How To Become A Princess

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20 December 2009

How to Become a Princess

(2018 Update) If you don’t have monarchs for parents, but you are thinking of choosing princesshood as your career path—today’s princesses have to work (and give up all privacy) for the privileges they receive—here are a few tips based on how some of this century’s royal ladies gained their tiaras. A generation ago, your family still had to live on top of a royal family for you to get inside (Fergie’s dad was a royal polo manager and Diana was literally born on a royal estate), but contemporary royal wannabes can be a little more proactive. 1. Go to high-profile international events In 1999, Argentine-born New York investment banker Maxima Zorriegueta met the Crown Prince Willem Alexander of the Netherlands during the Seville Spring Fair in Spain. He introduced himself simply as “Alexander.” When he later told her he was a prince, she basically said, “Yeah, right.” The couple conducted a transatlantic affair while she kept her prince’s true identity secret from her folks. She did eventually tell them that the mysterious Alexander was a prince, but Maxima’s wedding was not a true fairytale: her father was encouraged not to attend because the Dutch Parliament questioned his possible ties to a former Argentine military dictator. Both of her parents stayed away from the wedding, but continued to be actively engaged in the lives of their daughter and her three blonde baby girls. Maxima and Alexander regularly make extended family visits to Argentina. In 2000, Australian advertising agent Mary Donaldson made a fateful choice of night spot during the Sydney Olympics. When the Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark slipped in to the Slip Inn for a nip, lovely Mary slipped in to his life. (Please pardon the puns.) She and her friend reportedly were trying to determine whether the men hanging out in the bar had smooth or hairy chests when three young bucks—who just happened to be Frederick, his brother Prince Joachim and their cousin Prince Nikolaos of Greece—offered to let the ladies feel theirs. Although Frederick was smitten, Mary admits she didn’t fall instantly in love. A year later, she moved to Paris to be closer to him and a year after that to Denmark. And, one year after that, she finally walked down the aisle. (Her dad, a former math professor, moved to Denmark to be closer to his daughter. He helps look after Mary’s two little ones whenever he can.) Incidentally, the current Queen of Sweden, German-born Silvia Sommerlath, met her prince while working as a translator during the 1972 Olympics in Munich. And, the current Queen of Spain, who was born a Greek princess, reportedly made her love connection with the future King during the 1960 Olympics in Rome (where she was on the Greek sailing team) even though they had met years previously. A warning to you cold-weather ladies: it seems to be the Summer Olympics that produce the most romantic results for young princes, although Prince Albert of Monaco was first seen publically with his current flame, Rhodesian-born swimmer Charlene Wittstock, during the opening ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics, they had met when she competed at an international swimming event in Monaco.) 2. Have mutual friends Prince Harry was introduced to Meghan Markle by a mutual friend in the summer of 2016. Before their blind date, Meghan famously asked, "Is he nice?" As it turns out, he was. Within a few weeks, they were camping together in Botswana. After that, they began a transcontinental romance during which they managed to stay mostly out of the public eye AND to go very few days at a stretch without seeing each other. Meghan and Harry announced their engagement in November 2017 and were married at Windsor in May 2018, at which time they were created the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. American Marie-Chantal Miller met Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece at a friend’s party in New Orleans in 1993. He grew up in exile, mostly in London, while she grew up all over the world—New York City, Hong Kong, London, Paris, Switzerland—thanks to her family’s wealth from Duty Free shops. In fact, some believe she brought more money into the marriage than he did. Married in 1995, the couple now has five children, with the oldest starting to make their way in society and the youngest still enjoying a happy childhood, as shared by their parents on Instagram. Plus, Marie-Chantal has put her experience as a mother and a retailer's daughter to good use: she has an exclusive line of children’s clothing. In 2001, Spanish television journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano met the future King of Spain, Felipe Prince of Asturias, at a dinner party hosted by mutual friends. However, their romance didn’t actually start until they met again a year later when she was covering an oil spill in northern Spain and he came to region to commiserate with the people of the area. Letizia continued her high-powered career—having reported from the frontlines of the Iraq war and covered the Sept. 11 attacks—while the two engaged in an extremely secret courtship. Perhaps as a journalist herself, she knew how to avoid other journalists and their intrusive speculation. In fact, newspapers did not begin reporting on their relationship until just days before their engagement was announced in 2003. Coincidentally, Letizia was actually born in the Asturias region, so, in a way, she became Princess of her hometown before becoming Queen in 2014. At that time, her oldest daughter became Princess of Asturias. Norwegian waitress Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby