Chelsy Davy
Chelsy Davy (C) arrives at the wedding of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales marries Ms. Meghan Markle in a service at St George's Chapel inside the grounds of Windsor Castle. Among the guests were 2200 members of the public, the royal family and Ms. Markle's Mother Doria Ragland. Chris Jackson/Pool via Reuters

A tale of two exes: Two of Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriends were invited to his wedding to Meghan Markle, and they couldn’t be more disparate from each other. Cressida Bonas admitted she was dreading the wedding, but not for any dramatic reason, while Chelsy Davy allegedly had a tearful last phone call with Harry before his wedding.

Before setting his sights on the American actress, Harry had two known serious relationships. He dated Chelsy, a Zimbabwean who is now a lawyer, in his younger years. They dated on and off for several years, finally ending their relationship in 2009.

Britain's Prince Harry (L) and Chelsy Davy
Britain's Prince Harry (L) and Chelsy Davy attend the friendly international rugby union match between England and Australia at Twickenham in London November 7, 2009. Reuters/ Eddie Keogh

He also dated English actress Cressida, who was introduced to him by his cousin Princess Eugenie in 2012. They dated for two years until their split in 2014.

Britain's Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas
Britain's Prince Harry and Cressida Bonas attend England's Six Nations international rugby union match against Wales at Twickenham in London March 9, 2014. Reuters/Stefan Wermuth

Both women were invited to Harry and Meghan’s wedding but not to the reception. And as it turned out, both were also apprehensive about coming to the wedding, but for completely different reasons.

According to Vanity Fair, Chelsy, 32, had a tearful phone call with her ex last week before he wed Meghan. Chelsy was apparently emotional in the call but also accepting that Harry had already moved on.

“It was their final call, a parting call in which they both acknowledged Harry was moving on,” a family friend told magazine. “Chelsy was quite emotional about it all, she was in tears and almost didn’t go to the wedding. In the end, she went and promised Harry she wouldn’t try and gatecrash the party.”

Chelsy, wearing black, appeared happy and laughing as she made her way to St George Chapel with her companions. However, inside the church, her sombre expression was captured on camera, making her a subject of a new meme.

If Chelsy was emotional, Cressida was worried, but for a less serious reason. Writing for the Spectator, the 29-year-old model/actress was anxious about attending the formal event because it required for her to wear a hat.

“Friends are starting to get married, which means the dilemma of British wedding attire. Hats. Why do I find hats so tricky? Tricky to wear, tricky to look at, and extremely tricky for the poor soul sitting in the pew behind. Most of the time I avoid headgear. This can prompt disapproving looks from the older generations,” she wrote.

“Last weekend I attended the royal wedding. The invitation clearly stated that guests must wear hats. Yikes. I opted for a minimal feathered number — and can only hope I got it right.”

Her concern might not be the gravest, but it showed she was taking attending her ex’s wedding seriously. She didn’t name Harry in her article, but she mentioned it was a royal wedding, and Harry and Meghan’s wedding was the only royal one that happened last week. And she did wear a feather hat at the wedding.

Cressida’s colourful dress was a contrast to Chelsy’s black number. If the phone call was true indeed, then their attire reflected their attitude and feelings on their ex-boyfriend’s wedding. According to reports, their own reason for the split was also the same. They both struggled with life as a royal prince’s girlfriend.

Cressida Bonas
Cressida Bonas arrives at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Saturday May 19, 2018 Ian West/Pool via Reuters