I'm the Princess of Wales; He's a Prince of Belgium

Prologue

Prologue

Our story begins in England on a night in late-August 1997. The moon shown through windows of the Palace. Outside, people chatted on the sidewalks as they took nighttime strolls in the parks. A handful of tourists still lined the palace gates to marvel the country's most talked about residence at night. Inside Buckingham Palace, servants prepared for their monarchs for bed. Her Majesty The Queen sits in her study with her husband and right-hand man. But this is not where we are headed; the Queen is busy discussing her full schedule for tomorrow, but she takes a second to smile at her husband as the patter of little feet runs past the door.

Soon, the patter of little feet is followed by the pounding of two sets of feet. The young princes chase their baby sister down the halls of the palace.

"Caroline! It's time for bed!" The eldest brother calls as he follows his dear sister into her room.

Princess Caroline of Wales giggles as her eldest brother plops her on the bed before joining her. The duo turn their attention to the middle child as he walks over to the bookcase at the far corner of the room.

"Okay, Car! Tonight, I shall you read you the amazing story of Sleeping Beauty!" The redheaded prince enthused as he grabbed the worn book from the shelf and joined his siblings on the bed.

As Harry read to their sister, William took a moment to wish their father would join in their joy. Both he and Harry loved putting Caroline to bed. In her four years of life, they had rarely missed a rubber duck and sunk ship in the bath, a loved reading of a fairytale, or a cherished goodnight kiss; especially before William enrolled at Eton. These were the moments that the teen prince loved and he coveted every single one. He dreaded the day when he would have to return to Eton with Harry.

"Harry, when will Mummy be back?" The young princess broke across William's reverie.

Their mother Princess Diana of Wales was currently on a trip to Paris and Caroline missed her dearly. Unknown to Caroline, their parents had divorced the past year; all she knew was that for some reason, her parents no longer wanted to live together. William and Harry had shielded her from the Charles' and Diana's fights that swept through the halls of their home in Kensington Palace. Caroline had been born on November 18, 1992 and was the couple's last attempt to salvage their marriage.

"In TWO days, Cari! Isn't that exciting?" Harry kissed the crown of his sister's head, "Sweet dreams, Caroline. Grandpa will wake you to leave for Balmoral."

The brothers crept from the room. If only they knew what fate met them in the following days, what grief and sadness would overcome them?

~~~IPWHPB~~~

Everyone dressed in black. Caroline was confined inside the Scottish castle with her family. After several days, her brothers were allowed to go out with Grandpa and Dad. She, however, was still confined inside with Sophie and Grammy. Sophie Rhys-Jones, the girlfriend of Prince Edward had grown close to Diana before her death. She had bonded with all three children but especially with the young Caroline. In the week following her mother's death, Caroline only left her brothers' sides to be with the kind Sophie. The women stifled her own grief as she kept the young princess busy. She encouraged Caroline to paint and together, they uncovered a hidden talent. But, Caroline knew and appreciated what her uncle's girlfriend was doing. Every night, she heard the sobs of her brothers as they cried for their lost mother. And, she yearned for her mother.

At last, the day of the funeral arrived. The world watched as the two princes walked behind their mother's coffin. The world watched as the aging Duke of Edinburgh carried his granddaughter with them. Their hearts broke as she cried and asked for her mum, stopping the procession. Their heart sighed when her eldest brother gently cradled her in his arms for the rest of the day.

The siblings buried their mum at Althorp too soon. And, then, life went on.