I hope this doesn't get too personal for the group. I know a young girl of 14 who just got her period. She looks about the same age as this princess. This young lady has been through plenty, her mother's surgery and recovery, her parents' divorce, teasing from kids at school, and all manner of difficulty. I have known her since she was about six. She was such a ball of energy when she was younger that she literally wore out all the adults in the room with her antics. She was a wall climber. Though only fourteen now, she's mellow, well rounded, introspective, and smart. Her experiences have made her into a young lady very young. When she started her first cycle, she was very proud and reflective about it. She pondered the meaning of the changes and went forth with pride at entering this new stage in her life. She reminds me so much of this card... all I can think of when I see it is my little Jade.
She, like the princess in this card, is ever pondering the next stage in her life and where it may lead. This card just drips with "rite of passage" to me. The tomb/monument behind her, the cool, mossy rocks, the dusk/dawn of the sky, the tummultuous clouds in the background, the leafless tree... it all looks like new beginnings. 'Though I've been prone to "cry birch" in the past, this tree really looks to me like the silvery bark of a birch tree. It's hard to see from the scan and without any leaves present, but even if it's just my impression, I think it's valid and salient to the meaning of the card.
--Laurelin