Now Edward Wants to Be Left Alone, Too : Royal Family: The prince implores the British media to give him a break. Fat chance, what with a new girlfriend and Diana trying to stay out of the picture.

Following in the footsteps of his sister-in-law Diana, who declared recently that she vants to be alone, Prince Edward and his girlfriend have made a plea to Britain’s media: Give us a break!

Edward, 29, confirmed in an open letter to British editors that he and Di look-alike Sophie Rhys-Jones, 28, have been dating for three months and desperately want privacy.

“I am taking this unusual step of writing to you directly in the hope of stopping your reporters and photographers from destroying that part of my life that I am entitled to regard as private and, more importantly, Sophie’s life,” wrote Edward, Queen Elizabeth II’s remaining bachelor son.

No doubt referring to his brothers, Charles and Andrew, and sisters-in-law Diana and Sarah Ferguson, Edward wrote: “I am very conscious that other members of my immediate family have been subjected to similar attention and it has not been at all beneficial to their relationships. Therefore please will you call an end to your harassment of both Sophie and me and allow us to try to carry on our lives as normal.”

The News of the World, the top-selling Sunday tabloid, revealed last weekend that Edward and Rhys-Jones are seeing each other seriously.

The paper said a summer wedding is likely, which Edward denied.

On Monday, reporters descended in droves on the couple’s respective offices in London.

At Rhys-Jones’ office, her boss, Brian Maclaurin, approached reporters and cameras and said:

“I have spoken to Prince Edward and to Sophie today and the message is: ‘Give us a break.’ ”

Rhys-Jones was a guest of the queen at the royal residence of Windsor Castle over the weekend, and friends say Rhys-Jones has been invited to the royal country home at Sandringham.

Both of Edward’s brothers are separated from their wives, and some observers have attributed their marital difficulties in part to intense media scrutiny.

Recently, Princess Diana announced that she is giving up public duties in an effort to win some privacy. Her last scheduled official appearance as a member of the Royal Family was last week.

Without their favorite subject, and sensing, perhaps, a drought of royal news, the media flocked to focus on Prince Edward.

The prince is no stranger to life under the media magnifying glass. In 1987, he resigned his commission with the Royal Marines. That prompted a rash of reports that Prince Philip was furious at his son for quitting.

There was more speculation in the media when Prince Edward took a series of positions in London’s theatrical and television world. In 1990, the prince believed it necessary to deny publicly a persistent rumor that he is gay.