Princess Day 2025 is on Monday, March 3, 2025: Princesses in the Middle Ages Activities?

Monday, March 3, 2025 is Princess Day 2025. Princess Day is May 19th! Princess Day is May 19th!

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A princess would be raised to expect to make a good marriage, probably to a prince or king. She would be trained in her responsibilites, which were takne very seriously in medieval times. She would be expected to be pious, and to go to Mass often, show charitable concern for the poor, give alms and be kind to the less fortunate. In medieval times, a princess and her ladies would normally go to mass at least once a day, in the early morning, and would probably attend vespers in the evening as well.

She would be taught to take an interest in government, as when she was married she might very likely have to act as regent while her husband was away, if she married a king, or if she married a nobleman, she would often have the responsibility of running his estate while he was away.

She would learn to read and write, to sing and dance, to sew and embroider, to play chess and backgammon, and to ride and hawk. these were all popular occupations with royal ladies in medieval times. Her ladies would be expected to play games with her and enterain her, and dances would be held after dinner, which usually took place from about 10 am to noon. People generally did everything earlier in the day than we do nowadays, getting up, eating meals, going to bed etc, they were much more dependent on daylight than we are nowadays.

a medieval princess would have her own chamber, which she would occupy with her ladies, who would probably sleep in the same room with her. Some castles had indoor plumbing and their own bathrooms, King Hnery III of england had a very grand bathroom. The WEstminster Chronicle of 1255 reports that he took delivery that year of a French-made bath, carved in stone in the shape of a peacock 'covered all over with eyes like a real peacock made of precious stones called pearls, gold, silver, and sapphires.'

Reports about the infrequency with which medieval people bathed are much exaggerated. Medieval art contain many illustrations of people bathing, usually in a round tub. A princess would have it filled for her with hot water by her attendants.

Even the common people, who did not have plumbing or servants to fill bathtubs for them,b athed when they could. There were public baths in towns which were very popular. For instance, Queen Matilda, wife of King Henry I of England, endowed public baths and lavatories in London in the 12th century.

And while it is true that castles must have been quite draughty places, they were warmed by fires, and they would have been cheered up by tapestries hung on the walls. And they would have been full of people, and lots going on, life in a castle would not have been dull.

Much thought was given to the sort of women who would be attendants on a princess. In 'Treasure of the City of Ladies' a conduct book for all women, but particularly royal and nobel ladies, written in about 1400, christine de Pisan writes, of the conerns of a royal mother for her children:

'Her daughters will be governed by good and wise ladies, and before she commits their upbringing to anyone, she will look into her attitudes, behaviour and life, for she msut be very watchfula bout this matter. She must see that the lady or maiden to whom she entrusts the care of her daugher is of good reputation, devout and intelligent. She should be from a good family, and she should be wise and prudent so that she knows how to demonstrate the good manners and deportment fitting for the daughter of a prince. When the girl is old enough, the princess will wish her to learn to read. After she knows her religous offices and the Mass, she can be given books of devotion and contemplation, or ones dealing with good behaviour. The princess will not tolerate any books containing any vain things, follies or disappation to be brought before her daughter, for the doctrine and teaching that the girl absorbs in her early childhood will be remembered all her life. As the wise princess watches over the upbringing and education of her daughters, the older they get the more careful she will be. She will have them around her msot of the time and keep them respectful. Her prudent behaviour and virtue will be an example to her daughters to govern themselves similarly.'

Of course, Christine de Pisan is writing about the ideal situation, and a lot of princesses probably did read more frviolous works, romances etc. some princesses even wrote their own poetry.

What is a typical day of a princess?

Here is the day in the life of a real-life princess,Anne,The Princess Royal:

Since 1969 The Princess Royal has pursued a very busy schedule of public duties.

In addition to carrying out engagements in support of The Queen, Her Royal Highness works on behalf of a broad range of organisations such as Save the Children, The Princess Royal’s Trust for Carers and Riding for the Disabled.

The Princess Royal is President of the British Olympic Association and a UK member of the International Olympic Committee and also a Board Member of London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games.

The Princess also holds a number of appointments in the British and Commonwealth Armed Services.

Her Royal Highness won the individual European Eventing title in 1971 and was voted the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year (her daughter Zara Phillips, received the same award in 2006).

In 1976 The Princess became the only member of the Royal Family to represent her country at an Olympic Games when she competed with the British Eventing team in Montreal.

The Princess Royal undertakes over 600 official engagements each year, both in the UK and overseas. These are listed on the forthcoming diary of engagements, and after the event has taken place, archived in the Court Circular.

The Princess Royal’s morning can start in Buckingham Palace, where her office is located, and where she holds audiences with executives of her charities or Commanding Officers of her Regiments.

She will have received briefing notes from her Private Secretary, detailing the day’s engagements, which typically take her around the UK from morning until a final evening engagement.

A typical recent day included:

Morning:

The Princess Royal visited Hill End Farm, near Halifax, in West Yorkshire, where she met the owners who have had success making cheese from their small dairy herd.

Afternoon:

The Princess visited Halifax Opportunities Trust, Elsie Whiteley Innovation Centre. She was able to meet people who briefed her on the town’s ideas for furthering employment in the region.

Her Royal Highness later opened the Oncology Centre at St. James's University Hospital, Beckett Street, Leeds, where she met staff and patients.

Evening:

As Patron, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, the Princess attended a Dinner at Harewood House, Harewood, where supporters of the charity were able to meet to discuss the latest developments and projects of the charity.

How do you live like a modern day princess?

1. Handle irritations with grace. Princesses know how to deal with difficultly. A truly great princess will look at the bright side of things and try to make the most of bad situations. She will not let herself get ruffled by minor irritations and when such irritations do find her, she will handle them with grace.

2. Surround yourself with beautiful things. You don't have to be an actual princess to surround yourself with beautiful things. You should always find ways to bring a little joy into your life. Keep your favorite things, your favorite colors, etc. around you at all times -- just like a princess would!

3. Find mentors to look up to. All the princesses I know (okay, have read about or watched on TV) have a good mentor, someone that they can look to for guidance. I think, princess or not, we can all use that. Someone that provides us with a great foundation and lots of inspiration -- that's what everyone needs!

4. Be inspiring to others. A true princess is an inspiration to others. She knows she is gifted with a special position in life (as all of us are!) and she uses it for good. A good princess does what she can to inspire other people not only with her words, but with her actions as well.

5. Find ways to make the world better. One of the best ways to be a great royal figure is to make the world a better place. Even if you aren't an actual royal, you can always do your part to make the world better. Even the smallest act of kindness can make a big difference.

6. Treat others with fairness. Princesses should act with fairness. Whether you're balancing a tiara on your head or not, it can be very difficult to treat everyone fairly, but it's a truly dignified way to act. No matter who you interact with, treat them with kindness and fairness.

7. Give loved ones the royal treatment. While being a princess does mean receiving the royal treatment from time to time (and, yes, you should treat yourself sometimes!), it also means being giving and gracious. A princess with a good heart will never hesitate to give to others -- and neither should you.

8. Keep an open mind. Just like a regular person, any princess will benefit from an open mind. As a political figure and inspiration to her people, a princess should be open-minded and supportive of others' ideas. It's a hard thing for anyone to do, but keeping an open mind is an amazing way to act princess-like.

9. Stay true to your values. A princess should have a strong sense of self and she should stay true to what she believes in no matter what she encounters. I'm sure there are many temptations for a princess to stray from what is true to her, but a true princess will always honor herself and her beliefs.