arefoot Princess

aron Von Lodge was the head of a small country known as Lilliland near Switzerland. The time was the early 1900s.

The Baron and his fiancée, Lady Angela of Alpine Castle, with their chief advisor, Professor Hamblin, held many receptions in Lilliland Castle. As the Baron’s father explained to the Baron when he was very young, “It is just part of the job. Maintaining the warmest diplomatic relations with representatives of other countries is very important. It is a very small world and it seems that everyone knows everyone else.”

There was an average of one such reception a week, year after year. So when relatives of the Baron’s would visit Lilliland, they were expected to join in the festivities of the evening.

Most of the Baron’s relatives knew the importance of warm diplomatic relations and they were always on their best behavior. But then there was Princess Rowena. She was very pretty and very polite to all the guests. There was just one small problem with this 25-year-old relative. Princess Rowena did not believe in wearing shoes. She said that they suffocated her feet and were too confining. So, at the receptions, there was Princess Rowena dressed in a beautiful full-length gown wearing no shoes.

The Baron did not know what to do so he asked Lady Angela to do something about it. Lady Angela asked Princess Rowena what she did when it was snowing and the ground was frozen to prevent frostbite. Princess Rowena said that she temporarily wore woolen sox.

Lady Angela reported her conversation with the Princess about the shoes back to the Baron. She said that as a member of royalty she could do almost anything that she wanted and if she chose not to wear shoes, it was her decision.

The Baron accepted what Lady Angela said and decided to let Princess Rowena continue to be the Barefoot Princess. “We love her and we must accept her goodness with he unique idiosyncrasy.”