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 Hearts, Once Upon a Time, Into The Woods, or Disney Descendants.
Characters coming soon to this post: Kiara, Lottie, Elena, Sarabi, Raya
Princesses At a Glance Guide:
- OP = Official Princess: In the current official Disney Princess lineup.
- Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Moana
- UP = Unofficial Princess: Not in the current official Disney Princess lineup but included in various Disney Princess merchandise including videos, dolls, books, magazines, and sing along songs; and/or a princess who was once in the official lineup but has since been removed.
- Alice, Tinker Bell, Wendy, Maid Marian, Nala, Esmerelda, Megara, Dot, Jane (Tarzan), Melody, Kida, Jane (Return to Neverland), Mei, Su, Ting-Ting
- PP = Pending Princess, a Disney princess character that will likely be inducted into the official lineup or, at the very least, the become an unofficial Disney Princess
- Anna, Elsa
- QP = Princesses that became queens in the plot of their original movie
- Nala, Atta, Dot, Elsa
- EP = Excluded Princess: Characters that are officially princesses but not included in any Disney Princess lineup or merchandise
- Faline, Tiger Lily, Eilonwy, Adella, Alana, Andrina, Aquata, Arista, Attina, Atta, Kiara, Lottie, Sofia, Elena
- EH = Excluded Heroine – A Disney main or leading character with princess attributes but no royal ties or connections to the Disney Princess lineup or merchandise
- Boo, Amelia, Jessie, Lilo, Nani
- TR-B = True Royalty by Birth: Female Disney characters that are royal by birth or adoption, regardess of their standing as official, unofficial, or excluded Disney Princesses
- Tiger Lily, Aurora, Eilonwy, Adella, Alana, Andrina, Aquata, Arista, Attina, Ariel, Jasmine, Nala, Kiara, Pocahontas, Atta, Dot, Kiara, Melody, Kida, Mei, Su, Ting-Ting, Lottie, Rapunzel, Sofia, Merida, Anna, Elsa, Vanellope, Elena, Moana, Anna, Elsa
- TR-M = True Royalty by Marriage: Female Disney characters that become princesses by marriage or other circumstances besides or in addition to birth/adoption
- Snow White, Faline, Cinderella, Alice, Ariel, Belle, Nala, Jane (Tarzan), Tiana
- AKP = Animal Kingdom Princess – An animal or human princess/princess equivalent of the animal world
- Faline, Nala, Atta, Dot, Jane (Tarzan), Kiara, Sarabi
- JP = Junior Princess – A young royal character designated as a Junior Princess by Disney
- Sofia, Elena
- DPP = Disney/Pixar Princess – An official, unofficial, or excluded heroine from a Disney Pixar film
- Atta, Dot, Jessie, Merida
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
- OP-2 (Official Princess with two legitimate royal connections)
- Royal by birth & marriage
- Qualifier: Born royalty, princess/daughter of the King and Queen. Cast out by evil stepmother, but reclaims title and becomes a princess twice over by marrying a prince.
- Love Interest: “The Prince”, who is presumably from a neighboring kingdom. (Prince Ferdinand?)
- Also: The original Disney Princess and the first in the official Disney Princess lineup.
Cinderella
Cinderella, 1950
- OP-1 (Official Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by marriage
- Qualifier: Child of a widowed aristocrat, and therefore not a princess by birth. Maiden of her home, which per Kingdom Hearts is called the Castle of Dreams. Becomes a princess by marrying Prince Charming.
- Love Interest: Prince Charming
- Also: Second official Disney Princess but widely regarded as the leader, likely due to her popularity.
Aurora
Sleeping Beauty, 1959
- OP-2 (Official Princess with two legitimate royal connections)
- Royal by birth & marriage
- Qualifier: Born royalty, princess/daughter of King Stefan and his Queen. Awakens from spell and becomes a princess twice over by marrying a prince.
- Love Interest: Prince Phillip
- Also: Third official Disney Princess.
Ariel
The Little Mermaid, 1989
- OP-2 (Official Princess with two legitimate royal connections)
- Royal by birth & marriage
- Qualifier: Born royalty, princess/youngest daughter of King Triton and Queen Athena of Atlantica. Leaves the sea kingdom but becomes a princess twice over by marrying a prince.
- Love Interest: Prince Eric
- Also: Fourth official Disney Princess. Has six older sisters that are also royal princesses: Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, and Andrina. Only official princess to become a mother – her daughter, Princess Melody, is introduced in the 2000 sequel The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea.
