Prince Harry's 'Marriage Material' Ex Chelsy Davy Once Admitted Commitment Wasn't Her 'Strong Suit'

Prince Harry has been happily married for years now. But before this, his love life was constantly in focus. Here's how his longest previous relationship with Chelsy Davy went.

Harry first met Chelsy Davy in 2004 in Botswana during a gap year after completing his studies. Chelsy, the daughter of a Zimbabwean billionaire, captured Harry within days of the meeting.

He poured his heart out to fellow travelers in Botswana. Chelsy studied in England, and after their holiday in Botswana, Chelsy moved to Leeds to complete a postgraduate qualification.

HARRY INTRODUCES CHELSY TO HIS FAMILY

Harry soon introduced Chelsy to his family, and Harry's father, then-Prince Charles, welcomed her. Royal biographer Robert Lacey once said, "When Charles kisses Chelsy on the cheek, he's publicly accepting his son's girlfriend."

When he fell in love with Chelsy, he was able to be openly affectionate with her.

Around the same time, Prince William and Kate Middleton were dating, and the pressure was on the future king to marry.

William and Kate were more restrained publicly, but Harry and Chelsy were more expressive with each other. "He's madly in love," William said.

Writer Judy Wade said about Chelsy," [She] loves partying, the outdoors, and she cares about Harry, exactly the right sort of girl for him."

Chelsy and Harry shared a deep bond. One royal aide added that Harry felt emotionally vulnerable after his mother's death.

He felt the "second son" syndrome following William as he grew up. Harry's relationship with his father, Charles, was strained at times.

So when he fell in love with Chelsy, he was able to be openly affectionate with her. "She is definitely marriage material, and Harry doesn't want to lose her," one of Harry's friends said.

They added: ''It irks him that some think they won't last the course. He thinks Chelsy may well be the one who will make a much better Windsor wife than Kate Middleton.''

AN ON-AGAIN-OFF-AGAIN RELATIONSHIP

Despite their deep bond, Harry and Chelsy's relationship was on and off over a few years. Since splitting up, they kept in touch but briefly dated again for two months.

Rumors emerged of the both of them briefly dating other people while they were apart. In 2007, Chelsy was upset that Harry chose to attend the rugby world cup final in Paris in October instead of celebrating her birthday with her.

Chelsy also found it difficult to manage a life in the spotlight which was unavoidable when dating a royal.

Later the pair broke up after Harry insisted Chelsy miss a charity ball to spend time with him. The charity's operations manager, Ronald Ndoro, once said, "She dropped me a note saying she was sorry, but she had to go away. It was a surprise."

Harry had just completed a helicopter training course and insisted that Chelsy make time for him. Chelsy later left England to pursue a legal career in South Africa.

Chelsy also found it difficult to manage life in the spotlight, which was unavoidable when dating a royal. A source told The Telegraph, "He has never fallen out of love with Chelsy."

They also added that the pair spent time together even after breaking up. "She's not like other girls; she's strong, independent, and a rule-breaker. She does everything on her own terms," they added.

Before William and Kate's wedding, Chelsy and Harry were spotted together. Chelsy climbed into the boot of a car to avoid them being photographed together after leaving a club.

"Hi, it's Chelsy here. You're the best looking ginger I've ever seen . . . You big hairy fat ginger."

She was invited to the wedding, but they were not together again by the time it rolled around. Chelsy finally decided that Kate's extravagant royal wedding and subsequent life were not for her.

In his book, "Battle of the Brothers," Robert said: "According to a friend, she told Harry that she could never make the sacrifices she had witnessed Kate making, particularly when it came to molding her life around the unremitting attention of the press."

CHELSY DIDN'T WANT MEDIA SCRUTINY

The couple's numerous breakups also created an unhealthy relationship between them. During a phone-hacking trial, it was revealed that Harry used to drunk dial Chelsy.

Royal reporter Clive Goodman wrote an email that partly read, "She gets calls from him, and he's completely not in a good condition. Harry would even "shout affections to [Davy] down the phone."

But there was a fun part of the trial. A leaked phone call between William and Harry revealed that William pranked his brother by putting on a feminine voice. William said:

"Hi, it's Chelsy here. You're the best looking ginger I've ever seen . . . You big hairy fat ginger."

After their final break-up, Chelsy spoke up about some of her discomfort in the relationship. She said:

"It was so full-on: crazy and scary and uncomfortable. I found it very difficult when it was bad. I couldn't cope. I was young, I was trying to be a normal kid and it was horrible."

Harry also spoke about how difficult it was for Chelsy to deal with the media's scrutiny. "I can see how upset she gets . . . my girlfriend is somebody who's very special to me, and yes, she's gone through some very hard times," he said.

Harry's protective nature over his partners has never wavered. Even after the end of their relationship, the pair remained friendly with each other.

Years on, Chelsy has spoken candidly about her own mindset during that era of her life. In a vulnerable essay marking the 10th anniversary of her jewellery business, Aya, she reflected on the carefree, commitment-free years that preceded her eventual marriage to husband Sam Cutmore-Scott. "Back then, commitment wasn't exactly my strong suit. If I'm completely honest, the only thing I was committed to was having fun," she wrote.

Chelsy described living in Istanbul, travelling through South America, Bali, the Amazon and Moscow, and being "fiercely protective" of her freedom — preferring to arrive at a party alone rather than tie herself to any plans or person. It was only when she met Sam, aged 35, that she said she knew she wanted to settle down and start a family.

Today, Chelsy and Sam are married and have three children together — sons Leo and Finn, and daughter Chloe — and the family is based in Mauritius, a world away from the royal spotlight that once made her life feel, as she once put it, "crazy and scary and uncomfortable."