The First Princess of Wales The First Princess of Wales The First Princess of Wales (originally published as Sweet Passion's Pain) is a 1984 historical fiction novel by American author Karen Harper. Set during the 14th-century, it follows the romance between Joan of Kent and Edward, the Black Prince. Set during the reign of Edward III of England in the 14th-century, the novel follows the romance between Joan of Kent and Edward's eldest son, Edward, the Black Prince. "The First Princess of Wales" was written by American author Karen Harper and published as her third novel. Harper was inspired to become a writer by the
Edward the Black Prince steel". Richard Barber suggests that the name's origins may have lain in pageantry, in that a tradition may have grown up in the 15th century of representing the prince in black armour. He points out that several chronicles refer to him as Edward the IV (the title he would have taken as King had he outlived his father): this name would obviously have become confusing when the actual Edward IV succeeded in 1461, and this may have been the period when an alternative had to be found. Edward's reputation for brutality in France is also well documented, and it is