Belle
Beauty and the Beast, 1991
- OP-1 (Official Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by marriage
- Age: Unspecified
- Qualifier: Daughter of Maurice, an eccentric inventor, and therefore not a princess by birth. Becomes a princess by marrying Beast after her love transforms him back into a human prince.
- Love Interest: Beast/Prince Adam
- Also: Fifth official Disney Princess.
Jasmine
Aladdin, 1992
- OP-1 (Official Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Born royalty, sultana/daughter of the Sultan of Agrabah. Equivalent to an Arabian princess. Would have become a princess twice over if Aladdin had actually been “Prince Ali”.
- Love Interest: Aladdin
- Also: Sixth official Disney Princess.
Pocahontas
Pocahontas, 1995
- OP-1 (Official Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Born royalty – squaw/daughter of Chief Powhatan of Tsenacommacah, the head of the tributary tribal nations in Virginia. Equivalent to a Native American Princess.
- Love Interest: Captain John Smith
- Also: Seventh official Disney Princess, but the first American princess in the lineup.
Mulan
Mulan, 1998
- OP-0 (Official Princess with no legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by act of heroinism/high status
- Qualifier: The daughter of Fa Zhou, an aged warrior that is being forced to defend Han China against the fictional Hun invasion. Therefore she is not a princess by birth, and she does not become one even when paired with Li Shang.
- Love Interest: Captain Li Shang
- Also: The eighth official Disney Princess, and the only one with no royal ties whatsoever. 2004 sequel Mulan II introduced Princesses Mei, Ting-Ting, and Su. They are not included in the official Disney Princess lineup but do have a song on the Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Once Upon a Dream DVD.
Tiana
The Princess and the Frog, 2009
- OP-1 (Official Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by marriage
- Qualifier: Daughter of Eudora, a dressmaker, and James, a soldier that was killed in World War I. Becomes a princess by marrying Prince Naveen of Maldonia.
- Love Interest: Prince Naveen
- Also: Ninth official Disney Princess, and the first African-American princess in the lineup.
Rapunzel
Tangled, 2010
- OP-1 (Official Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Born royalty, princess/daughter of the King and Queen.
- Love Interest: Flynn Rider
- Also: The 10th official Disney Princess, and the first CGI princess.
Merida
Brave, 2012
- OP-1 (Official Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Born royalty – first-born of the Clan DunBroch. Princess/daughter to Queen Elinor and King Fergus of the kingdom of DunBroch in the Scottish Highlands.
- Love Interest: None!
- Also: 11th official Disney Princess in the lineup, and the first Disney/Pixar Princess of the group. The first Disney Princess with NO love interest. The second computer animated Disney Princess (Rapunzel was the first). The first human Pixar Princess, and the first female protagonist of a Pixar film. Interestingly enough, she is the first Disney Princess with male siblings.
- Note: It’s official – Merida from Disney/Pixar’s Brave had her coronation as the 11th member of the Disney Princess Line Up in July of 2013! Click for more info :)
Moana
Moana, 2016
- OP-1 (Official Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Born Moana Waialiki, South Pacific princess and daughter of Chief Tui
- Love Interest: N/A
- Also: Definitely a princess by virtue of heroism
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
- OP-1 (Official Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Born royalty, princess of Arendelle
- Love Interest: Kristoff
- Also: The King and Queen of Arendelle die in a boat accident three years prior to the main events of the movie, which also lines up with the release of Tangled three years earlier. The parents were en route to a wedding, which is presumably that of Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. We later see Rapunzel and Flynn at Arendelle for the big unveiling of Queen Elsa!
Elsa
Frozen, 2013
- OP-1 (Official Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Born royalty as heiress and princess of Arendelle
- Love Interest: N/A
- Also: Not just a Disney princess, but also a Disney queen! Frozen focuses on Elsa’s coronation as queen of Arendelle after the death of her parents. See above notes on connection to Rapunzel and Tangled. One of only a few princesses we see become queen in their original movie.
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
- UP-2 (Unofficial Princess with two legitimate royal connections)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Born royalty, princess/daughter of Ariel and Eric. Melody is born a princess of two kingdoms, as the daughter of Prince Eric (land) and Princess Ariel (sea).
- Love Interest: N/A
- Also: Not an official Disney Princess, but she has songs on Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Enchanted Tea Party DVD and Disney Princess Sing Along Songs: Perfectly Princess DVD. The only Disney Princess that is the daughter of another Disney Princess. The youngest of all the Disney (non-junior) princesses.
- Note: Melody is technically the most princess-y of them all, because she’s born royalty of two kingdoms. If she grows up and marries a prince, she will be a princess thrice over!
Jane
Return to Neverland, 2002
- 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.
