May 8th, 1945—a nation celebrates the victorious end to a long and costly war. Cloistered away in Buckingham Palace, two princesses peer out at the adoring crowd who ready themselves for the biggest party London has ever seen. Princess Elizabeth and her headstrong 15-year-old sister, Margaret, would give anything to join them. After much begging, the King and Queen relent: the girls can go out, but two Royal Guardsmen will accompany them, and they are to be home by midnight. Excited, the two princesses set forth, incognito. For Elizabeth it seems like a wonderful dream—one night where no one knows who she is. But arriving at the Ritz Hotel, she’s dismayed to find a formal reception, full of curtseys and polite conversation. What’s a girl to do?
