So, I learned today that one of my coworkers is a princess.
Not a prissy girl with a superior attitude, mind you, but rather a real life, no fooling, her granddad was a freakin’ Emperor, for real princess. She never mentioned it, by the way, but one of her countrymen asked if “The Princess” was here today. Duh, who?
So, it turns out this rather pretty young woman, with a kind and gracious manner, and a very pleasant demeanor is royalty. Blew me away. Now, I am not a big deal aristocratiphile. But I have to admit, it was . . . curious. I know a princess. She’s a nice girl.
No big deal with the succession, by the way, her Granddad abdicated in favor of his brother (over a religious matter that is not clear to me) a long time ago. But you don’t become an Ex princess, right?
The Princess herself said it was no big deal. She has a lot of sisters and cousins who are princesses too. Yeah. I got a cousin who was on a TV show, and I cooked breakfast for Mickey Rooney once. You’re a Princess. Take my word for it your Serene Highness, it’s cool.
Tris
I couldn’t find a quote that pertained to this one.
Actually, I was trying to be a little bit circumspect about the exact country. As I understand it, the empire in question is cultural, and no longer represents the political power of a single country as it did historically, but is still a source of social identity for its people, who comprise a portion of the population of several countries. The Imperial family (currently the Queen Mother, our princess’s aunt) is a dominant social presence, and is greatly revered by the people. Historically, the empire was quite powerful, and influential in its region.
Her serene Highness is just an attribution often applied to royal persons.
By the way, the princess tucks her pen into the rather elaborate braids she generally wears. Her braids generally have little gold strands in them, and are arranged in what can only be described as a . . . crown. Funny, I never noticed it before now. She has acted as one might expect a young woman in a foreign country to act, if she was raised with exceptional social graces. She’s a very nice girl.
I’ll ask her about the frog.
Tris
“Swat my hind with a melon rind, That’s my penguin state of mind.” ~ Opus ~
When I was 8, my father was yelling at me for not cleaning my room. “What do you think you are? A princess?” He said.
I threw my little head up haughtily and said “YES!” He tried to be angry at my insolence, but instead started giggling. Which infuriated me, because in my head, I WAS a princess of a country yet to be determined, and it was all a mistake that I ended up in a middle class American household.
I still have my eye on Prince Fredrick of Denmark…
It could have been, although it wasn’t. I don’t suppose even Africa has enough intact social empires with living royalty to hide an imperial princess.
The Ashanti people do comprise a portion of the population of Nigeria. The Queen Mother resides in Ghana, along with the largest concentration of her people, although they are spread out over much of western Africa.
Now, no doubt, crack Ashanti paramilitary guards are closing in on my house, as we speak.
Tris
“Sic transit gloria mundi. And Tuesday’s usually worse.” ~ Robert A. Heinlein ~
Sorry to have pressed you, Tris. Actually, I couldn’t resist because of an experience I had here quite some time ago. There’s quite a few of these genuine tribal Princes and Princesses around. My apologies.
I lived in the same apartment building as a Baron and Baroness, the Stackelbergs, in DC. I think they were genuine, cause they threw some fancy parties, and folks (old ones, dripping with jewelry) would be dropped off and picked up in limos.
They were very nice people. I don’t have a clue what country, empire, or royal royal family they were a part of. Something European, probably German or Austrian (Austro-Hungarian)?
I met Prince and Princess Hitachi (no relation, to my knowledge, to the stereo-maker) of Japan one time. The Tokyo American Club had a big 4th of July party, and the prince and princess came and he made a speech in pretty passable English. The then-Ambassador from the U.S. was there too, but I can’t remember his name (July 4, 1986 this would have been–before Mondale’s day).
Frogs and Princesses are a European thing. She did point out, though, that the girl in the story is not a princess, it’s the frog that is a prince. The point being, an ordinary girl kisses a frog in order to become a princess. If you already are one, you don’t need a frog.
