This Side of the Pond

Contrary to the stereotype of a young British girl, I did not grow up wanting to be a princess. I imagined it would be a dull existence unsuited to my life ambitions.

It would be a different story if I had developed an early interest in fascinators, dresses and shoes, but I’m still not good at those things. I wanted to be a starfighter pilot on the Battlestar Galactica or dodging mortar shells as I reported the news from warzones, like pioneering journalist Kate Adie. These things are considered too action-packed when you’re part of the royal family.

I cannot imagine the fortitude it would req...