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Which Disney Princesses are True Royalty?

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Image Source: Elemental-Aura on Fanpop

Before we begin, let’s see how Disney defines a true princess:

The franchise currently comprises eleven [Note – now twelve] female protagonists from ten different Walt Disney Animation Studios films and one Pixar film who are either royal by birth, royal by marriage, or considered a “princess” due to their significant portrayal of heroism in their film. Most of the unofficial Disney Princesses do not join the line-up either because marketing is not successful, their film’s box office gross did not fare well, or they are too young.

The Princesses to be featured in the line were chosen from classic Disney films. The characters were not chosen specifically for their royal titles, but rather for how well they fit into what Disney executives deemed “the Princess mythology”.

This post does not reflect details from Kingdom HeartsOnce Upon a TimeInto The Woods, or Disney Descendants

Characters coming soon to this post: Kiara, Lottie, Elena, Sarabi, Raya

Princesses At a Glance Guide:

Official Disney Princesses

As of mid-2022, Disney has 12 official princesses (as described above). They are listed below in chronological order based on their first movie or appearance. 

Snow White

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937

Cinderella

Cinderella, 1950

Aurora

Sleeping Beauty, 1959

Ariel

The Little Mermaid, 1989

Belle

Beauty and the Beast, 1991

Jasmine

Aladdin, 1992

 

Pocahontas

Pocahontas, 1995

Mulan

Mulan, 1998

Tiana

The Princess and the Frog, 2009

Rapunzel

Tangled, 2010

Merida

Brave, 2012

Moana

Moana, 2016

Pending Princesses

This section includes Disney princess characters that will likely be inducted into the official lineup or, at the very least, become unofficial Disney Princesses

Anna

Frozen, 2013

Elsa

Frozen, 2013

Unofficial Disney Princesses

Disney has quite a few female characters that qualify as royalty but are not included in the official lineup. This is either because they have been removed from the list (example: Tinkerbell), were never included on the list (example: Alice), or have not yet been coronated as official Disney Princesses (example: Anna). They are listed below in chronological order based on their first movie or appearance.

Alice

Alice in Wonderland, 1951

  • UP-0 (Unofficial Princess with no legitimate royal connection)
  • Royal by act of heroinism/high status
  • Qualifier: Not born royal, and not an official member of the lineup. She is “queened” on the chessboard in Through the Looking Glass. She is often included in images of the Disney Princesses, though, and is considered to be an unofficial Disney Princess.
  • Love Interest: N/A
  • Also: Has songs on the Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Enchanted Tea Party and Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Perfectly Princess DVDs. Alice is also included in the Disney Princess music video It’s Not Just Make Believe. Also, she was crowned Queen of the Looking-Glass Kingdom in Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There.”

Tinker Bell

Peter Pan, 1953

  • UP-0 (Unofficial Princess with no legitimate royal connection)
  • Royal by act of heroinism/high status
  • Qualifier: A true princess of the Disney brand, but not actually one by birth, marriage, or title. Tinkerbell was once considered a member of the official Disney Princess lineup, but was removed and made the first official Disney Fairy.
  • Love Interest: Peter Pan
  • Also: Other official Disney Fairies include Fawn, Iridessa, Rosetta, Silvermist, and Vidia. Tinker Bell made regular cameos during the fireworks shows at Disneyland each night, and she has popped up in various Disney movies, TV shows, and video games. 

Wendy

Peter Pan, 1953

  • UP-0 (Unofficial Princess with no legitimate royal connection)
  • Royal by act of heroinism/high status
  • Qualifier: Not an official Disney Princess, but she is included for several princess-themed meet and greets available at Disneyland and Disney World.
  • Love Interest: Peter Pan (kinda sorta) and (in the sequel) her husband, Edward
  • Also: Her daughter Jane (another unofficial princess), is introduced in the 2002 sequel Return to Neverland. Also seen in official Disney Princess branded books, toys, and doll sets.

Maid Marian

Robin Hood, 1973

  • UP-1 (Unofficial Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
  • Royal by birth
  • Qualifier: Per the Disney Wiki: “It’s stated that Maid Marian is King Richard’s niece, but it’s never actually revealed how they’re related and she doesn’t appear to be related to Prince John, despite him being Richard’s brother. Because of that, it can be assumed that Richard is Maid Marian’s uncle by marriage—meaning that the sister of either Marian’s mother or father was the wife of King Richard (making Marian’s aunt the queen).”
  • Love Interest: Robin Hood
  • Also: Not an official Disney Princess, but she does have songs on the Disney Princess 2 CD and the Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Enchanted Tea Party DVD. 

Nala

The Lion King, 1994

  • UP-1.5 (Unofficial Princess with one or two legitimate royal connections)
  • Royal by birth & marriage
  • Qualifier: Lion prides tend to be comprised of relatives, and Mufasa appears to be the only male amongst them (besides Scar, who doesn’t seem like the fatherly type, or possibly even the type to like the ladies?) As such, Nala’s father must be Mufasa, which makes her a princess. Later paired with Simba, who takes his rightful title of Lion King back from Scar – with some help from the ladies of the pride!
  • Love Interest: Simba
  • Also: Not an official Disney Princess despite being true royalty. One of a small handful of characters that can be defined as royalty in the animal kingdom. Has a song on the Disney Princess 2 CD. The only Disney princess to marry and become a princess twice over for the same kingdom. A little tricky to define because she is a princess by birth and by marriage, but of the same kingdoms. Thus the 1.5 designation above. One of only a few princesses we see become queen in their original movie.

Esmerelda

The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1996

  • UP-0 (Unofficial Princess with no legitimate royal connections)
  • Royal by act of heroinism/high status
  • Qualifier: Not an official Disney Princess, despite her acts of heroinism.
  • Also: Seen in official Disney Princess branded books, toys, and doll sets.
  • Love Interest: Phoebus

Megara

Hercules, 1997

  • UP-0 (Unofficial Princess with no legitimate royal connections) 
  • Royal by act of heroinism/high status
  • Qualifier: Not royalty, but paired with Hercules who is the son of Zeus (ruler of Greek gods on Mount Olympus) and his wife Hera. At the end of the movie, Hercules is accepted as a god once more, but chooses to stay on earth.
  • Love Interest: Hercules
  • Also: Not an official Disney Princess, but she does have a song on the Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Once Upon A Dream DVD.

Melody

The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, 2000

Jane

Return to Neverland, 2002

Giselle

Enchanted, 2007

Sofia

Sofia the First, 2012-2013

Excluded Princesses

This section includes female Disney characters that have legitimate royal lineage/connections, but are excluded from the line up of official and unofficial princesses.


Faline

Bambi, 1942

Tiger Lily

Peter Pan, 1953


Eilonwy

The Black Cauldron, 1985

Atta

A Bug’s Life, 1998

Jane

Tarzan, 1999

Kida

Atlantis: The Lost Empire, 2001

Vanellope

Wreck-It Ralph, 2012

Excluded Disney Heroines

This section includes female Disney characters that have could be considered “royal by act of heroinism/high status”, but are excluded from the line up of official and unofficial princesses.

Jessie

Toy Story 2, 1999

Boo

Monsters, Inc, 2001

Amelia

Treasure Planet, 2002

Lilo

Lilo & Stitch, 2002

Nani

Lilo & Stitch, 2002

I think that all of these heroines deserve to be considered “royal by act of heroinism/high status”! All should be elevated in the ranks!

Disney Pets with Royal Names

Lady

Lady and the Tramp, 1955

Duchess

The Aristocats, 1970

These just made me smile :)

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