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Jerramy Fine chronicles her quest to find her real-life
prince in "Someday My Prince Will Come."
Just like many other girls, Jerramy Fine dreams of becoming a princess. She even has her prince picked out—the Queen of England's grandson Peter Phillips—and his picture on the wall in her room. Problem is, Jerramy is in her 20s, and her friends and family are tired of her talks about marrying her prince.
But Fine has bigger problems than naysayers; growing up in "Hickville" with her hippie parents (straightlaced parents rarely name their daughters "Jerramy"), how is her English monarch ever going to fall in love with her when she is on the other side of the world?
Spending her childhood by devouring any media mentioning blue blood, Fine makes an important discovery: You do not have to belong to the aristocracy to marry a prince. However, immaculate grooming, impeccable style and a brilliant career are prerequisites for "successful prince-snagging in the new millennium," Fine writes in her memoir "Someday My Prince Will Come: True Adventures of a Wannabe Princess" (Gotham).
At 14, Fine sends her first letter to Buckingham Palace while her friends are writing fan-mail to Kirk Cameron and Rob Lowe. While she does receive a reply, it does not come from her Prince Peter but from his private secretary, who simply thanks Fine for her letter.
When time comes for her to go to college, Fine chooses University of Rochester where she is not majoring in princess studies but political science, and pursuing every "upper-crust English"-accented boy on campus. Even her professor in History of Victorian England becomes the object of her desire when she learns he lived and studied in England so long that his accent changed.
During her junior year, Fine goes to London to intern at the House of Commons. Her internship allows her to attend assorted events, ranging from committee meetings to receptions campaigning against circus animals. It is at one of those events Fine gets introduced to her "future mother-in-law," Princess Anne. "I mean, if I can meet Peter's mother in less than a month after arriving on English shores, surely, surely, it's only a matter of time before I meet Peter," Fine writes after her serendipitous meeting with the Princess Royal.
When her junior year ends, Fine finds herself having to say cheerio! to England and return home. "I briefly and quite seriously considered throwing my passport into the sea and staying in the U.K. forever," Fine writes. "But something told me I would be back. And much sooner than anyone realized."
Back home, realizing she has to return to England, Fine applies and gets accepted to a master's program at The London School of Economics. Giddy of joy, she returns to London, only to find that the residence hall looks like a mental institution from a 1950s horror flick and socializing with other students turns out to be impossible. Ready to break down, she suddenly remembers Rupert, an Englishman she met in college, and contacts him.
When Rupert gets in touch, he asks her to come and visit him at Oxford University, and a whole new world opens for Fine. In Oxford, she learns all about the intricacies of English culture and traditions, and the obsession with class that the English have (something Kate Fox wrote about in "Watching the English," which was reviewed here). She meets men who look and sound like Hugh Grant, and she discovers that the seemingly normal English guy may just as well be one who inherits lordship one day or has regal connections.
Not wanting to give too much away, it must be said that Fine's memoir is an amazingly inspiring true tale and a testament of the power of determination. It is a must-must read, especially for anyone who has ever lost faith in themselves or had doubts about their abilities or talents. No matter if you want to become a doctor, a writer or even a princess, no matter how silly your dream may seem to others, follow it. It is your dream, and you, with a little bit of faith in yourself and much determination, can make it come true.
More info: Check out Jerramy Fine's Web site to read more about her and the book.
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