Princesses Behaving Badly (39 page)

has written for the
Boston Herald
,
Christian Science Monitor
, CNN Money,
US News & World Report
, and
Mental Floss
. She lives in London with her husband, son, and cat.

This book could not have been written without the work of the many historians who dedicated themselves to telling a story about a princess. Their tremendous work made my job that much easier; for a list of some of the sources consulted, please see the bibliography. And really, please do—there are some great reads in there.

The British Library and its excellent staff—big shout out to the Humanities I Reading Room and the café—were very helpful in making sure my research went smoothly. That such a place exists, where you can examine original copies of John Matthew Gutch’s 1817 pamphlet on Princess Caraboo’s exploits in the English countryside, see mildly pornographic pictures of Princess Nest making out with Henry I, and find Princess Catherine Radziwill’s entire catalogue, is a gift.

I’d very much like to thank the fine folks at Quirk Books, especially Jason Rekulak, whose brilliant idea was the genesis of the book, and editor Rick Chillot, who is the reason why it makes sense. And a big thanks to the wonderful folks at
Mental Floss
magazine, past and present, who got me working on great stories like the history of toilet paper and how food shaped the course of human evolution.

My friends and family (McRobbies, Eides, and London), who have had to listen to countless stories about this one princess who ran away with a gypsy or that other princess who murdered her rivals in that astounding grisly fashion, thank you. To my Mom, Anita Corbitt, thanks for never calling me your “little princess” and for being generally amazing, and to my step-dad, Joel Corbitt, thanks for marrying my mom. To my glorious, wonderful, adorable, clever
little boy, Austin Thomas Rodriguez McRobbie, you are the best reason for me to leave the library.

And of course, I’d like to thank the one without whom this book would be a lot slimmer (to the point of nonexistence): my cat, Norgus. Just kidding, kitty, you’re a jerk. The person really responsible for making the following pages happen is Christopher Austin McRobbie, my own Prince Charming—thanks for all those mornings you let me sleep in.

NOT
EXACTLY
.

For more princesses behaving badly—plus an exclusive interview with author Linda Rodriguez McRobbie—visit
quirkbooks.com/princessesbehavingbadly

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