Chapter Two

Kensington Palace, London, Saturday 25 June 2016, 11am

William Edward George Albert Darcy had been born in the early hours of 2nd February 1990 at St. Mary's hospital in Paddington to the then Princess of Wales and her husband Prince Edward. His birth had been the cause of national celebration. He was the first Prince to be born in the royal family for two generations. The family marvelled at their beautiful baby Prince and his mother felt satisfaction that she had fulfilled her primary duty and given the nation it's future King.

The Prince grew up in palaces and castles and attended the best schools in the land. He wanted for nothing and was sheltered from the lives that most of his future subjects led. He was privileged and he knew it.

He sat in his study and took a sip of the cup of tea he had just been brought. His heavy thoughts were shortly lightened by the thought of his best friend. Charles teased him endlessly about his inability to even make a cup of tea. He really should learn one of these days, even if it was just to silence his friend.

There was a knock on his door.

" Come in," He commanded and the door slowly opened. It was his only sister, Anna.

Anna Catherine Victoria Rose was ten years younger than the Prince. Just like their mother, the Queen, Princess Anna was a beauty. She had golden hair, green eyes and dimples when she smiled. She was the nation's doll, and had been since her birth. But the girl that stood before him was no longer a child. At seventeen, Anna was a woman.

He could tell that she had been crying. Despite the unwise choices she had made, he hated the fact that he would not be able to protect her from the public scrutiny that was to take place. She started to cry again. He could only hug her.

" It's going to be okay," He whispered

" Will it?" She replied, " I'm pregnant Will. This doesn't just go away,"

" Are you sure you don't want to consider…" He began, but already knew her mind was made up.

" I shall not give this baby away, they cannot make me,"

" Well, I have negotiated for the story to be held until we are ready to announce it,"

" How did you manage it?"

" Don't worry," He explained, " I will be with you every step of the way,"

" I don't know how I can ever repay you Will,"

" Well, we are going to have to stick together when we tell Mother this afternoon,"

" Mummy will never be able to look at me in the eyes again. She'll blame me for polluting the monarchy," Anna replied

" I think we can blame that on Uncle Hurst," William laughed and Anna smiled for the first time in days.

" What would Papa have said," Anna asked

" He was have told you that he loves you," William answered truthfully.

Their father, Edward Darcy had married Catherine, the Princess of Wales in the nineteen-eighties. Their wedding had been watched by 750 million people. They were the glamour couple of the decade, but within the first year of their firstborns life, Catherine's father, the King, had died, prematurely catapulting Catherine into a role she had not prepared herself for. By the time Anna was born, the now Queen Catherine I and Prince Consort were a couple dedicated to their roles. Duty overruled love.

Tragedy stuck the royal family again as Prince William celebrated his nineteenth birthday, when a seemingly healthy Prince Edward dropped down dead with a heart attack. It had devastated the Queen and her two children, but she instructed them to carry on and remember that duty to the nation came first. But it had shaped them all. The Queen focused more and more on being Queen and travelled across the Commonwealth regularly. Although William and Anna knew she loved them, their relationship with their mother became distant.

" I miss him,"

" Me too," William replied and put his cup of tea on his desk. Anna glanced at the newspaper article next to his macbook.

" Are you still ticked off with that article?" She quizzed, perplexed that an old newspaper would still be on her brother's desk. He hated clutter, " That was weeks ago. Mummy's PR team have managed it and I think all this EU fiasco have distracted the press,"

William thought back to his conversation with Elizabeth Bennet the night before. He had not been able to get her out of his mind since their encounter. Her eyes fixated him.

" Will?" Anna cried

" Sorry, what were you saying?"

" You zoned out which is very unlike you," Anna replied, " I was just wondering what time you were planning on coming to the Palace?"

" I'll come across with you now," He explained and picked up his phone and jacket.

The two siblings walked out of the study.

" I met her last night," He admitted

" Who?"

" Elizabeth Bennet,"

" Who?"

" The woman that wrote that article,"

" Poor her, I cannot imagine you gave her a moment to speak. What was she like?" Anna asked but her brother did not answer. He just smiled.

To be continued...