What is a Princess?

A princess is a female heir to the throne of her country or kingdom. She is usually a daughter of a king and queen or the wife of a prince. As women gained more rights and respect in Europe, the concept of the princess evolved from being a bride to the king or her husband, to an heir of the monarchy in her own right. Princesses carry out duties and responsibilities associated with their royal status, such as representing the monarchy at official events and promoting charitable causes.

Often, children imagine themselves as princesses and like to dress up in fancy dresses with tiaras. Princess stories are a creative means of imbibing moral values in kids and teaching them about kindness, courage, humility etc. Princesses are more than just pretty gowns and tiaras, they are good-hearted people who take pride in what they have done for others and in themselves.

In order to be considered a Disney princess, the character must play a prominent role in a movie or book and have a certain amount of heroism. A few notable examples include a princess from the Arabasta Kingdom who traveled with the Straw Hat Pirates, the Goldfish Princess from the Goldfish Empire and Shirahoshi from the Ryugu Kingdom who can summon Sea Kings. It is interesting to note that the princess from The Princess and the Frog and Merida from Brave aren’t considered Disney princesses because they don’t fit the criteria mentioned above.