Princess Hope

prologue

Andra's heart was beating wildly. All her life she never wanted to be in the spotlight, but now that she's of age, there's no escaping the path of being royal.

"Your majesties," she curtsied. Her elegant curtsy reminded them of her mother. The King and Queen of the Belgians smiled in acknowledgment. Queen Paola, however, broke protocol to greet her goddaughter.

"Andra, darling! It's been so long since I last saw you." Queen Paola said.

"Your majesty-"

"None of that nonsense, dear. I have been waiting for your visit. It made me happy that you chose to visit Belgium for your first official tour."

"Mama," the King lightly tapped his mother so they could continue talking inside the palace. "We should continue inside. It's quite chilly."

"Of course," Queen Paola gestured for the King to lead them inside the palace. King Philippe and Prince Charles immersed themselves in a conversation as they walked inside. Queen Mathilde followed walking side-by-side with Harry.

"Aunt Paola, thank you for agreeing to house us during our 3-day stay here," the young Princess said as they walked.

"It's no problem, dear. My grandchildren are also excited to meet you," she said. "They've only heard about you through my stories of when I visit you in Britain. Also, stories from your brothers."

Andra nervously clasped her hands. It was nerve-wracking when the herald announced our arrival to the rest of the Belgian Royal Family.

"Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales, Prince Henry of Wales, and Princess Hope Alexandra of Wales."

They entered the reception hall where the King's siblings, in-laws, and his nieces and nephews were all waiting to meet the Princess. Andra was popular with the Belgian royals because of their grandmother's affection for her and also because she's the only sister of their close friends, William and Harry.

Andra was greeted by Princess Astrid and Prince Lorenz as well as Prince Laurent and Princess Claire. Queen Paola steered her towards her grandchildren.

"I am honoured to meet you, your royal highness," she said to the little girl who was about 7 years old as she dipped into a graceful curtsy. The young Princess greeted her with the same courtesy.

"And to you, Ma'am." Princess Elisabeth said, wide-eyed. She was a bit starstruck by the woman in front of her. Her grandmother did not exaggerate one bit about the beautiful British Princess.

"Your royal highness," Hope greeted as she lightly shook Prince Amedeo's hand after she curtsied to him. Her feet nervously shook but she shrugs it off.

"Are you enjoying your time in Brussels?" He asked.

"Yes, it's been lovely so far," she answered in the softest tone possible. "Thank you for having us here, Sir."

"I insist that you call me Amedeo, Andra," he smiled when he saw her face scrunched up in confusion but it immediately change back to a polite smile.

"Thank you again, Amedeo." She replied. She clasped her hands again before moving on to the next Prince.

Amedeo lightly nudged his brother to introduce himself. A moment passed but neither Andra nor the Prince spoke. Andra found herself distracted. She was examining the way he looked. She found him simply handsome. Blond curls and deep blue eyes would shame the Pacific.

"How do you do, your royal highness," he said and bowed, breaking the silence between them which made her jump a bit.

She quickly composed herself as she felt her father's and brother's eyes on her. "Thank you for hosting us, Sir," she said. Then, she moved over to greet Maria Laura. She didn't want to talk to Joachim any further because her heart was beating fast and she felt embarrassed.

They proceeded to have afternoon tea. Hope was seated beside Princess Maria Laura and her two younger sisters with Joachim right across her. Harry let her socialize on her own while he talked with Prince Amedeo.

"I heard you're an equestrian like Zara," the Belgian Princess started.

"I'm not as good as my cousin. I only ride for leisure," Hope said.

"You should ask her about skeet shooting, Maria. She'll chew your ears off if she could," Harry laughed.

She glared at her brother. Skeet shooting was a sport she loved because it was difficult and required a lot of patience. She loved hunting at Balmoral as much as her grandfather did. It's well-known within the family, but she didn't like people knowing about it.

"You like skeet shooting?" Maria Laura asked.

"Yes. It's quite fun," she replied.

"You should join us in hunting someday, Princess," Amedeo said, grinning at her.

She felt her cheeks warming up. She bit the insides of her cheeks before nodding. "I'd like that," she added.

"Are you attending university, Andra?" Amedeo asked.

"I hope to, next year. I'm still in my last year in UWC."

"I heard that UWC has a hard curriculum," Princess Astrid chimed in.

"It's manageable, Madam."

"She's very humble, Charles. So much like her mother," she commented which earned a light laugh from Prince Charles. Andra only smiled. She was never one to talk about her late mother not even to her brothers. "What are you planning to take up in university?"

"Medicine, Madam," she briefly answered.

"She'll be the first Princess to become a doctor. I'm very proud of her," her father shared, making her blush. It was awkward talking about her life with other people. It's new to her, of course. She knew that she'd have to learn to adjust to this as soon as she could.

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Author's note: I knew that King Philippe didn't ascend to the throne until 2013/2014 (not sure) but I made a little tweak to the plot. I'm also not from England (or a nation that uses UK English) so pardon me for the difference in spellings or conversations or phrases.

Please remember that this is a work of fiction. Thank you!