This princess thing, which four years ago I was convinced was going to be the ruination of my life, had turned out to be just the opposite. It’s actually taught me things, some of them very important. Like how to stand up for myself, and be my own person. How to get what I want out of life, on my own terms. And never to sit by my grandmother while crab is being served, since it’s her favorite dish, and she simply can’t eat it and talk at the same time, and half of it will end up all over whoever she’s sitting next to.

It’s taught me something else, too.

And that’s that as you get older, you lose things, things you don’t necessarily want to lose. Some things as simple as…well, your baby teeth when you’re a little kid, as they make way for your adult teeth.

But as you age, you lose other, even more important things, like friends—hopefully only bad friends, who maybe weren’t as good for you as you once thought. With luck, you’ll be able to hang on to your true friends, the ones who were always there for you…even when you thought they weren’t.

Because friends like that are more precious than all the tiaras in the world.

I’ve also learned that there are the things youwant to lose…like that hat you throw into the air on graduation day. I mean, why would you want to hold on to it? High school sucks. People who say those were the best four years of your life—those people are liars…. Who wants the best years of their lives to be inhigh school ? High school is somethingeverybody should be ready to lose.

And then there are the things you thought you wanted to lose, but didn’t…and now you’re glad you didn’t.

A good example of this would be Grandmère. She drove me crazy for four years (and not just because of the crab thing). Four years of princess lessons, and nagging, and insanity. I swear, there were moments during some of those years when I gladly would have beat in her face with a shovel.

But in the end, I’m glad I didn’t. She taught me a lot, and I don’t just mean how to use appropriate flatware. In a way, she’s the one—well, with Mom and Dad’s help, of course…not to mention Lilly, and all my friends, really—who taught me how to appreciate this royalty thing—another thing I wanted desperately to lose, but didn’t….

And, yes, in the end…I’m glad.

I mean, yeah, it sucks sometimes, being a princess.

But I know now there are ways I can work it so I can help people, and maybe, in the end, even make the world a better place. Not in huge ways, necessarily. Sure, I’m not going to invent a robotic surgical arm that’s going to save people’s lives.

But I’ve written a book that might, like Michael said, make someone whose loved one is being operated on by that arm forget about how scared she is while she’s in the waiting room.

Oh, and I brought democracy to a country that’s never known it.

And okay, these are small things. But one baby step at a time.

Still, the most important reason I’m glad I turned out to be a princess, and that I’m going to stay one forever?

If I hadn’t, I highly doubt I’d have gotten this majorly happy ending.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This series would not have been possible without the help of people too numerous to name, but I’d like to try to thank a few of them, specifically:

Beth Ader, Jennifer Brown, Barb Cabot, Bill Contardi, Sarah Davies, Michele Jaffe, Laura Langlie, Abigail McAden, Amanda Maciel, Benjamin Egnatz, everyone at HarperCollins Children’s Books who worked so hard on behalf of Princess Mia and her friends, and, most especially of all, the readers, who stuck by her until the end. A royal thank-you to you all!

About the Author

MEG CABOTis the author of the bestselling, critically acclaimed Princess Diaries books, which were made into the wildly popular Disney movies of the same name. Her other books for teens includePANTS ON FIRE, JINX, and the manga series Avalon High: Coronation. She also writes books for adults, includingBIG BONED andQUEEN OF BABBLE GETS HITCHED. She is still waiting for her real parents, the king and queen, to restore her to her rightful throne. Meg lives in Key West with her husband and a one-eyed cat named Henrietta as well as various backup cats.

To read Meg’s blog and catch up on all the latest news about her books, visit her online atwww.megcabot.com.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

PRAISEFOR MEG CABOT’S

NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLING SERIES

The Princess Diaries:

“Like reading a note from your best friend. Cabot has a fine grasp of teen dialect, an off-the-wall sense of humor that will have readers laughing out loud, and a knack for creating fully realized teen and adult characters that readers will miss when the story ends.”—ALABooklist

VOLUMEII:Princess in the Spotlight:

“Cabot writes with a deft touch for humor as well as the convincing voice of a 14-year-old. Mia emerges as a vibrant girl who may become a good princess no matter how much she dislikes the prospect.”—Kirkus Reviews

VOLUMEIII:Princess in Love:

“Cabot has secured Mia’s position as teen readers’ new best friend.”—ALABooklist

VOLUMEIV:Princess in Waiting:

“Mia is as amusing as ever, with her tart observations on life and her spunky personality.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

VOLUMEV:Princess in Pink:

“Starting a new Princess Diaries book is like opening a box of chocolates.”—KLIATT

VOLUMEVI:Princess in Training:

“Mia is a funny heroine whose world is always entertaining.”

