Growing Up Royal Life in the Shadow of the British Throne

Introduction Have you ever woken up one morning hating your life and wishing you could be someone else? Perhaps you have imagined that who you are is all a big mistake, and you were really meant to be born into a family that was fabulously wealthy. Then you would have servants to do your every bidding. You would shop in the best stores. You would go to wonderful parties. You would spend your vacations at posh ski resorts or on sun-drenched beaches on secluded tropical islands. Heads would turn wherever you went. Who lives that kind of life these days? You could be a movie star, or course, but then you're only as good as your latest movie. What if you end up being cast in a real bomb? You could be a member of a rich family. That's better. Still, there's no guarantee family squabbles won't fritter away the fortune, and money does not always bring social standing. No, if you want it all -- wealth, power, and image -- nothing beats being born royal. Imagine you are a prince or a princess. Your home is an enormous stone castle with turrets and steep winding staircases. Each morning when you're woken up, you throw open a wardrobe full of designer outfits. There are soft woolens and crisp cottons, all in your favorite styles and colors. Servants pad quietly into your room to ask what you would like to do today. Over a leisurely breakfast, you decide whether to take the dogs for a brisk walk through your private woodlands or to call for your fishing rod and a picnic lunch so you can try your luck in the river that flows through the royal estate. If you have time, you could check out the royal farm to see how the pigs are fattening up, summon the royal Rolls Royce for a drive into town, or invite someone famous to tea. In the evenings there are dignitaries to meet, movie premieres to attend, and ribbons to cut. For special occasions you wear glittering jewels or medals and fur-trimmed velvet robes. Everywhere you go, people line up to meet you. Newspapers write about you. People admire you. You are born royal. There are no auditions to be born royal, no interviews, and no elections. You don't have to take any tests or possess any particular talents. All you have to do is show up in the right family at the right time. No doubt you're thinking that with castles to live in, closets full of clothes to choose from, and carriages to ride in for those extra-special occasions, royal life has got to be the most wonderful life in the world. But are you right? What is it really like to be born a prince or a princess these days? Let's take a closer look and see.Billinghurst, Jane is the author of 'Growing Up Royal Life in the Shadow of the British Throne' with ISBN 9781550376234 and ISBN 1550376233.