The Princess on the Pea Bedtime Story

"The Princess on the Pea" (Danish: "Prinsessen paa rten") is a Danish children's book. It is a Hans Christian Andersen literary fairy tale about a young woman whose royal heritage is determined by a sensitivity test. The story was initially published in an inexpensive booklet by C. A. Reitzel in Copenhagen on May 8, 1835, together with three other stories by Andersen.

The Princess on the Pea

The tale revolves around a prince who wishes to marry a princess but is having trouble locating one. There's always something wrong with the women he meets, and he can't be sure they're actual princesses because they have horrible table manners or aren't his type. A young woman soaked in rain seeks shelter at the prince's castle on a rainy night. Let's read the full story of  The Princess on the Pea to know what happens next.

The Princess on The Pea

A beautiful kingdom existed in a faraway place. There was a massive castle in the kingdom and there was a lovely Prince who dwelt within the castle.

The Prince was despondent.

He yearned for a genuine Princess to share his castle and kingdom with, but he was unable to locate one.

This was not due to a scarcity of Princesses. In reality, the country was brimming with gorgeous maidens who all claimed to be Princesses.

The Prince travelled around the realm, meeting each of these so-called Princesses. But he returned empty-handed and dejected.

“It's difficult to know if these are real Princesses!” To his Father, the King, he said.

“My kid, you must be patient. When you know, you'll know.” with a knowing grin, remarked the King.

That evening, a massive storm hit.

Thunder sounded. There was a burst of lightning. The rain clattered down like a thousand horses going into combat on the castle roof.

A loud knock rang out at the castle entrance. When the King put on his robe and opened the door, he was greeted by a chilly, wet young girl.

“Please can I have some dry clothing and a bed for the night?” she pleaded, referring to herself as a genuine Princess.

She was allowed to enter by the King.

The King addressed the ancient Queenmother, saying, "She says she is a genuine Princess."

The Queenmother remained silent.

“We'll see about that,” she thought to herself instead. “Put this on while I prepare your chamber,” she replied, handing the Princess a nightgown.

The Queenmother got to work on the room, but in an unusual fashion.

She began by removing the covers, sheets, and mattress from the bed.

She strewed a solitary garden pea on the bedstead.

She then stacked twenty mattresses on top of the pea, using a delicate eiderdown comforter to divide each layer.

“Your chamber is ready!” she exclaimed to the Princess after replacing the bedclothes on the top mattress.

The Princess had to climb a ladder to get into the bed since it was now so high off the ground. The Princess ascended the staircase, crawled between the blankets, and extinguished her candle.

“My darling Princess, how did you sleep?” The Queenmother questioned the Princess at breakfast the next morning.

“Oh, no, not at all,” the Princess answered. “I mean, I appreciate your goodwill in putting me up for the night, but there seemed to be something hard and unpleasant under my mattress. I didn't get a single wink of sleep.”

“My my! Is it so?” said the Queenmother.

“I believe we have found your genuine Princess, for none but a true Princess possesses such a sensitive sensibility as to feel a single pea through twenty beds and twenty of my best blankets,” the Queenmother replied to the Prince. “You must marry right away!”

The Prince was ecstatic.

“Dear Princess, will you give me the great honour of becoming my wife?” he asked the Princess.

She flushed, then answered, “On one condition,” after a little pause to eat a mouthful of cereal.

The Prince said, “Anything!”

“That you pledge, dear Prince, that any pea that should enter this castle from this day forward is just for eating,” she remarked with a mischievous grin back at the Prince. “Not for sleeping on, either.”

“I promise!” responded the Prince, returning her gaze with a grin.

Conclusion

One theory is that the narrative is about how important it is for a prince to marry a woman of royal lineage who comes from good stock. One of the shortest traditional fairy tales is 'The Princess and the Pea.' It's also one of the most straightforward stories while being one of the most perplexing. It's easy to follow since the narrative is plain, but it's nearly too simple.