Fairy tales have a pivotal role to play in our cultures by introducing essential ideas. The Princess and the Pea story is one such tale that tells us about the elegant treatment the royals get and how sensitive they are to minor differences in everyday things.
The story also reminds us that we should not judge a person by their immediate appearance; all it takes is a simple test to reveal their true self. In this article, we will narrate the fairy tale – the Princess and the Pea, where a prince looking for a truly royal princess and how he finds her at the end at his doorstep in the middle of unexpected circumstances.
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Origin & History Of The Princess And The Pea Story
The Princess and the Pea fairytale have numerous versions across different cultures around the world with different morals and interpretations. However, it is Hans Christian Anderson who is credited with being the populariser of the story in his 1835 book Tales Told for Children. Hans was the first to introduce new elements to the story, such as the sensitivity of the Princess to the hard pea under the bed. Older versions of the tale had a different moral, and the Princess was an ordinary girl who happened to learn about the pea test from a sympathetic helper. She then deceives the prince into thinking she is a true princess. On the other hand, Hans’s version has a real princess and a test of authenticity.
The Story Of The Princess and The Pea in English For Children
Here is the story of the Princess and the Pea with pictures.
Once upon a time, in a majestic kingdom, lived a handsome prince. The young Prince lived in a plush castle with all the comforts he could imagine. The only thing missing was a true princess who would share his royal, luxurious life. The Prince longed for his true Princess, and his parents, the King and the Queen, grew desperate to find him the perfect match.
The royal family looked for a true princess across many kingdoms. The Prince set off on a search to find his ideal woman and returned without any success. He met many fair maidens who claimed to be true princesses, but none were as true as he had wished. The Prince returned disappointed from his quest to his castle. That afternoon at lunchtime, the King asked if he had found what he was looking for. The Prince replied, “I have looked far and wide but found none who is a real princess”. The King reassured his son with a pat on his back that it would all fall into place in time, and the two retreated to their chambers.
That evening, dark clouds rolled in from the East, indicating a severe thunderstorm over the kingdom. It started raining heavily, and storm-forced winds blew blindingly across the kingdom. The thunderous rain spared no one caught out in the open, and it sounded as though thousands of marching soldiers were upon the castle, ready for war.
Amid the thunderstorm and chaos, the royal family heard a loud knock on the castle door. The King wore his robes and went to the door to see who would be caught in the middle of such a storm. As he opened the door, he was surprised to see a pretty young woman in rain-soaked, shabby-looking clothes requesting shelter.
She said to the King, “I am a real princess who got caught in the storm. I need some fresh clothes and a place to sleep at night.” The King, still surprised at what was happening, let the poor girl inside.
The Queen also made her way down and learned what had happened. She took the girl in, offered her a robe, and had the servants prepare a warm bath. She was instructed to bathe and change into warm clothes when her chambers would be prepared.
Since the girl claimed to be a real princess, the Queen devised a test for her. She ordered the servants to prepare an unusual bed for the Princess using twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds. However, she put a Pea under the lowest mattress as a test.
The Princess went to bed and slept on the well-prepared mattresses. However, she couldn’t sleep well through the night.
While she was treated to breakfast with the family in the morning, the Queen inquired if she had slept well the previous night. The Princess complained that although the bed was well-prepared with the finest mattresses, she couldn’t sleep a wink at night because it was uncomfortable.
The Queen immediately looked at the Prince and said, “We have found your true princess!” “Only a true princess can find the tiny flaw in the bed we prepared for her because of her sensitive and royal upbringing”.
The Prince was delighted and at once proposed marriage to the Princess. She accepted his proposal, and the two married to live happily ever after.
Summary Of The Princess And The Pea Story
Once, there was a prince who wanted to marry a real princess.
One night, a young woman came claiming to be a princess. The Queen put a pea under 20 mattresses and 20 feather beds to test her. The woman slept terribly and felt something hard. The Queen said only a true princess would feel a pea through all that.
The Prince believed her and married the woman because real princesses are very delicate.
It’s a magical story about finding the perfect Princess for the Prince.
Moral of The Princess and The Pea Story
The moral of the short story of The Princess and The Pea is “never judge a person by their momentary appearance”.
FAQs
1. What is the total number of beds the Princess slept on with the pea underneath?
The Queen placed a pea on the bed’s bottom, then 20 mattresses on top of the pea, followed by 20 feather beds on top of the mattresses—a total of 40 beds.
2. What does the pea symbolize in the story?
The pea symbolizes one’s true self or identity. The Princess’s ability to feel the pea reveals her as a true princess despite her bedraggled appearance when she arrives at the castle.
3. What happened after the woman passed the test?
After the woman could feel the pea, the Prince realized she was an actual princess. He then proposed marriage to her, and they got married and lived happily ever after in the castle.
This story beautifully explains why we should never judge a person based on their appearance, as appearances can often be deceptive.
The Prince searched far and wide and met many fair maidens who claimed to be a real princess, but none of them were! However, a regular-looking girl in rain-soaked shabby clouds turned out to be a real princess. This story beautifully tells us why we should never judge a person on their appearance, as appearances can be often deceptive.
Also Read:
The Frog Prince Story
Cinderella Story for Children
The Fairy Princess Story for Kids
Dragon and Princess Story for Kids
