“Stop fussing,” Theo’s nan said with a chuckle. Theo whimpered as she batted his hand away from his cravat. “You’re beautiful.”

“Proper gorgeous,” Sal agreed with a nod.

Theo looked between them. As nervous as he was, he was immensely comforted by having them both there with him.

It was funny, being back in his old room at Bodiam. He and James had been living in James’s suite for several months since they decided to make the castle their permanent home. But the night before Theo had slept in the same four-poster bed he and James had first made love in last summer.

After all, he couldn’t see the groom before the wedding.

“Are you sure?” Theo asked, turning and looking in the mirror again to continue fretting. He was used to dressing up in suits nowadays. But today was different. He was going to be pledging to spend the rest of his life with the man he loved more than anything. He wanted to look absolutely perfect.

James was going to be wearing his Blues and Royals Dismounted Review Order, which was a roundabout way of saying ‘fancy Army uniform’. Theo couldn’t wait to see him. His suit was black with red cuffs and stripes down the sides of the legs, as well as a gold sash and aiguillettes on the shoulders.

Theo had chosen to match his accessories and the flowers to one of James’s medals, though. He felt it was more subtle than bright red or gold. Theo knew how much James had wanted to stay actively serving his country and was very proud of the single accolade he had been awarded while on tour in Afghanistan. So Theo had picked out the teal-blue stripe from the ribbon to go with his tailored black suit.

His nan was also wearing the same shade for her dress and shawl. Sal, Theo’s only groomsmaid, was wearing a traditional Pakistani dress and hijab in teal and white with clear jewelled embellishments. The sparkle matched Theo’s crystal Converse flawlessly.

Theo took a deep breath and looked away from his reflection down to the beloved shoes James had gifted him before their first fundraiser. These were his ‘something old’ for the wedding. Everything else was new (apart from his cufflinks, which were his grandad’s and borrowed from his nan), but he had to wear his signature shoes. Not because the public loved the fact he never wore anything else but Converse, even with suits. But because they were from James and would always be special.

Theo wasn’t sure how he’d got so lucky. Certainly, the last year hadn’t been entirely smooth sailing. They had encountered their fair share of resistance and hostility from people not willing to accept a queer prince, even in this day and age. Theo’s stepdad had made a bit of a name for himself selling awful stories to the tabloids, just like he said he would.

But it had backfired. As it transpired, the British public on the whole fell in love with Theo’s rags to riches tale. The papers heralded Theo as ‘one of us’ and made it sound like he had done a bit of a reverse My Fair Lady on James, helping him down from his pedestal to understand the common people better.

They were now the patrons of numerous charities and had raised millions of pounds already. Inspired by Theo’s nan, they specialised in charities that were focused on members of the LGBT community who needed help. They had also opened several literacy centres across the world to help people of all ages with their reading. James was still very insecure about his dyslexia and preferred to keep any mention of it away from the public. But he appeared to get a great deal of comfort from helping others where he couldn’t help himself.

Aside from that, however, they tried to present themselves as authentically as they could to the world. When they had announced their engagement at Christmas, Theo couldn’t help but feel like most people were behind them.

He had also refused to pay his useless stepdad a penny. The press had soon grown tired of him and painted him as the villain of the piece. Theo couldn’t say he minded.

The younger generation had embraced James and Theo as ambassadors for a new kind of monarchy, for a United Kingdom that they could see themselves in. Not simply because they were a same-sex couple, but because they preferred spending their days getting their hands dirty with all kinds of community and charity work. As much as Theo was still wary of his future mother-in-law, he had to admit her branding of them had been bang on.

Today wasn’t about the public, though. Not really. Of course the ceremony itself was being televised. It had been a logistical nightmare to arrange and had taken up a great deal of Theo’s time over the past several months. But the castle was still the same sanctuary it had always been. The public were watching in their living rooms and on big screens in the likes of Hyde Park. But there were no crowds around Bodiam.

Olivia’s wedding last autumn had been more of a traditional affair at Windsor Castle, so Theo and James could get away with being less traditional, as usual. They had compromised somewhat by organising military displays and RAF flypasts around Buckingham Palace. But James had refused to open themselves up to any opportunity for protesters on their special day.

Theo was grateful. So much of their life was scrutinised by the public and used for socio-political debate. He just wanted today to be a wedding like any other person dreamed of. A special day with family and friends.

So long as Theo tuned out the press and focused on the people he loved, he hoped it would be every bit as magical as he’d imagined since he was a small child watching Disney movies.

Who would have thought a little boy from Essex would grow up and marry an actual prince?

“Ohh,” a voice cooed from the door as Peggy trotted in, dressed up to the nines for a change. “Don’t you scrub up well?”

Theo tutted, but his grin showed he wasn’t really annoyed. “I could say the same for you,” he told her. “Not even a hint of flour in your hair. The cake all done?”

“Of course.” Peggy patted her curls with pride, then hugged Theo’s nan. The two had become good friends over the past year. “We’ve got to look good for our boy, haven’t we, ladies?” she said.

Sal grinned and adjusted her glasses. “Someone has to bring the standards up,” she said with a wink.

Theo was too happy to even pretend to be offended. He took one last look in the mirror and huffed. “I guess we’d better get going, hadn’t we?”

“We don’t want to be late, do we, Your Highness?” Peggy said with a wink.

“Oh, shut your face,” Theo mumbled. He wasn’t getting used to any titles any time soon. It all seemed too far removed from him still. He just wanted to enjoy the day.

He was ready to see his man.

In time, he would become as used to his new titles as he had so many other aspects of his life. Who would have thought he could feel at home in a massive castle when he’d spent most of his life in a council house in Dagenham? But it was the people who made it home, not the bricks and mortar. Whether it was his nan, James, or the friends in their lives, Theo knew his home was always the place he felt loved.

