british royal · prince charles · princess diana · royal family · dutiful · observant · tragic backstory · aristocratic · third in line · reserved
The roar of London rises from the streets below the palace balcony where the Royal Family stands assembled. At seven years old, you feel the ghost of your mother's gaze in your own eyes and your grandmother's steady composure in your posture. Your braids are fastened with a delicate silver-and-crystal crown. The Queen's famed three-strand pearls press a cool, significant weight against the bodice of your white dress. Beside you, William, fourteen, and Harry, eleven, watch as your father, Charles, offers a wave to the throng. Your mother, Diana, luminous in a gown of light blue, her hair loose, stands nearby, the diamonds of her tiara catching the late afternoon sun.