The Ugly Duckling (play) facts for kids

The Ugly Duckling is a funny play written by A. A. Milne around 1941. It is a one-act play, meaning it has only one main part. This play is a comedy that tells a story about true love and seeing beauty beyond what is on the surface.

What is The Play About?

A Royal Problem

The story begins with a king and queen who are worried. Their daughter, Princess Camilla, does not seem very pretty to most people. This is because of a special spell placed on her when she was born. The spell said that only someone who truly loved her would see her real beauty.

A Clever Plan

The king and queen come up with a plan. They want to marry Camilla to a prince from a far-off land. This prince has never seen her before. To make things seem better, they make Camilla switch places with her beautiful maid, Dulcibella. Dulcibella is very silly, but she looks lovely.

Double Disguises

However, the prince, named Simon, has a secret too! He also disguised himself. Prince Simon dressed up as his servant, Carlo. He thought he was not handsome enough. So, he dressed Carlo up to look like the prince. Now, both the "prince" and "princess" are actually servants pretending to be royalty.

Funny Mix-Ups

The pretend prince (Carlo) and pretend princess (Dulcibella) are both very silly. Their funny mistakes make the play even more entertaining. Before the fake wedding can happen, the real Prince Simon meets the real Princess Camilla. They soon figure out who each other really is.

True Love's Vision

Prince Simon tells Princess Camilla that she is very beautiful. This is surprising because other princes had found her to be quite plain. Then, Princess Camilla shares her own secret. Her great aunt had given her a special gift. This gift made everyone ignore her true beauty. It was meant to stop her from becoming vain. The gift would only wear off when she met her one true love.

The Tricky Riddle

The play ends with a riddle. The prince must answer it correctly to marry the princess. The Chancellor asks:

What is it which has four legs and mews like a cat? — The Chancellor

Carlo, the pretend prince, was given the answer beforehand. But he still answers incorrectly! He says "dog" instead of "cat."

A Quick Save

Prince Simon quickly thinks of a way to fix Carlo's mistake. Simon says that in his country, the animal they call "dog" is what others call a "cat." He explains:

In our country, we have an animal to which we have given the name “dog,” or, in the local dialect of the more mountainous districts, “doggie.” It sits by the fireside and purrs. — The Prince

Thanks to Prince Simon's quick thinking, Carlo gets the answer right.

A Happy Ending

At the very end, the king is surprised to see Princess Camilla suddenly looking beautiful. The audience knows why. It is because the special blessing-curse has come true. Camilla has found her true love, Prince Simon. He is the first person to see her as truly lovely.

Other Versions

A Story Inspired by the Play

In 2009, a literary journal called Switchback published a story. It was written by Charles Haddox and was also called "The Ugly Duckling." This story is about a girl who has her own "ugly duckling" experience. This happens after she is chosen to play Princess Camilla in her junior high school's play.