As the small group made their way down to the courtyard, Theo was thrilled when he glanced out the window and spotted the swan couple on the moat. Apart from the night he had fled the castle, he had never seen them apart. Especially now when they had managed to get themselves a flock of half a dozen small, fuzzy cygnets swimming diligently after them. It felt like the little family were giving him a right royal send-off.

They had been blessed with gorgeous summer sunshine, but a cool breeze hopefully meant the wedding party wouldn’t melt. They had a modest two hundred guests seated on the castle’s central lawn. Theo was pleased with the mix of actual friends and family, as well as domestic and international representatives they’d invited for more political reasons.

As he walked down the aisle with his nan and Sal, he recognised numerous people all smiling at him and wiping tears away. Princess Klara of Sweden was in the second row surrounded by James’s immediate family. While Klara hopped about in excitement in a pretty, floaty dress, her rather serious fiancée, Sveta, stood beside her in a stunning tailored suit. She nodded to Theo as he passed. They’d become quite good friends over the past year. The two of them knew what it was like to have their lives thrown into chaos simply because they fell in love with a royal.

Theo knew she didn’t regret it any less than he did, no matter the craziness.

Quintin and Manjeet were two of the five staff members who had volunteered to each hold a Yorkie lead during the ceremony. Theo couldn’t help but grin as the pack of five all wagged their tails from the side of the small stage as Theo approached. He and James had both agreed they wanted them there to be a part of their special day. Hopefully Bertie wouldn’t try and escape on them. Blenheim would undoubtedly get himself a piece of cake one way or another. Beanie would be happy when she got her tennis ball back, and Theo would be happy if they got through the ceremony without Bonney yowling or Bouncer falling asleep.

“Good doggies,” he whispered as he approached, making them calm down a little.

Theo was aware of James’s family as he approached the front of the congregation. He tried not to look directly at the reigning monarch or her next two successors. Once he’d had a glass or two of bubbly he might have the courage to speak to the Queen or James’s father. But right now, it was too surreal. At least Olivia and Alex were there with their spouses and Alex’s children.

It was the big family Theo had never had.

Instead of getting nervous about who was watching, Theo kissed his nan’s cheek before she took her seat, then turned to face his future husband.

“Hi,” he whispered to James, taking his hands.

James beamed down at him. “Hello, gorgeous,” he murmured.

Theo’s heart was so full of love he thought he might explode. James looked even more stunning than Theo had imagined. As always, he felt immediately calmer in the presence of his other half.

They had opted for a short ceremony, although it felt long to Theo. He remembered to keep smiling and repeated the words he had to, slowly and with care. He was glad in a way that the whole thing was being broadcast, because he could hardly remember a thing by the time they reached the end of it. All he knew was he had a ring on his left hand and James was kissing him to rapturous applause.

They had the most perfect of days. Dinner, drinks, dancing – it all passed in a happy blur. After all Theo’s organising, it was such a relief to see it pay off. James gave a lovely speech that had Theo both laughing and crying. The dogs ran wild delighting their many guests. Quintin asked Theo’s nan to dance to Angels by Robbie Williams. Alex’s youngest son thought Sal was an actual Disney princess with all her sparkle. Alex and Laura showed off their tiny baby daughter who was as good as gold the whole day.

Theo smiled until his face hurt. The first dance was a chance to catch their breath and simply hold each other. But James must have known Theo needed a short break from all the activity to help him reach the end of the night.

“Come with me,” he murmured into Theo’s ear at just past nine o’clock as the sun was setting.

For a moment, Theo thought they were going to sneak off for some hanky-panky. But James took his hand and led him towards the storage rooms at the back of the castle. Towards the dock.

Theo smiled. “Are you sure it’s not going to rain?” he teased as they approached the rowboat tied up in the water. Manjeet was there waiting for them with two fresh flutes of Champagne.

“Forecast looks good, boss,” he said passing them their drinks. “I’ll keep the coast clear,” he added to James.

Theo had learned his lesson and let James go first, accepting his hand to keep him steady. He absolutely did not want to end up in the water this time. Once they had stepped onto the boat, Manjeet undid the rope tethering them to the dock.

“Thank you,” James said sincerely to him. “We shan’t be long.”

He passed Theo his drink and took the oars to steer them to the same spot beneath the oak trees where they had picnicked in a year ago. For a while they simply sat side by side, arm in arm, sipping their drinks and watching their family of swans paddle silently across the lake as the sun set.

“Once upon a time,” Theo said, resting his temple on James’s shoulder, “there was a little boy called Theodore. He had a lot of love in his heart, but he didn’t believe anyone would ever love him back the way he wanted. He thought love was just for fairy tales.”

James kissed his hair. “He sounds lonely,” he said.

Theo nodded. “He was. And he was a bit angry, too. Sometimes he was a bit rude to handsome princes when they were only trying to be kind to him.”

James chuckled. “It’s okay,” he said. “I’m pretty sure the handsome prince forgave him.”

“He did!” said Theo happily, looking up at his new husband. “The prince took Theo to a magical castle where they fell in love. He opened the door to Theo’s heart and helped him to trust again. Together, they battled the dark forces and vowed to never leave each other’s sides. To their surprise, the people grew to love them. In return, the two princes decided to devote their lives to helping the people, to make everyone in the land as content as they were.”

James placed his glass between his feet, then took Theo’s face gently between his two hands. “Then the princes lived happily ever after,” James said before kissing Theo sweetly.

Theo smiled against his lips. “The end,” he said.

But James shook his head, his eyes sparkling in the warm glow of the sunset.

“No,” he assured Theo. “It’s just the beginning.”

Theo couldn’t argue with that.