- Also: Her mother, Wendy, is featured as an unofficial princess at the events. Jane can been seen in official Disney Princess branded books, toys, and/or doll sets as well.
- Love Interest: N/A
Giselle
Enchanted, 2007
- UP-0 (Unofficial Princess with no legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by act of heroinism/high status
- Qualifier: Movie begins with Giselle as a princess-to-be, about to marry Prince Edward of Andalasia.
- Love Interest: Robert Philip
- Also: First combination live action/animated potential princess. Disney originally planned to make her an official princess, but chose not to upon realizing that they would have to pay royalties to the actress, Amy Adams. This film also ends with Robert Philip’s ex, Nancy Tremaine, paired with Prince Edward, and thus she becomes the Princess of Andalasia.
Sofia
Sofia the First, 2012-2013
- UP-1 (Unofficial Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth (technically by adoption/stepfather but I count that as equivalent to “by birth”)
- Qualifier: Per the Disney wiki page, Sofia is “a little girl with a commoner’s background until her mom marries the King and suddenly she is royalty.” So, she’s not technically a princess by birth, but she is one because she has a royal stepfather. Disney hasn’t presented many step-parents in a positive light (ex: Wicked Stepmothers in Snow White, Cinderella) but it seems that they are now showing step-parents as legitimate mother/father figures. So that’s a good step forward, and one that’s more in line with the reality of home life for many Disney fans. She won’t be included in the official lineup, but expect to see plenty more of Sofia in Disney TV shows, movies, shops, and parks!
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
- EP-1 (Excluded Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by marriage
- Qualifier: Not born a royal member of the animal kingdom, but becomes one when paired with Bambi. Bambi is the son of the Great Prince of the Forest, making him a prince and Faline a princess.
- Love Interest: Bambi
- Also: Not an official or unofficial Disney Princess, but one of only a few characters that can be defined as royalty in the animal kingdom.
Tiger Lily
Peter Pan, 1953
- EP-1 (Excluded Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Born royalty – her father is the Chief of the Tribe of Indians (Native Americans) in Neverland, and as such she is an indian princess.
- Love Interest: Peter Pan (all the ladies love him!)
- Also: Not an official or unofficial Disney Princess despite being true royalty. This is likely due to her small role in Peter Pan, and the controversy surrounding the racist portrayal of Native Americans.
Eilonwy
The Black Cauldron, 1985
- EP-1 (Excluded Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Born royalty, princess/”daughter of Angharad, daughter of Regat of the Royal House of Llyr”. Father was a commoner named Geriant but maternal grandfather was Llyr Half-Speech, the Sea King.
- Love Interest: N/A
- Also: Not included in the official or unofficial Disney Princess lineup despite being true royalty. This is likely due to the relative unpopularity of her movie.
Atta
A Bug’s Life, 1998
- EP-1 (Excluded Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Eldest daughter to the Queen of the Ant Colony
- Love Interest: Flik
- Also: Briefly crowned Queen but passes the tiara along to her younger sister, Dot. One of only a few princesses we see become queen (however briefly) in their original movie.
Dot
A Bug’s Life, 1998
- EP-1 (Excluded Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Youngest daughter to the Queen of the Ant Colony
- Love Interest: N/A
- Also: The original Queen passes her crown to Atta (Dot’s older sister), who then passes it to Dot. One of only a few princesses we see become queen in their original movie.
Jane
Tarzan, 1999
- EP-1 (Excluded Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by marriage
- Qualifier: Daughter of Professor Archimedes Q. Porter, a biologist, and therefore not a princess. Later paired with Tarzan, a human that was adopted by the gorillas. His adopted mother is Kala, who is mate to Kerchak, leader of the gorilla troop. Tarzan is accepted as the son and rightful leader, making him the equivalent of a king or prince among the gorillas.
- Love Interest: Tarzan
- Also: Not an official or unofficial Disney Princess, but one of only a few characters that can be defined as royal members of the animal kingdom.
Kida
Atlantis: The Lost Empire, 2001
- EP-1 (Excluded Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Born royalty, princess/daughter of the King and Queen of Atlantis.
- Love Interest: Milo Thatch
- Also: Not included in the official or unofficial Disney Princess lineup despite being true royalty.
Vanellope
Wreck-It Ralph, 2012
- EP-1 (Excluded Princess with one legitimate royal connection)
- Royal by birth
- Qualifier: Is revealed to be Princess Vanellope von Schweetz of the Sugar Rush video game kingdom
- Love Interest: N/A
- Also: Not included in the official or unofficial Disney Princess lineup despite being true royalty.
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 :)
Leave a Reply