Prince Darling facts for kids
Prince Darling (also known as Prince Chéri) is a classic French fairy tale. It was written by Madame Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, a famous author known for her children's stories. This tale teaches important lessons about being a good person and making the right choices.
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About the Story
The story of Prince Darling has been shared in many ways over the years. For example, Andrew Lang included a version called Prince Darling in his famous Blue Fairy Book. Another English version, called Prince Cherry, was translated by Laura Valentine. These different versions show how popular and loved the story has been for a long time!
The Prince's Journey
This fairy tale begins with an old king who loves his only son very much. He spoils his son, who people call "Prince Darling." The king worries about his son's future. He asks the Fairy of Truth to help his son become a good person. The fairy says she can't force him to be good, but she can give him advice and help him learn from his mistakes.
After the king passes away, the Fairy of Truth gives Prince Darling a special magic ring. This ring will gently prick his finger every time he does something wrong. Prince Darling tries to follow the advice of his wise mentor, Suleiman. However, he starts spending time with friends who only flatter him and encourage him to do bad things.
The Magic Ring and Bad Choices
One day, Prince Darling meets a young shepherdess and proudly says he will marry her. But the shepherdess refuses because of his bad reputation. His flattering friends tell him he must punish anyone who disobeys him, or he will lose his power. By now, Prince Darling has stopped wearing the magic ring because it pricked him too often. So, he puts the shepherdess in prison.
When the shepherdess mysteriously disappears from her cell, his friends blame Suleiman. They say Suleiman is trying to take over the kingdom. Prince Darling believes them and puts Suleiman in prison too.
A Monster's Lesson
The Fairy of Truth appears again, very angry. She tells Prince Darling that because he ignored the ring's warnings, he has become a terrible person. She transforms him into a horrible monster with parts of a snake, wolf, lion, and bull. The fairy tells him his soul is even uglier than his new body. She leaves him alone in the woods to think about his mistakes.
A hunter captures the monster prince, hoping to sell him. On their way, they hear people celebrating because Prince Darling is supposedly dead. They say Suleiman has been freed and made the new king. The monster prince roars in anger, still believing his flattering friends were right. The hunter decides to take the monster to the new king as a gift.
Learning from Mistakes
At the coronation, the monster prince hears Suleiman announce that he is only holding the throne for Prince Darling, who is not truly dead. The hunter presents the monster to King Suleiman, who puts it in his animal collection. In his cage, Prince Darling sees that the animal keeper is unkind to the animals. He realizes that Suleiman was always trying to help him, and his friends were the ones who wanted power. Prince Darling decides to change and only do good things.
When the animal keeper has a dangerous accident, the monster prince breaks out of his cage to save him. The Fairy of Truth appears briefly, saying good actions will be rewarded. She changes him from the horrible monster into a dog.
The Dog and the Dove
The animal keeper takes the dog to King Suleiman. Suleiman's daughter likes the dog and keeps him. One morning, the dog gets a roll for breakfast. He takes it outside and finds a beautiful palace made of jewels. People go in looking well-dressed but come out looking thin and starving.
A young girl crawling out of the palace tries to eat grass. The dog gives her his roll. The girl warns him not to go into the palace, calling it the "Palace of Pleasure" where all the food is poisoned. The dog sees the shepherdess entering the palace and wants to save her.
The Fairy of Truth appears again and rewards his kindness by turning him into a dove. The dove prince flies into the palace and sees the shepherdess, who then vanishes. Determined to find her, the dove flies everywhere. He eventually finds her in a faraway place, walking with an old beggar woman.
A Happy Ending
The dove flies down and lands on the shepherdess's finger. She says it's the most beautiful dove and wishes it were a man so she could marry it. The beggar woman then reveals she is the Fairy of Truth! She changes the dove back into Prince Darling.
Prince Darling kneels and asks the shepherdess for forgiveness. The fairy explains that the girl always loved the prince, but not his bad behavior. Prince Darling and the shepherdess get married. Prince Darling becomes king again and rules fairly, loved by everyone.
Images for kids
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Le Prince Chéri
