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The Showgirl and the Prince: The charming and candid real-life Cinderella story of royalty and 1980s showbiz
Read by the author, Ruthie Henshall.
From much-loved West End and Broadway star Ruthie Henshall, The Showgirl and the Prince is a funny, honest and touching real-life Cinderella story – if Cinders is a lycra-clad chorus girl from Bromley who drinks and smokes too much.
In 1988, Ruthie was at the start of her career, a chorus girl in Cats (third feline from the left). That was when she met Prince Edward, who was working for Andrew Lloyd Webber at the time. Edward is kind and thoughtful; Ruthie is warm, flirty and prone to telling risqué jokes. She’s not like anyone he’s dated before . . .
In this charming and poignant memoir, Ruthie describes a seminal period in her life, navigating a secret relationship with Prince Edward while determinedly following her dream of landing a leading West End role. She shares hilarious backstage stories from some of the era’s biggest musicals – including Miss Saigon, Les Misérables and Crazy for You – rocks up to Buckingham Palace in dungarees over a leotard (the height of 80s fashion), has tea at Windsor with the Queen and charms Prince Philip at Balmoral. But as she swaps her hotpants for Laura Ashley frocks and tries to be good, she wonders can she have her happy ever after?
Packed with parties, gossip and glamour, The Showgirl and the Prince will transport you back to 1980s and 1990s London, recreating a golden era of musical theatre and the bittersweet joy of first love.
From much-loved West End and Broadway star Ruthie Henshall, The Showgirl and the Prince is a funny, honest and touching real-life Cinderella story – if Cinders is a lycra-clad chorus girl from Bromley who drinks and smokes too much.
In 1988, Ruthie was at the start of her career, a chorus girl in Cats (third feline from the left). That was when she met Prince Edward, who was working for Andrew Lloyd Webber at the time. Edward is kind and thoughtful; Ruthie is warm, flirty and prone to telling risqué jokes. She’s not like anyone he’s dated before . . .
In this charming and poignant memoir, Ruthie describes a seminal period in her life, navigating a secret relationship with Prince Edward while determinedly following her dream of landing a leading West End role. She shares hilarious backstage stories from some of the era’s biggest musicals – including Miss Saigon, Les Misérables and Crazy for You – rocks up to Buckingham Palace in dungarees over a leotard (the height of 80s fashion), has tea at Windsor with the Queen and charms Prince Philip at Balmoral. But as she swaps her hotpants for Laura Ashley frocks and tries to be good, she wonders can she have her happy ever after?
Packed with parties, gossip and glamour, The Showgirl and the Prince will transport you back to 1980s and 1990s London, recreating a golden era of musical theatre and the bittersweet joy of first love.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 16, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 10, 2026
⭐️⭐️
I was really excited to read this because, back in the late 90s when I desperately wanted to be in theatre and was auditioning for stage school, Ruthie Henshall was an absolute god to me. I thought she was incredible, so the idea of getting some backstage insight into her career and the shows she’d been part of was right up my street.
Unfortunately, this book has completely turned me off her.
What struck me most was the complete lack of self-reflection or accountability. There’s very little sense that she takes responsibility for the people she’s upset or the situations she’s contributed to. Instead, she often comes across as entitled, selfish and, frankly, not particularly nice. I’m all for confidence and knowing your worth, but there’s a fine line between that and just coming across as a bit of a diva.
I also found the whole story surrounding the Prince difficult to buy. There are inconsistencies throughout, and I was left wondering how genuine some of it actually was. I also couldn’t help feeling that someone, somewhere in the royal machine had given this a very thorough once-over before publication, because there’s surprisingly little that feels genuinely juicy or revealing.
The biggest disappointment, though, is that I went into this wanting to understand and admire the woman behind the theatre legend, and I came out feeling completely the opposite. There’s just no introspection. No real accountability. And, ultimately, not much here that made me want to know more.
Perhaps that says more about my expectations going in than the book itself, but it’s completely finished me off. I’m done with Ruthie Henshall.
I was really excited to read this because, back in the late 90s when I desperately wanted to be in theatre and was auditioning for stage school, Ruthie Henshall was an absolute god to me. I thought she was incredible, so the idea of getting some backstage insight into her career and the shows she’d been part of was right up my street.
Unfortunately, this book has completely turned me off her.
What struck me most was the complete lack of self-reflection or accountability. There’s very little sense that she takes responsibility for the people she’s upset or the situations she’s contributed to. Instead, she often comes across as entitled, selfish and, frankly, not particularly nice. I’m all for confidence and knowing your worth, but there’s a fine line between that and just coming across as a bit of a diva.
I also found the whole story surrounding the Prince difficult to buy. There are inconsistencies throughout, and I was left wondering how genuine some of it actually was. I also couldn’t help feeling that someone, somewhere in the royal machine had given this a very thorough once-over before publication, because there’s surprisingly little that feels genuinely juicy or revealing.
The biggest disappointment, though, is that I went into this wanting to understand and admire the woman behind the theatre legend, and I came out feeling completely the opposite. There’s just no introspection. No real accountability. And, ultimately, not much here that made me want to know more.
Perhaps that says more about my expectations going in than the book itself, but it’s completely finished me off. I’m done with Ruthie Henshall.
August 15, 2026
The Right Choice
I've lost count the number of
media calls I flicked into the long grass. Ruthie, you sure kept us on our toes. The
Showgirl and the Prince was a late 80s early 90s trip down memory lane - I enjoyed every minute of your story - the love story, the anger, the talent, the belief in yourself, the determination, the piss artist, the disappointments and the
potty mouth - ingredients that helped to establish a star Ruthie became and still is today. You stopped at 1994, why? There's a trilogy here. Don't keep us waiting x
I've lost count the number of
media calls I flicked into the long grass. Ruthie, you sure kept us on our toes. The
Showgirl and the Prince was a late 80s early 90s trip down memory lane - I enjoyed every minute of your story - the love story, the anger, the talent, the belief in yourself, the determination, the piss artist, the disappointments and the
potty mouth - ingredients that helped to establish a star Ruthie became and still is today. You stopped at 1994, why? There's a trilogy here. Don't keep us waiting x
August 2, 2026
A very candid and entertaining West End memoir with a real royal romance in the lead, by my favorite musical theatre performer of the Nineties. Very honest and just the right amount of gossipy. Musical Theatre and Royalty fans will love this. (and it does wonders for the image of Prince Edward!)
August 7, 2026
As a Royal enthusiast and a West End geek, these were my favourite topics into one read. Surprising,daring and very interesting.
I expected nothing less from Ruthie!
I expected nothing less from Ruthie!
August 14, 2026
The author doesn't come across well at all. Some stories made me cringe. Very personal details given about Prince Edward which I felt were unnecessary.
August 19, 2026
Fantastic! I listened to this as an audio book read by the author. Ruthie Henshall's storytelling kept me engaged throughout the book. I hope that she writes another one! I highly recommend this one!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews