When Prince Arthur Phillip Edward was born in 1982 as the first child to Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles, it was always clear that he was one day going to be King of the United Kingdom. Now, in 2017, he has yet to find a wife whilst both...
I am completely overwhelmed with the response this book has gotten over the last few weeks. Like... I'm literally speechless. I am SO happy all of you lovely readers enjoy this story so far and I cannot wait to move along with you! So as a treat for all of you here's a small preview for Chapter Three "Crazy In Love" to sweeten up the waiting for the full thing 👀❤️
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Claire really wasn't sure what had gotten into her as the plane descended into Heathrow Airport, and neither did she know what on earth she was going to tell her family a few minutes from now. What had happened in Kenya still hadn't settled in, and yet she had, almost stupidly so, agreed to fly to Botswana to be with a guy she barely even knew.
She and Arthur had decided to keep their budding romance a secret for now, so Claire would tell her family that an opportunity for conservation work had suddenly come up, and she had decided to take up on the offer spontaneously. When she exited the passport checks in Terminal Five, she was almost paranoid that someone could recognise her, the lingering question of "What if..?" hanging above her head like a rainy cloud. What if someone had seen them? The sheer horror of the possibility alone made her rethink the choice to fly back to Arthur, but when she stood at the baggage reclaim, nobody paid her any mind, the faces of tired but happy holiday returners the only thing she saw in the crowds. Not once had she ever worried about being recognised, and she never really had been. Except for a few little girls dreaming of becoming ballerinas themselves, that is.
With her luggage in hand, Eleanor walked outside, ready to greet her grandparents, who were supposed to pick her up. Spotting them was easy enough; her grandmother, who was in her seventies, was still dying her hair, her signature dark ginger colour though its original vibrance had long faded and given way to her greys. Claire was always jealous of her grandmother's hair, having wished her entire childhood to have the same ginger locks that she had, but nobody in her family had been lucky enough. Her father had the same dark hair as her grandfather, and her uncle and siblings had no trace of ginger either. It was a shame - Or at least Claire thought so. Her mother also had dark hair, although she had opted to bleach her hair long before her children were born.
"Darling! Over here!" She could make out the enthusiastic voice of her grandmother, who was waving widely with an enormous smile on her face. Her grandfather, though not as overly excited as his wife, also had a big smile on his face, happy to see his granddaughter again. Usually, Claire would see them every Sunday, whether it was for brunch or for dinner, the only exception being her time in Russia when she was younger. It had been weird not to see them for four weeks. With a jog as fast as her heavy suitcases and the busy holiday bustle allowed her, Claire came up to her grandparents, falling into their awaiting arms.
"I missed you!" "We missed you!" her grandfather smiled. "Oh, you've even gotten a tan!" her grandmother expressed after examining her. "A little," Claire giggled. "I never thought I would see that day!" "Oh, come on." "Need I remind you that your doctor even put you on Vitamin D supplements when you were a child?" her grandmother asked. Claire only rolled her eyes playfully before hugging her grandparents once more. "Come on," her grandfather urged them, "Let's get out of here."
Claire could only chuckle at her grandfather's dislike of crowded places.
The drive back was thankfully short, Windsor not too far from Heathrow Airport, and, as Claire landed in the middle of the day, the traffic wasn't as relentless as it usually would have been. Her grandparents, of course, wanted to hear all about Kenya and the experiences Claire had, but she managed to send a quick "Landed safely in London xx" Arthur's way. Claire recounted all her stories (except that one), how much joy she felt helping out in the village and how friendly everyone had been.
"I can't wait to do this again sometime," Claire sighed, letting the sun fall on her face as the landscapes rushed by. "You want to go back?" Her grandfather asked, surprised. "Mhm," Claire nodded, holding off telling them she'd return very soon. She thought it would be best if her entire family heard it together. "Why?" "Well, considering you lived your entire life in the ballet studio, I didn't think building a school would be your thing." "Archibald!" her grandmother gasped indignantly. "What?" her grandfather shrugged, "I'm happy and proud she liked it. I just wasn't expecting it." "It's alright, grannie," Claire sighed. That sentiment wasn't new to her. Although her grandparents had always been very supportive of her, they, too, sometimes thought of her as nothing more than a dancer. They knew she was hardworking and incredibly resilient, but she was also just that in their eyes; a dancer. Although it stung, Claire also failed to blame them. She had spent most- if not all - of her time in a ballet studio.
Claire's heart fluttered when suddenly her phone buzzed and the words "Cannot wait to see you in three days" greeted her. She was glad that her grandparents were still squabbling over her grandfather's comment, for at least she could smile without them questioning why.
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Flying back to London:
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