Prince Harry's former girlfriend reveals she's 'lucky that the relationship was short-lived'

Prince Harry's former girlfriend Florence St George (née Brudenell-Bruce) has opened up about her previous brief relationship with the Duke of Sussex and her own struggles with her mental health.

• Prince Harry's former flame Florence St George has opened up about her relationship with the Duke of Sussex in a recent interview.
• Florence spoke candidly about her relationships, struggles with mental health, and her experience participating in The Great Pottery Throw Down.
• In other royal news, Duchess of Cambridge stuns in affordable Missoma earrings—and they're still in stock.

In an interview with The Telegraph's Stella Magazine, Florence St George has opened up with her brief relationship with the Duke of Sussex.

The former model and current successful potter revealed that although she and Prince Harry only dated briefly, she was hounded by the press and struggled with the intense spotlight.

“Then came a brief relationship with Prince Harry [the pair dated in 2011]. My privacy ended abruptly, and the scrutiny began. A new story would appear almost every day in the press, my school friends were interrogated and there were photographers outside my front door."

The potter revealed that for this reason, she was 'lucky' that the relationship didn't last long. "I take my hat off to those people who can cope with that lifestyle, but I knew I couldn’t. Although it was sad at the time, I feel lucky that the relationship was short-lived.” 

Since dating the Prince, Florence has gone on to become a successful potter, she first got into pottery by using it as a form of therapy after suffering from post-natal depression after having her daughter Iris.

The mother of two spoke about using pottery as an outlet while also finding the right medication and coping mechanisms to look after herself. 

Florence is now an expert potter who has even participated in competitions about pottery. In the interview, Florence spoke candidly about her time on The Great Pottery Show Down and revealed some of the concerns she had about being labeled 'Prince Harry's ex.'

"Two years ago, I decided to apply for The Great Pottery Throw Down. I wondered whether I was mad for applying at the time—I had to work past a lot of self-doubt, and I was convinced they’d use my story, labeling me as ‘Harry’s ex’, but the producers never pushed that story."

The potter revealed that although being in the spotlight again was a challenge, ultimately the experience was hugely rewarding. 

"They treated me as just another contestant and I was so grateful for that. It was a hugely rewarding experience. The hardest moment was going on set on the first day because they had one camera up in my face, one on a boom, another hidden by my wheel and another at my feet.

Florence continued, "I was so nervous and for the first 10 minutes, I wondered if it was a mistake. When I won the first challenge, I broke down and cried."

Florence's struggles with media scrutiny when dating a member of the royal family are a common problem for the women who date royals. Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle has spoken about this very problem on many occasions.

After Prince Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior members of the royal family, the couple revealed the extent of their struggles with the British press. 

More recently, Prince Harry even spoke recently about the 'misogynistic' term 'Megxit' that was used to describe their departure to the US as he again took aim at the press for targeting his family.