Her grandmother and best friend agree on one thing about Caroline Leigh Shull &045; she was born to be queen.

Shull is Historic Natchez Pageant queen for the next two weeks, representing the Natchez Garden Club, with King Stephen Randall Hollingsworth. The two began their reign Saturday.

&uot;We’re thrilled beyond words,&uot; said Mary Ann Foggo-Eidt, Shull’s grandmother. &uot;She was born to be queen if anyone ever was, and she has lived the part since she was invited to be queen last May.&uot;

Mary Margaret Alwood, the queen’s best friend, said Shull is &uot;kind and sweet-mannered. She is perfect to be queen.&uot;

The excitement that began in May, when she received the invitation to be queen, has not stopped, Shull said. &uot;I was really shocked. I didn’t believe it at first.&uot;

Shull is the daughter of William and Cheryl Morace of Natchez and Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Shull of Jacksonville, Fla. Her grandparents, in addition to Mary Ann Foggo-Eidt, are the late Henry James Foggo Jr. and Mr. and Mrs. William Shull of Columbus.

She has grown up taking part in the pageant, beginning with the tableau known familiarly as Little Maypole as a preschooler and culminating in the role of queen.

&uot;Performing has always been something I’ve enjoyed,&uot; Shull said. She reminisced about her ballet studies and the lead role she danced both in the pageant as Fannie Elsller and in the annual Natchez Ballet Academy performance of &uot;The Nutcracker&uot; as the Sugar Plum Fairy, both in her senior year of high school.

&uot;Everything for me has some performing aspect to it &045; acting, singing, dancing. And I’ve always loved the pageant because of that,&uot; she said.

A 2002 graduate of Cathedral School, Shull also was involved in school plays and musicals throughout her high school years, taking lead roles in shows such as &uot;Grease&uot; and &uot;Bye-Bye Birdie&uot; as well as in &uot;The Mystery of Edwin Drood.&uot;

Performing is soothing to her, she said. &uot;It is something I enjoy, the process of working hard to get better and better at a role,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s an outlet, and it’s entertaining to me.&uot;

As pageant queen, she will wear a dress designed and worn by Elise Jordan (Stari), queen in 1967.

The costume is pale ivory-colored peau de soie with trim of ivory Alencon lace re-embroidered with pearls, bugle beads and rhinestones. Medalions of the re-embroidered lace accent the scallops of the overskirt and form an inverted &uot;V&uot; on the skirt front. The train is of the same material with the same motifs.

Well-known dressmaker Laura Davis, then 75, made the dress, the last one she created after several decades of creating Pilgrimage costumes.

Shull will return to her studies at the University of Southern Mississippi when the pageant concludes. A public relations major, she has an exciting summer to contemplate, as she will be among the students who study in London with the USM British Studies Program.

Active in her sorority, Kappa Delta, she also will pick up her duties there. &uot;One of our big causes is child abuse prevention,&uot; she said. &uot;We raised a lot of money this year, between $15,000 and $20,000, with 80 percent of that going to the local chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America.&uot;

Shull’s grandmother is anxious to see the child she always called &uot;Sweet Caroline&uot; serve as queen. She purchased the crown and scepter her granddaughter will use during the pageant. &uot;She has always been just a very lovable girl,&uot; her grandmother said. &uot;With her blond hair and blue eyes, she captivated everybody’s heart.&uot;

Her friend Mary Margaret Alwood will be keeping a close eye on the queen, as Alwood serves as one of the maids in the court.

Alwood may observe the queen in her regal costume and graceful poses and recall some of the childhood memories that have bonded them for life, such as holding Shull’s hand when, at about 8 or 9, she fell down and cut her knee and had to have stitches. &uot;We’re like sisters,&uot; Alwood said.

Shull will think often of her mother, Cheryl, and will remember that the pageant honor is because of her mother’s many contributions to the club and to Natchez. &uot;It’s obviously an honor for me, but it is a huge honor for my mother. We’re all excited and thankful,&uot; Shull said.