met the Crown Prince of her homeland through mutual friends at the Quart Festival, a rock festival in her hometown of Kristiansand, in 1996. (I guess I should have attended the festival when I was in Norway in ’92; I could have found him first!) They later shared a taxi and began falling in love. Like most Scandinavian couples, Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon cohabitated before their marriage but eventually tied the knot in 2001. They added two more children to the son she brought into the marriage with her. 3. Select your college carefully Not surprisingly, university applications usually spike whenever a prince announces where he will be studying. This was certainly the case when Prince William of Wales decided to attend the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. As a fellow art history student, Catherine (Kate) Middleton soon became one of the prince’s inner circle. In their second year at St. Andrews, they and some other friends moved in to a cottage together. Speculation about their relationship grew when he was photographed watching her model a scanty outfit in a university fashion show. In the last nine years, their romance has made quite a lot of money for the tabloids. The constant pressure from the media has often strained the relationship. After a brief split in 2007, they reunited and finally married in 2011. By 2018, they had added two little princes and a princess to the British Royal Family. 4. Enlist in military service Tessy Antony met the younger son of her country’s Grand Duke, while serving on a NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo in 2004, where she worked as a driver. This apparently helped her meet 18-year-old Prince Louis of Luxembourg when he came to visit the troops. Two years later, their first child was born and, six months after that, the couple was married. To marry his love, Louis gave up succession rights for him and his children. Also, Tessy was denied the rank of princess. Earlier this year, however, Tessy and her two little boys were finally granted royal rank, making her a Princess of Luxembourg while her sons are Princes of Nassau. Since, Tessy and Louis divorced in 2017, she has lost her royal title but she remains active with humanitarian work. 5. Don’t worry if you have a past. . . Although Charles Prince of Wales was under extraordinary pressure to find a “pure” bride—quite a task in post-Sexual Revolution Britain—when he became engaged to the teenaged Lady Diana Spencer, today’s princes are far less particular. Mette-Marit had been linked to drug users and already had a son from another relationship when she married the Crown Prince of Norway. Mette-Marit's son, the adorable Marius, is so accepted by the royal family that he is listed as a member of the royal family on its official website alongside his royal half-siblings. Meanwhile, Letizia had already been married and divorced, when she met Felipe. Likewise, Meghan has an ex-husband in her past, too. Meghan is also not the only actress-turned-princess: Prince Carl Philip of Sweden's wife, the former Sofia Hellstrom, was an actress and glamour model, who had posed nearly nude and appeared as a reality TV contestant. 6. Don’t worry if you’re of non-European descent. . . Hong Kong-born British citizen Alexandra Manley met Prince Joachim of Denmark when he worked for a Danish shipping company in Hong Kong. With both European and Chinese grandparents, she became the first mixed-race European princess when they married a year later in 1995. Together, they had two sons before they divorced in 2005. Alexandra had become extremely popular in Denmark thanks to her lovely personality and expansive charitable works, so her former mother-in-law, Queen Margrethe II, gave Alexandra her own title, Her Highness The Countess of Frederiksborg. Since this is a personal title, Alexandra was able to keep it when she married Martin Jørgensen in 2007, although she was downgraded from “highness” to “excellency.” (Lady Diana Spencer lost “Her Royal Highness” upon her divorce although she was allowed the style “Princess of Wales,” as if the title were her last name. Had she remarried, she likely would have forfeited that style to take on her new husband’s name. At some future date, possibly when her son became king, she might have been given a title of her own, but this is purely speculation on my part.) More racial diversity entered the European houses when Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein, son of the reigning Prince Hans Adam II, married Angela Brown. Born in Panama of African descent, Angela grew up in New York where she later studied at Parsons School of Design (hello, Tim Gunn!) and became an award-winning fashion designer. The couple met when he was in New York working for Chase Capital Partners in 1997. They married in 2000; she, of course, wore a dress she designed herself. With the arrival of Meghan Markle on the scene, these previous racially mixed ladies have been all but forgotten. To be fair, she has married into a much more famous royal family and automatically occupies a more prominent place on the world stage. However, it is inaccurate to assume that she represents a true "first." Even in the British Royal Family, she is not the first person of color: Prince Harry's cousin, Lady Davina Windsor, married a Maori man, making him the first POC in the Windsor family. In this case too, Meghan has a more public role. Even I wouldn't recognize Davina's now ex-husband, Gary Lewis, if he were standing next to me. In that sense, Meghan is undoubtedly the most visible person of color in any royal house. For more about royal love stories, check out this great infographic from Invaluable. By

