Suspected to be written as a true-to-life fairy tale for Elizabeth von Arnim’s own children, ‘The Princess Priscilla's Fortnight’ tells the story of Princess Priscilla, a well-known German princess who has grown tired of her lavish and pampered lifestyle. Her mentor, Herr Fritzing, has been teaching her about the wide world outside the castle walls and Priscilla yearns to escape and explore it. ‘The Princess Priscilla's Fortnight’ will be enjoyed by fans of ‘The Princess Diaries’. Elizabeth von Arnim was an English novelist – a cousin of the New Zealand-born writer Katherine Mansfield – born as Mary Annette Beauchamp in Australia in 1866. She married a German aristocrat and her earliest written works are set in Germany. Von Arnim launched her career as a writer with her satirical and semi-autobiographical work ‘Elizabeth and Her German Garden’, published anonymously in 1898. Although she was known by the name May in her early life, when she began writing, her success as ‘Elizabeth’ meant that her writings were ascribed to the name Elizabeth von Arnim.

First published in 1905, Princess Priscilla's Fortnight was no doubt written as a true-to-life fairy tale for Von Arnim's children. It tells the story of Priscilla, a hugely popular German princess, who grows tired of her lavish and pampered life. Through the instruction of her mentor, Herr Fritzing, she learns there is a wide and varied world outside the castle walls and yearns to escape.

The story of Princess Priscilla, who is frustrated with her position in the Grand Duchy of Lothen-Kunitz. The Court seems vulgar, the courtiers time-serving, her days dreary and pointless. These feelings are encouraged by Fritzing, her tutor and Duchy librarian. When finally an eligible Prince offers marriage, she abandons her life of luxury. With the help of Fritzing and a maid she escapes to a Somerset village. However she has difficulty adapting: she does not know the value of money and expects deference from those ignorant of her royal status. This leads to misunderstanding and upsets the life of the village.

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