Marrying a Prince Does Not = Happily Ever After

As the date of the Royal Wedding nears, the fairytale fantasy of a beautiful young woman marrying a prince comes closer to having a rare moment rooted in reality. Out of an entire planet of females, she has won what many would say is one of the most coveted lotteries in the world.

But marrying a prince doesn’t automatically guarantee you a happy ending. Ask Princess Diana. The fantasy of her beautiful wedding, incredible ring (which Kate has now inherited along with an end to privacy and an expectation of perfection) and life in a castle was a far cry from the shattered glass and wreckage that surrounded her at her death.

Marrying a prince does not ensure happiness which is why I protested so loudly on Facebook in response to a link a fellow blogger (who was also protesting) shared about a woman selling trips to Britain at $4000.00 each for little girls to go to Princess Training Camp. Others argued it was a great way to dress up teaching manners and proper etiquette but dig down one layer and you learn that the creator of this camp spent years trying to ingratiate herself into British circles in hopes of marrying her own prince.

I got lucky and I did get to marry a man who truly was like a prince…and he definitely treated me like a queen. But even that did not lead to a happily ever after ending. Cancer stole that from us and left me sitting in my own pile of wreckage.

Princess Diana moved quickly past the veneer of royal life and got her hands dirty. She created her own meaning and messages. She sat in refugee camps, toured AIDS wards and held children amputees who were the victims of landmines in far away countries. She shattered the idyllic portrait of royalty preserved behind glass only to be gazed at from afar and made a difference in the world. And with no help from her prince. She created a legacy that will live forever, long after Prince Charles becomes Charles who?

Though I was married to a prince, the man of my dreams, I also had to learn to find my own path beyond the love story and the princess wedding dress. I believe in love and fairytale romance. We can have those moments in life and those experiences but as the Princess of Wales taught us, to make a difference in life, you have to find your own mission, get your hands dirty and often go against popular thinking. Another person cannot make your dreams come true. You can share a beautiful life with another, but your happily ever after is in your hands.