32 comments:

  1. Jennifer EscalonaDecember 20, 2009 at 10:07 PM

    If I hadn't already married my prince, I would take this post to heart. I can tell you spent a lot of time compiling this one. Thanks so much for the great read!

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  2. Cheryl CiucevichDecember 21, 2009 at 12:15 AM

    Thanks Jenn. I have a huge list of potential topics, but for some reason I woke up with this new idea on my mind today. I thought, "This will be fun and easy." But I was wrong; it took about six hours to put the whole thing together! And, there are still so many people that I left out, like Sophie Rhys-Jones who met Prince Edward through her job when she had to play tennis with him because someone else didn't show up. In the end, as with all relationships, it's all about being in the right place at the right time. I know it will come as no surprise to people to learn that I met my husband at a library. However, although I am a self-confessed geek, I was there for a political meeting rather than hours of research.

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  3. Jennifer EscalonaDecember 21, 2009 at 11:05 AM

    That's life for you! No matter how much we try to make it work, sometimes all it takes is a little luck. I like to tell people, "I met my husband when he answered my classified ad." It was for a job! I hired him before I married him. :) (And no, we weren't working together when that happened!)

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  4. ViolaDecember 21, 2009 at 5:09 PM

    Thank you for your great post! I'm re-posting it on my blog.I am happily married too, but I still dream of being a princess. I would be willing to swap places with Princess Mary in an instant -Prince Frederick's very cute!

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  5. Cheryl CiucevichDecember 22, 2009 at 12:21 AM

    Felipe is my favorite--I like tall men, plus I already speak Spanish! Frankly, both Frederick and Felipe seem to be really terrific people and they both seem to be clearly in love with their wives. I am amazed at how frequently Felipe is photographed holding Letizia's hand. And, of course, their children are absolutely gorgeous!

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  6. AnonymousApril 13, 2010 at 5:12 PM

    i read the whole thing and then met my prince you all know prince william right i just know i will marry him soon. thank you for your advise it helped alot i will invite you to the palace one day well i got alot of work to do toodles

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  7. Cheryl CiucevichApril 14, 2010 at 5:35 PM

    If this post is helpful to you, Anonymous, or anyone else, I will be watching my mailbox for an invitation to the wedding. ;)

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  8. AshleyApril 28, 2010 at 2:13 AM

    I've always dreamed of being a princess. I know it's not easy but it has it's ups and downs like real life. I would love to meet my prince charming haha. But I'd rather be able to choose my own man while still being able to be a princess I mean they shouldn't have to be a prince in order for you to marry then right? but I really love this blog thanks ^_^

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  9. lailaniMay 15, 2010 at 4:43 AM

    i'm becoming a catholic because my heart wants to. i have royal ancestors. i have copped bad press from a jornalist that sleeps around and has a son with prince albert of monaco. i love reading about royalsbut after 10 years i dont dream. thankyou for your mums crusifixes william and harry.love lailani

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  10. Cheryl CiucevichJune 23, 2010 at 1:55 PM

    Add one more Princess under category #1 Go to high-profile international events.Olympian Charlene Wittstock met her new fiance, Prince Albert II of Monaco, at an international swim meet. Follow this link for more on the engagement:http://hrhprincesspalace.blogspot.com/2010/06/next-princess-long-awaited-engagement.html

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  11. AnonymousSeptember 25, 2010 at 4:38 PM

    Hi... Im arab... but idk with some mixed decent.. bought up here in arab world..wish to meet my arab royal prince 1 day! the blog above is alll about luck.. pure luck! but thanks cheryl :D

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  12. AnonymousJuly 31, 2011 at 8:50 PM

    Can someone please arrange for Prince Harry to meet the perfect for him, Princess Madeleine of Sweden (maybe at the London 2012 Olympics:)!)I know I know they have already met,but somebody should insist on some old-fashioned royal family matchmaking.I say this knowing how well this has (not)worked out before,but there is always a first time.

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    1. AnonymousJune 25, 2012 at 3:06 PM

      ha ha...inviting her over to balmoral for tea and insisting to take her for a walk in the garden...the good-old victorian style of matchmaking...

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  13. edina monsoonSeptember 16, 2011 at 2:43 AM

    I love reading your blog. Bookmarked it already. Amazing to learn stuff I never knew about royalty,thanks

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  14. AnonymousFebruary 13, 2012 at 7:25 AM

    May i just say i want to be a princess and live in a castle that has alwaysss been my dream and im young im 15 years old im looking up ways i can be famous and rich well ill prefer wealthy since i was a little girl i always said i want to be a princess and live in a castle and if i make it one day to be famous or anything ill surely have u there ! Thank you thank you very much for this article

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  15. AshleyApril 11, 2012 at 11:09 AM

    Well it was always my dream to be a princess because I liked the tiaras and the beutiful dresses ect.But I know somewhere out there there is my Prince Charming and love your blog!

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  16. AshleyApril 11, 2012 at 11:11 AM

    And I love wearing dresses!

