Wartime Princess Read Online Free

adores being with horses.
    One of the footmen told Ruby he went past a pub yesterday and the people were all singing ‘Rule, Britannia’. Everyone’s proud to be British, she says.
    Lilibet just peeped out of the window. ‘There’s going to be a frost,’ she said. ‘It’ll be chilly tomorrow.’ Of course it will. It’s November. It’s Scotland. Oh, how I long for London and our own garden. It never seems quite so cold there.

December 2nd
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    Lilibet’s allowed to stay up tonight to listen to the last Bandwagon programme. I’m not. I’m cross. I refuse to go to sleep until she comes up. I know she has to do some special things because of learning to be queen, but listening to the wireless isn’t one of them.

December 4th
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    Papa has gone to visit the troops in France. I won’t breathe until he’s back. Lilibet’s worried, too. She listens to the news whenever she’s allowed to.

December 7th
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    Scotland is the coldest place in winter. The ground was so white this morning I truly thought it had snowed in the night. But it was simply frost. Not the thin frost we get in London – it’s really thick. Our windows are covered in it by morning, and today my bath sponge was frozen. Ruby said she could crack walnuts with it.
    When Papa comes home, I’ll choose the right moment to ask if I can have proper singing lessons.

December 10th
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    Papa’s safely home. He actually went to the Front, where the fighting is. I think they have a line of British soldiers, with German ones opposite, and that’s the Front. Papa went into a trench and he met the president and got a French medal.

December 16th
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    Hurrah! The day after tomorrow we’re off to Sandringham for Christmas with Mummy and Papa! I hope Norfolk’s not as cold as Scotland.
    In the morning, Crawfie’s taking us to Woolworths to buy Christmas presents. Shopping’s so exciting. Most children can do it any day of their lives if they want to, but we hardly ever do. Perhaps they get bored with shopping. I never would!
    Lilibet said, ‘You must make a list, Margaret, of the people you want to buy presents for. You could also note down any ideas you have.’
    Lists are boring. What I’d really like is to have Crawfie take us into Woolworths and say to the manager, ‘Their Royal Highnesses may wander among the counters by themselves for hours, and buy whatever they wish.’ But that won’t happen. Mummy says princesses have many privileges (I used to think that meant toys) so they shouldn’t complain if there’s something they can’t have, or can’t do.
    I often wonder what life is like for children who aren’t royal. Do they ever wonder about us? Lilibet thinks they do. She says we must always set them a good example. That can be quite trying.

December 27th
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    I’m worn out. We’ve had so many guests, and we’ve sung and danced and played games till we’re all exhausted! Christmas is when Lilibet and I make all the grown-ups join in when we play charades or cards or sardines. It gets quite noisy!
    I wish we could keep the Christmas tree for ever.
    Christmas Day meant Papa speaking on the wireless. He wore his admiral’s uniform for the photographs, and looked very handsome. There were a couple of sticky stammering bits which made us hold our breath, but then he got going and it was lovely, thanks to all his hard work and Mr Logue’s. I am so proud of Papa.
    Mummy gave Lilibet and me a gift of a beautiful leather diary, and she asked us to write in it every day. I’m not good at remembering to do things, and I’m sure I shan’t always be able to think of things to write. It will probably end up something like: ‘Ate breakfast. Did geography. Drank orange juice. Played outside. Had drawing lesson. Went for a walk. Had tea with Mummy and