The story tells of a prince who wants to marry a princess but is having difficulty finding a suitable wife. He meets many princesses, but is never sure that they are real princesses—until one stormy night, when a mysterious young woman drenched with rain seeks shelter in the prince's castle. She claims to be a princess, but the prince's mother, the queen, has doubts. She decides to test their unexpected guest by placing a hard uncooked pea in the bed she is offered for the night, covered by twenty mattresses and twenty featherbeds.

In the morning, the mysterious woman tells her hosts that she endured a rather restless night, kept awake by something in the bed that made her feel uncomfortable. The prince's family realizes that she is a princess after all, since only a true princess could be so delicate. The prince and the princess are happily married, and the story ends with the pea being placed in a museum, where it might still remain.

All published appearances of the Princess on the Pea from before Janurary 1, 1929 are public domain in the US.

Some notable appearances are listed below:

* Tales, Told for Children (1835)

*The Princess and the Pea Opera (1927)

* Let's Pretend #3

*[https://comicvine.gamespot.com/the-princess-on-the-pea/4005-4239/issues-cover/ ComicVine]
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Princess_and_the_Pea Wikipedia]
*[https://fictional-characters-in-media.fandom.com/wiki/The_Princess_and_the_Pea Fictional Characters in Media Wiki]
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