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  17. Cheryl CiucevichApril 11, 2012 at 3:52 PM

    Good luck to you, Ashley! We should all be princesses!! There are still a few good ones out there...

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    1. Desiree'May 10, 2014 at 11:11 PM

      I've always wanted to be a princess and marry the perfect prince one day but I'm just 14 don't know how old you have to be to marry the prince from a foreign country.

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  18. AnonymousNovember 23, 2012 at 4:00 PM

    No offense, these are good tips but the point is kind of stupid. It would be wrong to marry someone because you want to be a princess. You don't need a ton of makeup or a tiara or fancy clothes to feel like a princess, you can be one by helping people. You can help the world with your special talents and you'll be led by God to your true prince charming. Sorry if my comment offends you.

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  19. Cheryl CiucevichNovember 26, 2012 at 11:03 PM

    No offense taken. This isn't really a how-to guide. The point of the article is to show that you can meet a prince anywhere: a bar, a school, a friend's party, etc. I met my new prince in a high school lunchroom. ;)As you say, being a princess is about more than birth or whom you marry. You can choose to be a princess in your own life every day.

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  20. UnknownJanuary 12, 2013 at 1:39 PM

    I am a prince thru my family I met my love 2 years ago we are happy I'm white she's black it didn't matter the race to me love comes from the heart I'm glad to find a normal lady who loves me for who I am

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  21. AnonymousMarch 26, 2013 at 10:24 AM

    I hate those people who want to become a Princessjust for the title, money, and fame. The only reason I want to become a Princess is because I want someone to love me for who I am, not the wayI look, dress, or how much money I have. I want to meet a man who will cherish me even if I didn't come from wealth, which I don't. I am barely middle class. And, unlike many of the girls who posted here, Cheryl, I would like to announce that I wish to go to Princeton so that I may have an education to help me in the long run. I don't need the title of Princess to do that. Otherwise, Cheryl, your blog was extremely well thought out and I commend you for that. <3

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  22. Cheryl CiucevichApril 3, 2013 at 10:11 AM

    Best wishes to you. I agree that a good education is invaluable. The good news is that even our princesses are being well educated these days. It is a good time to be a woman, with or without a royal husband or indeed any husband at all. As the Spice Girls used to say, "Girl Power!"

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  23. AnonymousMarch 30, 2014 at 12:32 AM

    When i was in high school my princeis the son of a well known ambassador. To get the attention of him i would need to have a million dollars. Othrr this guy wont give a second look. Its sad but unfortunately true.

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  24. AnonymousOctober 3, 2015 at 3:30 PM

    I have always wanted to be a Princess, because the way I see it, the world pays attention to you. People look up to you and that means you have some influence. For me, I want to be a Princess who can enact change. I would simply use the influence and attention it gets to make a difference on so many of the important topics of the world (women's equality, LGBTQ rights, climate change, poverty - with a focus on lack of medical care and clean water, education, etc.) I don't want to be a princess for the money, the fame, the clothes, all that stuff. I want to be a Princess so I can get people to listen to me.

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  25. Cheryl CiucevichOctober 4, 2015 at 4:43 PM

    Thanks for your comment, Meryl. I think your view of princesshood--as a status that provides empowerment and as giving you a platform for the world to listen--is one which many of this blog's readers share. The good news is that you don't have to marry a Prince to become that kind of Princess. All you have to do is ACT. Get involved. Become the woman you want to be and people will listen! It is a lot easier to get involved than people think. Decide where you want to make a difference and just get started! Also, I highly recommend that you read Jerramy Fine's book "Some Day My Prince Will Come" for the inspirational true story of an ordinary girl's determination to become her own princess.

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  26. MissKabarianOctober 29, 2016 at 2:44 AM

    My whole dream is to be a princess.....my grandfather is a prince and i really want to maintain that...am jst 14:(

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  27. AnonymousMay 13, 2018 at 1:20 AM

    I already am a princess. The next step for me is becoming a QUEEN...

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  28. AnonymousDecember 15, 2019 at 7:47 PM

    Well I like this blog. It is very informing. Well the reason I am commenting. You need to also put in if you are getting adopted by a royal. Which not everyone knows that there is a royal adoption going on. Soon I will be a princess. I cant disclose where. But it will be on the news hopefully late 2020.

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  29. AnonymousApril 20, 2020 at 11:49 AM

    I AM 13Y. OLD AND BEING A PRINCESS SINS I WAS 4 SEEING PRINCESSES ARE NICE AND SWEET

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  30. AnonymousApril 27, 2020 at 11:41 PM

    hi thank you for amazing post! i have always dreamed of being a princess even though i am 11 right now, but i am not sure if i am fit for a princess! but all i know is that im not sure if u can really be a princess but you can be a princess in your heart.

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