Being born into royalty means spending your entire life under the spotlight, and of course, Prince Harry is not an exception.
Paparazzi follow his every move, especially following his decision to step down from his royal duties together with his wife, Meghan Markle.
The truth is that capturing the scandalous stories and shocking images that fuel tabloid headlines is challenging when it comes to senior Royal Family members. They maintain a stoic facade, and information rarely leaks from their closely guarded lives.
Running away from the media and the paparazzi was one of the reasons Harry decided to leave Britain behind and settle in California with his wife and children. However, he later received backlash because he not only didn’t hide from the media, but he became even more exposed than ever, giving interviews, signing deals with Netflix for a documentary, and publishing a book, Spare, in which he revealed plenty of details about the life as a royal and about the members of the Firm, including his brother and father.
However, among the most intriguing topics he wrote openly about were the candid discussions about his sex life as a younger man. His openness on such personal matters has captivated public interest and added a layer of relatability to his public persona.
Speaking of the woman who took his virginity, Harry didn’t provide a name, but he did include plenty of details.
“She liked horses, quite a lot and… treated me not unlike a young stallion,” the 39-year-old wrote in Spare.
“Quick ride, after which she’d smacked my rump and sent me off to graze. Among the many things about it that were wrong: It happened in a grassy field behind a busy pub.”
As expected, those who read the book started speculating as to who this woman might be.
Among the rest, the name of the British actress Elizabeth Hurley, best known for her work in Austin Powers and Strictly Confidential, was mentioned.
Hurley, 58, has finally broken the silence on the rumors on an episode of Watch What Happens Live, where she discussed the theory that she had been Harry’s first lover.
“That was ludicrous!” she told host Andy Cohen. “He said, ‘She was English. She was older than me. It was in Gloucestershire’. And they were like, ‘Ah, it’s Elizabeth.’ It was absurd. It was ridiculous.”
She added that she has never met the Duke.
Another woman, Sasha Walpole, claimed she was the one Harry wrote about in his memoir.
“I am the woman who took Harry’s virginity. It was literally wham-bam between two friends. [It was] passionate and sparky because we shouldn’t have been doing it,” she told The Sun last year.
“We went outside, and both climbed a three-bar fence to the field. We were quite drunk at this point. I gave Harry a cigarette. I lit mine and then his. We finished our cigarettes – Marlboro Lights – and it just happened. He started to kiss me.”