Stumped by a classic fairy tale princess? Discover the answer to her irritant!

The crossword answer for “Princess’s irritant in a classic fairy tale” is PEA. This is a reference to the well-known fairy tale “The Princess and the Pea.” In the story, a prince seeks a true princess to marry. One stormy night, a young woman claiming to be a princess seeks shelter at the prince’s castle. The queen places a pea under 20 mattresses and 20 feather beds. The next morning, the princess complains of a sleepless night, insisting that she could feel a tiny lump under her bedding. The prince recognizes that only a true princess could have such a delicate sense of touch and marries her. This story has become a classic and the reference to the pea has become a well-known part of popular culture.