The Prince and the Girl

A bright beam of sunlight shone through Gillian’s white curtains as she slid her blanket over her knees and placed her feet on the warm floor. Today was the day of the Ascot, and she wanted to feel as refreshed and prepared as possible. She took a long, warm bath before having a light oat bran breakfast in her kitchen. Gillian had been aesthetically prepared the passing week by Kate and her hairdresser, both of them giving her tips on how to wear her hair, her makeup among other things.

Gillian had selected a nude, subtle-looking outfit so as not to attract overt amounts of attention while on her own; she knew this would be nearly unavoidable when she was with Harry. Her dress, with pointed shoulders and sleeves that came just to her elbows, was a light creamy skin-toned colour. Its high neckline held the fabric tight against her chest, which contrasted by pleats and folds in the fabric of the skirt, sashed at the waist. She wore brown leather sandals with wedge heels, and had paired the entire ensemble with a simple, wide brimmed straw hat that was adorned by a wide, brown and white polka dot ribbon. 

In little less than four weeks Gillian would be leaving with Harry on a private plane to Africa, where they would spend two days in Lesotho, the focus of Harry’s charity efforts. They would then fly to Australia, landing in Sydney where they would stay for a day. They would then travel to Canberra and stay for two days. From Canberra, Gillian and Harry would fly out to Washington D.C. for a day and then fly out to Los Angeles travel up the coast, visiting Napa Valley, San Francisco, for a total of four days in America. They would end the trip in Canada, starting in Vancouver, where Gillian would visit some old school friends. From British Columbia, Gillian and Harry would travel to Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and finally Nova Scotia before returning home. All in all, their tour would be extensive, with a length of 17 days; nearly twice what Will and Kate travelled on their first tour after their marriage. 

 As each day came to a close and the tour grew nearer, Gillian could feel nerves growing in her stomach like a tiger waiting to pounce. Every morning she would wake up and feel a wave of excitement for travelling with the man she loved wash over her, each time followed by a tumbling crater of anxiety for having the world’s eyes upon her. 

Gillian pushed away her worries and focused on tying her hair back the way Kate’s hairdresser had shown her. She stood in her bathroom, in front of her wall-sized mirror with her thighs pressed against the glass counter. She swept her hair back carefully and pinned it low, on the nape of her neck where Harry liked to kiss her, before pulling strands lose from the bun. She looked relaxed and classy, the two exact opposites of how she felt. 

Again, she tried to ignore her qualms as she placed the simple straw hat on her head, allowing it to balance on her hair. She felt her heart wheel as she thought of seeing Harry dressed up, even wearing a top hat; it would be quite the sight. She giggled to herself at the thought of standing among Will and Harry, both of them heightened by their tall hats, watching them make conversation with other like-attired men. She was certain, despite her nervousness, that today would be a good day and that she would find ease in Harry’s presence. 

••• 

The leather seats beneath her moaned and twisted as the car went over a slight bump in the road and everyone jolted faintly. She sat next to Harry and across from Will and Kate; all of them but Kate had removed their hats which sat in their respective laps. The drive seemed excruciatingly long but Gillian knew that only about fifteen minutes had passed since she had arrived at Clarence House to find a bright and pleasant atmosphere about. 

They sat in silence, waiting for the car to pull up to a stop and looking through the windows of the car, the world outside blue with the tint of the glass. Gillian could see as William’s hand inched towards Kate’s, making a last grasp for a physical connection before they were presented to the world. She was lucky, in some sense, as she and Harry did not need to worry about that; not quite yet, at least, as Charles had put it as they had discussed plans for the tour.

“Because you are not officially ‘royalty’ yet,” He had made quotation marks with his fingers as he said this, as if he didn’t believe he was himself a prince, “You can get away with some things that William and Catherine cannot, such as public displays of affection. It’s fine if you want to kiss him, or hug him, or hold hands in public. I’m trusting, however, that you won’t let these wide boundaries fool you into doing something stupid.” 

