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

Belgium

Chapter 7

Belgium (March 2013)

Fall rolled into winter, and winter rolled into spring as the months passed. The young princess returned to Cambridge after the wedding in Luxembourg while her beau returned to Milan. She celebrated her twentieth birthday quietly in Cambridge on November 12. Caroline and Joachim were able to meet at Kensington for a couple days in the first week of December after finals. The couple were able to celebrate Joachim's twenty-first a couple days early at Windsor as the Belgian prince would be with his family on the 9th. However, the reunion was brief as Caroline was expected to spend the holidays at Sandringham House with her entire family.

That was William's and Caroline's first Christmas without Harry. Moreover, it had also been Caroline's first birthday without both of her brothers; Will and Catherine had come and made her dinner, but Harry was still deployed.

Thankfully, Captain Harry Wales returned safely home from deployment at the end of January 2013, having shown great bravery and courage. He had stayed with his fellow soldiers after the Taliban had made a direct threat on his life. Caroline had counted down the days until he returned, always anxious when there was a period of time when they did not talk.

Catherine was pregnant with her and Will's first child and the pregnancy was taking its toll on the Duchess of Cambridge. Unfortunately, the mother-to-be suffered from a complication called hyperemesis gravidarum that was worse than morning sickness. Caroline hated seeing her sister in such a state when the pregnancy should have been a joyful time.

In other news, wedding preparations for Harry and Maria-Anunciata commenced a couple of weeks after his return. The announcement of the engagement and upcoming royal wedding was met with fervor and anticipation in not just England and Liechtenstein, but around the world. People were excited to see another British royal wedding take place just over two years after the last.

~~~IPWHPB~~~

It was March 2013 now and spring break found Caroline in the midst of Brussels. The young princess currently stood in the bustling Brussels airport, looking for signs to point her to baggage claim. Several people bumped into Caroline in a rush to catch their flights and Caroline smiled despite it. Apparently, the old Team GB cap that she had donned with simple capris and a blouse, worked wonders to cover up her identity.

Yet, she knew that this would have been the case without the hat; Belgian press, unlike British, did not crowd their royals when they ventured around the city. Caroline had even been permitted to come without the protection of Joe.

So, Caroline fixed the strap to her bag that hung on her shoulder and dodged her way through the airport, following the signs for baggage claim. Waiting for her suitcase at baggage claim, Caroline bounced on the balls of her feet, barely able to contain her excitement to see Joachim. She was also looking forward to being in the city again as her last visit had been before William's wedding in 2011.

Finally, Caroline's suitcase appeared on the belt. Once the luggage got to her, she struggled to lift it off the belt, used to her one of her brothers doing it for her. Thankfully, a nice man next to Caroline saw her struggle and lifted the suitcase off the belt for her.

"Wonderful to see you here, Your Royal Highness," The man quietly said to Caroline as he placed her suitcase on the airport floor.

Well then. She wasn't as incognito as she thought. It was her hair. It was always the dead giveaway—her blonde curls were unique and almost iconic. Caroline stared at the man for minute more, watching as he collected his family to leave. He did not turn back to look at her.