Free Wartime Princess by Valerie Wilding

happened?’ I asked, when I’d calmed down.
    â€˜He was travelling to Iceland in a flying boat, and it crashed,’ said Lilibet.
    That sent me into fresh floods of tears. Lilibet hugged me the whole time. With Mummy and Papa not being here, I’m so glad of my sister. She’s strong and kind.
    â€˜Thirteen other people died, Margaret,’ said Lilibet. ‘We must keep them in our thoughts, too.’
    â€˜I will,’ I said. ‘I’ll say a prayer for them, and their families. They must be feeling terrible.’
    â€˜It’s extra bad for them,’ said Lilibet. ‘They probably depend on their men for everything.’ She stood up. ‘Allah will come and sit with you. I’m going to write to Aunt Marina.’
    It was then that something seemed to punch me in the middle. ‘The little baby,’ I cried. ‘Little Michael! And poor Alexandra and Edward. They have no father now.’
    Suddenly, I forgot my own misery, and thought only of them. I decided to write to the children. But try as I might, the right words wouldn’t come. I kept seeing Papa’s face before my eyes, and imagining if something bad happened to him. I couldn’t bear it. I threw myself on my bed and cried myself to sleep. Allah stroked my hair.

October 20th
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    I haven’t written my diary for ages. I’ve written the one Mummy gave us, of course, but it’s been full of nothing much. Lilibet has official engagements now, and often goes without me. I don’t mind. I get tired of shaking hands and keeping a smile on my face, and trying to remember people’s names.
    I don’t feel well today. Mummy and Papa both have dreadful colds, and I think I’m getting one, too. If I’m not well, perhaps I can have a fire in my bedroom.
    How long will it be before we can move back to London, and go to parties and have days at the zoo and all the things we used to do?

October 28th
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    Lilibet gets letters from Philip regularly now, but she usually keeps them to herself. Today, though, she told us he’s been made first lieutenant on his ship. That means he’s the second-in-command, and he’s one of the youngest second-in-commands in the navy.
    â€˜That’s good, isn’t it, Papa?’ she asked.
    â€˜Very good,’ he said, smiling. ‘But not surprising. Philip has lots of energy, and he’s bright. He’ll go far, mark my words.’
    Lilibet’s happy because Philip’s doing convoy work, going up and down the east coast of Britain. We’re not supposed to know what ships are doing, but she seems to find out.

November 24th
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    I’m absolutely worn out. Mummy and Papa gave a Thanksgiving party yesterday in Buckingham Palace. There were a couple of hundred American army and navy officers, and a few nurses. We had some American food: pumpkin pie and sweet potatoes. I liked the sweet potatoes, but I’m not sure about pumpkin pie.
    The palace is rather chilly. There doesn’t seem to be much heating – that’s Papa’s effort to economize. In the past, we weren’t allowed to wander about the palace on our own, but now Lilibet is older, no one stops us, so we had a prowl round this morning. We were shocked to see parts of it looking so shabby. It must have been pretty badly damaged in the bombing, as I’m sure everyone’s worked hard to patch it up and hide the worst of it. Mummy’s bedroom windows are still boarded up.

December 4th
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    Rehearsals are well under way for our pantomime. This year it’s Sleeping Beauty , and I am Beauty! Lilibet is my handsome prince, of course, and there’s a lot of giggling when she has to ‘kiss me up’, as one of the evacuees calls it. That’s the bit where she kisses me to wake me from my hundred-year sleep.
    I can’t help thinking what a horrid Christmas it will be for Aunt Marina and our