He had paused dramatically and looked down his nose at Gillian, as he had always done. 

“What I’m trying to say is,” He paused, wrinkling his nose in what Gillian thought was disgust, “Do not try to sleep with him.” 

Gillian had nodded tightly and quickly, trying to contain the feeling of discomfort that threatened to burst across her face.

Thinking of the way Charles’ face had crumpled up to shows absolute distaste now made her laugh and a faint chuckle escaped her lips. Harry looked over at her and took her hand, smiling too. 

 The car ride came to a pleasant end as George pulled the car into an enclosed area of the street and parked. Will leaned over and kissed Kate before opening the door and getting out of the car. Gillian could hear chatter from the outside world, lacking its usual abrupt cry of excitement at the sight of the Duke. Will reached into the car and took Kate’s hand as she gracefully slid out of the car. 

Harry looked over to Gillian. “This is it. Ready?” He asked comfortingly. 

She couldn’t help but grin in response. “As ever.” She replied. 

Harry stepped slowly out of the car to stand next to Will and Kate before reaching inside, as Will had done, for Gillian’s hand. Attempting to match Kate’s grace, Gillian tucked her legs together and slid across the leather seat, taking Harry’s hand and stepping out of the car. 

A great green landscape splayed out before her, top hats and fascinators speckling the setting. She was glad for her wide brim that cast a neat shadow over her eyes while everyone else held a hand up to keep the sun from glaringly shining onto their faces. She could see the horse track in the distance, a brown oval surrounded by stands. 

She felt as the warmth of Harry’s hand filled hers comfortingly. William and Kate had already begun to part the social sea that stood before them, making their way as they shook hands and smiled charismatically. Harry and Gillian followed, still hand in hand, giving smiles and nods occasionally. They were soon within the royal enclosure and she felt as Harry’s grip tightened on her hand. 

“You are far too worried about this.” Gillian said quietly, keeping a smile plastered on her face. 

Harry relaxed his grip. “You’re right.” 

“Go talk to some people. You look like you’re glued to my side.” Gillian said as she loosened her grasp on his hand. “I’ll find someone to chat to.” 

Harry smiled and nodded. It didn’t take long for the people surrounding them to notice that the space that Gillian had occupied was free to be taken; soon he was shaking hands and distributing royal smiles in a manner that would make Kate proud.

Gillian wandered, admiring the hats and dresses, taking note of a few ridiculous ensembles. She did not recognise many people, but would give the occasional nod to those who she did as they passed from circle to circle. She did not know anyone but Will, Kate and Harry well enough to even think about joining in one of their conversations. All three of them were terribly occupied with someone who was, or at least looked, very important. 

“You look very nice today.” Gillian turned to see James Middleton standing behind her with a charming smile on his face. 

“Well, thank you, James. I must say that your top hat suits you very well too.” She replied playfully. 

He laughed. “I can’t stand the dreaded thing. It gives you the worst hat hair, I’ll have you know.” 

Gillian laughed too, placing a hand on his arm.

 A young man joined them, a smile on his face. “That’s James, always the joker.” 

James introduced the man as Brandon, a friend from the business, and was soon called away by Pippa, leaving Gillian and Brandon alone. 

“I have heard many things about you from the Middleton family.” He smiled devilishly. 

“All of them good, I hope?” Gillian asked, smiling back. 

He nodded, laughing. “Oh yes, yes. James had told me that you are quite the dancer!” He smiled devilishly and Gillian blushed. “So, are you having a good time?” 

“So far, yes. I can’t say that I know too many people here today, but everyone seems pleasant.” Gillian replied. 

“Well, let me introduce you to a few people!” 

It was the beginning of a morning filled with sun, new friends and laughter. Brandon was always playing around, and the company he kept was absolutely lovely. The girls, most of them Gillian’s age, all jokingly asked her how she had managed to hook Harry. 

