SOLVED. Girl whose father dies, neighbor owns a monkey [s]

[Rachel]

I remember bits and pieces
The girl's dad dies and all her possessions are taken from her
She's told to put on a black dress, which is too small (I think it was her birthday when she got the news)
She ends up living in an attic, I believe as a maid.
The neighbor has a monkey that comes to visit via the roof.
The title might have 'princess' in it, but I could be wrong
I feel like it was somehow related to The Secret Garden, but I'm not sure how.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

A Little Princess and the reason that The Secret Garden sticks in your mind is that they were both written by the same person. Also, this was made into a movie starring Shirley Temple and then again several other times in "Made for TV" movies and mini-series.

[Rachel]

Thanks! My friend actually helped me right before I saw your answer, but now I know why I was thinking about The Secret Garden!