The Princess and the Pea was written by Hans Christian Andersen and was published on May 8,
1835.
The story tells of a prince who wants to marry a princess but is having difficulty finding a
suitable wife. Something is always wrong with those he meets and he cannot be certain they
are real princesses because they have bad table manners or they are not his type. One stormy
night a young woman drenched with rain seeks shelter in the prince's castle. She claims to be
a princess, so the prince's mother decides to test their unexpected, unwitting guest by placing
a pea in the bed she is offered for the night, covered by huge mattresses and 20 feather-beds.
In the morning, the guest tells her hosts that she endured a sleepless night, kept awake by
something hard in the bed that she is certain has bruised her. With the proof of her bruised back,
the princess passes the test and the prince rejoices. A huge wedding takes place in the palace.
The prince couldn't believe that he found his true princess. Only a real princess would have the
sensitivity to feel a pea through such a quantity of bedding, so the two are married. The story
ends with the pea being placed in a museum, where according to the story it can still be seen
today unless someone has removed it.