HRH Princess Alexandra of Wales

Chapter 1

October 2018 arrived, and Princess Alexandra found herself in her room in Madrid, just back from school, which incidentally was the same institution attended by the daughters of the King of Spain. She was supposed to be diligently working on her history exam, but after a recent conversation with the school counselor, her focus had been thoroughly disrupted. Her thoughts were far from the pages of her textbooks, as she grappled with the weighty decisions that lay before her in the coming year.

June was fast approaching, marking the conclusion of her compulsory education, and with it came a trio of choices, each laden with its own set of implications. These options had been meticulously presented to her, not just by the school but also by the watchful eye of the firm, the enigmatic organization that had orchestrated so much of her life.

The first option was to remain in Spain and complete her baccalaureate alongside her close-knit group of friends, an appealing prospect as it offered familiarity and continuity. The second option, on the other hand, beckoned her towards the hallowed halls of a prestigious boarding school, where she could join her father's cousin, Lady Louise, in an environment that promised privilege and excellence. Lastly, there was the tantalizing opportunity to embark on the international baccalaureate program, aligning with her aspiration to earn her university degree at NYU, a dream that shimmered on the horizon.

Her school counselor had introduced Alexandra to the world of UWC schools, opening a gateway to a potential new path, and even offered to speak with her tutor to facilitate the application process. But herein lay the crux of her dilemma. Her counselor, like most of the school staff, was oblivious to her true identity. They believed her to be Alexandra France, a girl who had been adopted by the UK ambassador's secretary, Mr. Griffin, and his family. Alexandra had concealed her true lineage for years, a necessity dictated by the complex web of secrecy spun by the firm. She knew that Mr. Griffin would be incredibly supportive of her decision to attend a UWC school, given the outstanding educational opportunities they offered.

Her perpetual quandary was not with Mr. Griffin or her adoptive family, but rather with the all-encompassing firm and its intricate machinations. Over the past five years, Alexandra had navigated a somewhat harmonious, albeit cautious, relationship with her birth parents, a feat orchestrated primarily at the firm's insistence.

The looming prospect of her 18th birthday weighed heavily on Alexandra's mind. It was on this momentous occasion that she was expected to reveal her true identity and step into the public life of the British royal family. This impending revelation had been a source of perennial inner turmoil for Alexandra. She had always been acutely aware of who her birth parents were, but her feelings towards them had been far from amicable, especially during her formative years. Witnessing her parents' active involvement with her younger siblings while pretending she didn't exist had been a bitter pill to swallow.

Despite the happiness and fulfillment she found in her life with her adoptive family and her vibrant existence in Madrid, a lingering sense of jealousy would occasionally creep into her heart when the media spotlighted her parents' moments with her younger siblings. These conflicting emotions had been a constant companion, a silent battle waged within her, and the impending revelation on her 18th birthday only served to exacerbate her inner turmoil.

Over the course of the last five summers, Princess Alexandra had found herself within the hallowed walls of Balmoral Castle. Each year, her experiences were marked by the presence of various members of her family, including maternal relatives and even her paternal aunts, who made a point of visiting whenever her grandfather and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were away from the castle. Her initial encounter with Balmoral Castle had occurred in August 2013, a time when nervousness and fear coalesced within her. It was not only an opportunity to meet her parents in person but also to lay eyes on her little brother for the very first time. These emotions left her feeling both apprehensive and melancholic. She couldn't quite fathom why her brother was allowed to be with her parents while she had been kept at arm's length. This initial visit left her emotionally fraught, and a profound sense of anger began to take root within her. It was a complex mix of emotions for a young girl of nearly 10, thrust into a bewildering situation she couldn't quite comprehend.