production Mrs Orwell, spoke to BBC Radio 4 about the parallels between her character, George Orwell’s overlooked wife Sonia, and her experience as Prince Harry’s girlfriend.
“I think it’s that thing of being pigeonholed, especially in this country, I find people are very quick to put you in a box or put you in a corner and think, ‘oh well you’re that, so you must be this,” Bonas said.
![prince harry cressida bonas](https://www.marieclaire.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/media/24419/170810-cressida-bonas-prince-harry.jpg)
“It’s incredibly frustrating, especially in the industry I’m in,” she says. “But, you know, it is the way it is. It’s about making a stand and saying no, this is who I am and this is what I want to do.”
Bonas has struggled to shed her ‘Prince Harry’s ex’ label and be taken seriously as an actress. She was named a Mulberry ambassador in 2015 and danced in a campaign film for the luxury label, and will star alongside Alicia Vikander in the upcoming Tulip Fever.
![Cressida Bonas Mrs Orwell](https://www.marieclaire.com.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/media/24418/170810-cressida-bonas-actress.jpg)