“It really wasn’t that difficult.” Gillian replied jestingly. 

“It was for me.” A clear-ringing foreign accent hung on a velvety female voice. The girls seemed to magically part as Chelsy Davy appeared in the circle. “He always seemed to find some way away from me.” 

There was an awkward pause and Gillian, keeping her gaze on Chelsy, could feel as the others slowly retreated to another area to leave Gillian and Chelsy alone. 

“I suppose Harry and I have a different relationship than you and he did.” Gillian replied in what she hoped was not a snotty sounding tone.

Chelsy smiled and came to stand beside Gillian. “I’m not here to start anything. I just wanted to apologize.”

Gillian was slightly startled. “Apologize for what?” 

Chelsy brushed her hair slightly out of her eyes. “For that night.” 

Gillian swallowed and looked awkwardly at her feet. 

“Chelsy!” Harry stood before them, an anxious look on his face.

“Oh, hello, Harry.” Chelsy said charmingly before turning to Gillian. “It was absolutely lovely to meet you properly. I hope we can be friends.” She shook Gillian’s hand and walked away. 

“What were you talking about?” Harry asked as Chelsy strode off to join another group. 

“Um,” Gillian stalled, “the horses.”

“I see.” Harry looked at her oddly as he gripped her hand again. “It’s time to go to the stands.” 

Slowly but surely, the stands filled up with spectators. Gillian was situated in a booth with Will, Kate, Eugenie, Beatrice and Harry. Immediately upon arrival in the booth Harry and Will both removed their top hats and began to fan themselves. Midday was approaching and Gillian was beginning to feel the heat. 

Soon, the jockeys and their horses began to approach the starting gate. The gates were each filled readily as the jockeys mounted their thoroughbreds, each a different shade of brown or chestnut. 

“I’m betting Will on that brown one there, in the fifth gate.” Harry said to Gillian, pointing. 

Gillian laughed and shook her head with Kate.

“Boys never learn, do they?” Kate said, smirking.

The afternoon was filled with cheering, the exchange of money and the feeling of sweat trickling down one’s neck. Gillian was glad of the light colour and fabric of her dress, but swore never to wear a long-sleeve dress again. Kate, wearing a sweater over her sleeveless dress, must have been sweltering. 

Still, the day bore on joyfully until the last heat  of horses was finished and Harry began to guide her out of the stands. Will, Kate, Harry and Gillian walked together in a group, saying goodbyes to the others who had accompanied them. They had almost exited the enclosure when Gillian felt a tug on her sleeve. It was Chelsy. 

“It was entirely my fault.” Chelsy began awkwardly as Harry, Will and Kate continued to make their way towards the car. “I saw you two together and I saw how much fun you were having and I missed it.” 

“You mean,” Gillian said, immediately understanding what she meant, “Harry hadn’t been seeing you?” 

Chelsy laughed. “God, no. I thought that if I lured him into that room I might be able to get something out of him for one last time. I was wrong, though.”

“What do you mean?” 

“He refused, he said he was in love with you and that I had missed my chance.” Chelsy said, reddening. “So I threw myself at him… and that was when you walked in.” 

Gillian understood now what Harry had meant when he had told her that she hadn’t seen what she thought she had. 

“I’m so sorry.” Chelsy said pleadingly, almost begging Gillian to accept her apology. 

Gillian simply hugged her gratefully. “Thank you.” 

Harry appeared before her, looking extremely confused. “Gillian? What’s going on?” 

Chelsy and Gillian both pulled away from each other with knowing grins on their faces. 

“Just a hug among friends.” Chelsy smiled mischievously at Gillian who returned the grin. 

Harry was bewildered to no end as Gillian took his arm and gracefully waved to Chelsy, who returned the salute. Gillian turned to Harry and kissed him on the cheek. 

“I love you so much, you know that right?” She said, glistening eyes looking up at him. 

“I love you too.” He said, still shaking his head as he tried to figure out what he had just seen.