Frederick and Aurora’s marriage was arranged for political purposes.They dutifully consummated their relationship to produce an heir and a spare – Gustav and Phillip. Like most crown princes, Gustav VI was named after his paternal grandfather, His brother was named Phillip after their maternal grandfather. This naming for grandparents is normal in royal circles where children are named for either parents or grandparents depending upon who holds the wealth and power at the time of their birth. Frederick and Aurora would eventually be king and queen, but had not yet ascended their thrones when the boys were named. Having completed their procreative obligation, further sexual encounters between Frederick and Aurora became unnecessary. They went on to live lives of service, duty and obligation. When service, duty and obligation required the presence of the full royal family, the boys would be trotted out. On all other occasions, their care and education was seen to by a series of tutors, governesses and others hired for the purpose.

Charles and Patrice began their life with little but a work-ethic. He was a merchant and she was an artist. By the time Eleanor, their only child, was born, both had begun to find success. Charles soon owned shops in several counties, and a trio of ships to retrieve unique goods from abroad. Patrice’s artwork found favor with Queen Aurora, and hence became the fashion of all the court. She could not produce enough to fulfill the demand. . The couple’s finances allowed them to buy an estate, and with it the title of Count and Countess, minor nobles to be sure, but nobles.

Patrice was a loving mother when it came time to play and dress her auburn-haired daughter. Her work kept her busy, and she gave over the messier aspects of motherhood to servants. Charles’s was often out of town on business. Upon returning, he assuaged the guilt about his absences by giving extravagant presents.

Shortly after Eleanor's seventh birthday, Patrice died while mixing paints. It was not clear if she had mishandled some toxic pigment or simply had an allergic reaction. Charles, crushed by the loss of his soulmate, threw himself deeper into his business. Eleanor’s care was left entirely to servants. If they dared to discipline her during Charles’ travels, she would accuse them of abuse on his return. Trusting his daughter’s version of her treatment, he would fire those who had been accused He never questioned what his daughter told him, and the servants who wished to remain employed began to allow her to do whatever she wished to avoid retribution. As long as she remained safe and fed, they ceased to bother with her care.

Following a particularly long trip, Charles came home with Berta, a new wife. She had been born into nobility. She was the widow of a duke who had left her well-off. She brought the duke’s estate as a dowry to her new marriage. Elegant, well-mannered and deeply in love with Charles, she wanted to marry him the first time they met. It took her a few months to get him to ask her. Along with the lands, she brought with her two daughters who were in the midst of transitioning from gawky teenager to pretty young women.

As a nouveau royal, her own mother had been ill-equipped to prepare Eleanor to enter life at court. Berta, however, had a lifetime of experience among royals. She began to work with the girl on manners and decorum that would eventually allow her to explore the privilege to which her father's peerage entitled her. Eleanor, who had long been bereft of discipline or guidance, fought her stepmother at every step.

Charles left shortly on another trip. Eleanor acted out, but Berta was having none of it. Servants could be fired, but she was the lady of the manor. When Eleanor threw dishes on the floor, Berta made her clean them up herself and then made her get down on her knees and scrub the floor. When she wiped her muddy hands on clean linens, Berta required her to wash and press them herself. Eleanor had never been punished, much less been given housework to do. She stormed into her room and refused to eat at the table with the family. Berta barred her from her own room, and sent her to the kitchen. She did not have to sit with family, but she would not be allowed the pleasure of all the playthings and books in her own room.

Feeling Berta was the enemy, Eleanor tried to make allies of her step-sisters. They were 17 and 18, and she was only 15. As they got older, that would be a very small difference, but it is all the difference in the world when one is young. Though they would occasionally tolerate her company, and even tried to include her, they didn’t appreciate always having her tag along and get in their way.

Gustav grew older. As the future king, he was paraded out more and more often, Following his 19th birthday, he went abroad to visit the courts of other lands and to meet potential mates. His parents had made it clear that he needed to marry by his 21st birthday. He had an obligation to get on with procreating in order to guarantee the future of the monarchy. If he could not find a suitable queen, his parents would. In every court in which he found a suitable woman, he found her already promised to another. The only one that was both suitable and available respectfully declined his offer though she would give him no reason why. Eighteen months later, he returned to his parents’ palace a far more accomplished diplomat, but with no prospects. With six months to go, word went out that there would be a birthday celebration at which he would select his future queen.

Plans began immediately both inside and outside the castle. All unmarried women of noble family above the age of 16 were invited to the gala. Weavers, tailors, wigmakers, jewelers and cobblers had commissions to make the finest wares ever. Every servant and every noble woman who had skills with needle and thread went to work in creating finery.

Berta’s daughters were both eligible. Eleanor was not. At 15 she was excluded. Eleanor was too young. It was a matter of a few months, but it was enough deny her. There was much to do to get her sisters ready, but Eleanor mostly just sulked. On the day of the ball, she sulked by the fireplace in the kitchen and ended up covered in soot. She tried to come up with arguments to change Berta’s mind, but the decision was not in her hands.

Berta and her daughters rode along with a neighbor to the palace in a hired coach. Eleanor moped and stomped about the house. She caught site of herself in a mirror, then laughed as a plan came into focus. She bathed and scrubbed herself clean. She had no new dress, but had the fanciful gowns her mother used to wear when they played dress-up. She could not put up her own hair and had no wig, so braided her auburn tresses in a single rope down her back. The shoes from her mother’s dress-up chest were as fanciful as the dress – tiny ballet flats encrusted with crystals.

She had no horse to take her to the palace, so she tied up the hem of her gown to keep it out of the dirt, and put on her walking boots and carried her fancy shoes She would be late by a couple of hours, but the ball would go on all night. She managed to be at the palace by 11 p.m. She let down her dress, put on her ballet flats, and stowed her boots behind a rock on the road, She took a deep breath and entered the castle boldly. There was no one at the door to announce her; neither was there anyone to block her way.

Among the older, made-up, heavily coifed, and fashionably styled women, she stood out. She was clean, fresh-faced and very beautiful in a gown several seasons out of style, but which accentuated her body. It did not take long for Gustav to spot her. Before he could get to her, however, Berta had also spotted her and told her to go home.

Her own step-mother called on a nearby page to escort her out. She explained that her high-spirited daughter had snuck in and needed to leave. Eleanor made a horrible scene as she fought with the page. Undeterred, he picked her up, carried her out and dumped her into a carriage. He just had time to duck as one of her crystal encrusted shoes went flying past his head. He locked the door and she was taken home. .

It didn’t take Gustav long to find her. Both the page and the carriage’s driver worked for the castle. Prince Gustav arrived on horseback and returned the slipper. Eleanor had settled down and behaved like a lady when he came. Their marriage was delayed a bit past his 21st birthday to allow her to reach the age of 16.

History, of course, is written by the victors – or by those who work for them. Whenever a historical writing ends “and they lived happily ever after” one should approach it with a certain amount of skepticism. In fact, Gustav and Eleanor (or Ella as he called her) did live reasonably happy lives. They lived lives of service, duty and obligation. They had a daughter named Aurora, named for her paternal grandmother, but Aurora’s birth is a whole other story