Two Princesses
By
Gerry Niskern

When I heard on Thursday that Queen Elizabeth had passed away one thing popped into my mind……Paper Dolls!
Many years ago my sister and I shared a wonderful big book of paper dolls (look it up) of the two little English princesses. We were in seventh heaven. Imagine! Two little princesses who were sisters and best of all, they were almost our ages. Elizabeth was two years older then my sister and Margaret Rose was two years older than me.
We punched out their cardboard figures and carefully cut out each wonderful outfit they were to wear. Our imaginations took over as we played with the dolls. Many scenarios took place as we imagined their lives and acted them out. Coronations, Royal Weddings, Baptisms; we did it all.
Just one thing though; I never got to be Elizabeth, the future Queen, because as my sister told me repeatedly, “She’s my age, the oldest, so I am Elizabeth and you have to be the little sister, Margaret Rose.” Big sisters have to make tough calls, I guess. We played dress up and pretended, dreamed of being a princess ourselves some day. We heard bits and pieces about the English princesses lives during WWII on the radio, in news reels at the movies, and in anything we could get our hands on to read. We learned that as a toddler Elizabeth had some reins attached to her crib so she could sit and pretend she was riding her pony anytime she wanted. We also learned that her nanny of many years was instructed to always wear brown or grey so she wouldn’t detract from the sisters costumes in public.
We knew that the girls stayed at Windsor, just outside of London during the bombing. Their parents stayed at Buckingham Palace. We heard the broadcast by Elizabeth to the many English children who were sent away for safety by their parents.
Later, we read all about Elizabeth and Phillip’s wedding and then when she became Queen we watched her Coronation on television. At last we could see her life in real time. We watched it all as we were growing up and became mothers just as she did. As the years went by, we were aware of her children’s marriages, divorceses and the heartbreaking rifts that occurred in her family as they do in the lives of all little girls who dream of being princesses and grow up to become mothers too.
Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, lived their life in public view. Elizabeth served her time as Monarch with propriety and steadfastness and had to make some tough calls. She didn’t allow her younger sister to marry the man she loved, Peter Townsend. He was a divorced man and as the Queen she couldn’t allow it according to the church. She took a ton of flak for that call. When England recently celebrated her Platinum Jubilee and the Royal family appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace she didn’t allow Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Megan to appear there with the other “working Royals”. Another tough call by the older sister.
Margret Rose’s big sister died this year and my sister did too