—SLJ

VOLUMEVII:Party Princess:

“Cabot adroitly interweaves comic absurdity with weightier topics in a topsy-turvy mix that recalls adolescence itself.”

—Entertainment Weekly

VOLUMEVIII:Princess on the Brink:

“Sure to please old and new fans,Princess on the Brink will leave readers clamoring for more.”—TeensReadToo.com

VOLUMEIX:Princess Mia:

“The story is still as fresh and interesting as ever. Cabot provides a believable and satisfying ending that leaves us proud of Princess Mia and wanting more.”—Children’s Literature

Books by

MEG CABOT

The Princess Diaries

THE PRINCESS DIARIES,VOLUME II:

Princess in the Spotlight

THE PRINCESS DIARIES,VOLUME III:

Princess in Love

THE PRINCESS DIARIES,VOLUME IV:

Princess in Waiting

Valentine Princess:

A PRINCESS DIARIES BOOK(VOLUME IV AND A QUARTER)

THE PRINCESS DIARIES,VOLUME IVAND A HALF :

Project Princess

THE PRINCESS DIARIES,VOLUME V:

Princess in Pink

THE PRINCESS DIARIES,VOLUME VI:

Princess in Training

The Princess Present:

A PRINCESS DIARIES BOOK(VOLUME VI AND A HALF)

THE PRINCESS DIARIES,VOLUME VII:

Party Princess

Sweet Sixteen Princess:

A PRINCESS DIARIES BOOK(VOLUME VII AND A HALF)

THE PRINCESS DIARIES,VOLUME VIII:

Princess on the Brink

THE PRINCESS DIARIES,VOLUME IX:

Princess Mia

THE PRINCESS DIARIES,VOLUME X:

Forever Princess

ILLUSTRATED BY CHESLEY MCLAREN:

Princess Lessons:

A PRINCESS DIARIES BOOK

Perfect Princess:

A PRINCESS DIARIES BOOK

Holiday Princess:

A PRINCESS DIARIES BOOK

ALL-AMERICAN GIRL

READY OR NOT:AN ALL-AMERICAN GIRL NOVEL

TEEN IDOL

HOW TO BE POPULAR

PANTS ON FIRE

AVALON HIGH

AVALON HIGH:CORONATION #1:THE MERLIN PROPHECY

AVALON HIGH:CORONATION #2:HOMECOMING

JINX

NICOLA AND THE VISCOUNT

VICTORIA AND THE ROGUE

THE MEDIATOR BOOKS:

THE MEDIATOR1:SHADOWLAND

THE MEDIATOR2:NINTH KEY

THE MEDIATOR3:REUNION

THE MEDIATOR4:DARKEST HOUR

THE MEDIATOR5:HAUNTED

THE MEDIATOR6:TWILIGHT

THE1-800-WHERE-R-YOU BOOKS:

1:WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES

2:CODE NAME CASSANDRA

3:SAFE HOUSE

4:SANCTUARY

5:MISSING YOU

THE BOY NEXT DOOR

BOY MEETS GIRL

EVERY BOY’S GOT ONE

SIZE12IS NOT FAT

SIZE14IS NOT FAT EITHER

BIG BONED

QUEEN OF BABBLE

QUEEN OF BABBLE IN THE BIG CITY

QUEEN OF BABBLE GETS HITCHED

Credits

Jacket design by Ray Shappell

Lock design by Torborg Davern

Copyright

PRINCESS DIARIES, VOL. X: FOREVER PRINCESS. Copyright © 2009 by Meg Cabot, LLC. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Microsoft Reader December 2008 ISBN 978-0-06-176144-7

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