Prince Lorenzo Borghese says he's in love. And he's thinking about marriage. But that's about all the new Bachelor is disclosing about the woman he picked on the ninth edition of ABC's reality series, which kicks off tonight. "I was looking for a girl who was sincere, who made me feel special, who I could trust ... and who I could have a good time with. I think I made the right decision," he says.
The 34-year-old cosmetics entrepreneur from New York just returned from Rome where the series was shot. The change of location gave the Prince a chance to impress his 27 potential dates at Roman sites such as the historic Forum, Colosseum and Pantheon, the romantic Trevi Fountain and the lush Villa Borghese, the largest park in Rome, which bears his family's name.
"I think it creates a nice story for the show when you throw Rome in there and you throw a title (Prince) in there. But, I'm just a regular guy so it's kind of funny -- this whole prince thing."
Borghese is an American, but his paternal ancestors include Pope Paul V (Camillo Borghese) and Cardinal Scipione Borghese.
"The girls look at me different at first," says Borghese. "But I think when they got to know me, they liked me better as a person rather than being a prince."
Borghese, who found himself single after two long-term relationships, says he's just a regular Joe , but the fact he is a very successful businessman may have attracted some gold diggers. "I had got some obviously very strange e-mails before I changed my address about how these girls wanted to marry me -- they don't even know me."
While Borghese says all 27 women (24 Americans, one Canadian and two Italians) were wonderful, he admits there were a few who seemed to fall in love with him a little too quickly.
"If anybody starts crying on the first night, I know I did a good thing."
By the time it was down to four, there were real feelings involved. "Once you narrow it down ... it's no longer a game. It's about real emotions," he says.
Many past Bachelor couples have blamed fame and time apart for their break-ups, Borghese doesn't believe those will be issues for him. "We get to see each other, just not in public. And I do live in New York City, so I would hope there are more interesting people on the street than me and the person I chose and that I can just live my normal life."
Famous last words.