Wartime Princess by Valerie Wilding

you. It makes our productions in the Waterloo Chamber seem a little tame. But they’re fun.

July 3rd
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    Papa’s going abroad. I don’t know where (I bet Lilibet knows) but I overheard him telling Mummy he won’t enjoy the heat, so it must be somewhere hot like Africa.

July 18th
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    Mummy’s so looking forward to a break at Balmoral. She travels all over the country visiting hospitals and factories and so on. She believes it’s important that the people who work quietly in the background are made to realize how much the country values their contribution to the war effort.
    I saw some factory workers in a film once. I don’t know about working quietly in the background. They kept shrieking to each other, and were obviously having fun, though how they do that and concentrate on what they’re making, I don’t know!

July 30th
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    There, I was right, it was Africa. After our victory, Papa went on a tour of the whole war front in North Africa. Not only that, but he nearly gave everyone, especially Mummy, heart attacks by disappearing for a while. Not disappearing exactly, but he did go missing. He’s safely home now, though, and we’ll soon be off to Scotland. I hope cousin Margaret’s joining us again. She’ll be company when Lilibet’s on official duties, and even though she’s older than me, she treats me just like she treats my sister.
    I’m already nagging Crawfie about this year’s pantomime. I want us to do Aladdin . I’ve made loads of plans already. She says the schoolmaster, Mr Tanner, needs to have a say in what we do, because he’ll be producing it.
    â€˜Tell him Princess Margaret would like to do Aladdin ,’ I said. ‘Please, Crawfie.’
    â€˜Time enough after the summer,’ she said. ‘Lilibet, would you like to be in the pantomime again this year?’
    â€˜Of course!’ was the reply. ‘But I’d like a different part this year. I always seem to be the prince, and I’m not sure that suits me any more.’
    Hmm, she doesn’t want to be a prince, but I bet she’d like to be with a prince! I didn’t say that, of course. She gets touchy if I tease her about Philip. Personally I think that’s because she’s a lot more keen on him than he is on her. I talked to Mummy about it the other day, and she said I’m being silly.
    â€˜Lilibet and Philip are cousins and just good friends,’ she said. ‘What’s more natural in wartime than that they should write to each other?’
    I don’t think it’s natural that Lilibet should get moody when she doesn’t get a letter for ages, or all bright and chipper when she does, or that she should go pink when I tease her.

August 14th
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    In a week I’ll be in my teen years. I hope everyone will start thinking of me as a young lady instead of a child. I know some people think I look for attention all the time. I don’t, not really. Lilibet sticks up for me. She says I’m naturally amusing, so people are happy to listen to me. That makes it sound as if I never stop talking!

September 11th
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    It’s lovely to be back in Scotland. Lots of people have been to stay and it’s turned out to be a summer of hiking, picnics, riding, games in the evenings, dances, a visit to the Highland Games – just so much fun. We’ve hardly had a moment to call our own. I know Lilibet would have loved Philip to have been one of the visitors. She’s brought his photograph with her.

October 15th
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    Lilibet was very upset to hear that the husband of one of Philip’s sisters has been shot down and killed. I’d normally be sad, too, but the man was a Luftwaffe pilot, and he was in the Nazi SS. I wonder how many of our people he’s shot down. Still, I’m sure Philip will be sorry for his sister.

November 23rd
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    We’ve had a lo-o-ong