History Main / ModestRoyalty

** Rhaenyra Targaryen never lets anyone forget her position as royalty and designated her to the Iron Throne, yet she rarely makes a fuss about appearing the part 24/7. Her clothing/accoutrements - as well as those of her children and courtiers - are rarely fancy unless the situation requires it (though still of high quality). During her first councils as Queen [[spoiler: after her half-brother has usurped her throne]], she dispenses with nearly all ceremony and allows her councilors to speak freely (though they all do so respectfully).

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' features a number of RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething, and therefore dress sensibly.

* William I of Prussia (and German Emperor since 1871): Served in the Napoleonic Wars as a teenager and favoured a somewhat Spartan military lifestyle, considering even underpants an effete luxury. When Victoria, the British Princess Royal (eldest child and daughter of UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria) married Crown Prince Frederick William (later Emperor Frederick III), she was shocked by how "primitive" the facilities in the Prussian palaces were.

* UsefulNotes/Sweden: During the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, Princess Sofia worked as a volunteer hospital orderly, while her husband Prince Carl Philip has reported for regular military duty at the Defence Staff HQ. He is a major of the naval infantry reserve by field service, not by birth. No particular fuss about the matter.

* Many Islamic Caliphs embody this trope. One that comes to mind is Hazrat Umar Ibn Khattab, who despite commanding one of the most terrifyingly powerful armies in the world at that time and ruling one of the most powerful empires ever to be wrought on Earth, would go out among the empire at night in common clothing with a sack of corn and would give it in charity among the poor. One telling instance was after the Muslims conquered Jerusalem, Umar was holding the reins of his camel while his servant rode upon it. Upon seeing this, the Patriarch of Jerusalem was said to declare: ''verily, Islam has excelled over all other religions.'' Umar is also said to have shouted at the men who took the city for wearing garish clothing and gold, accusing them of abandoning the simplicity of the Holy Prophet.
* UsefulNotes/{{Charlemagne}} basically had one rule: if you would drink and feast with him, you were all right. His court was basically one constant party, and it didn't end there. He would insist friends join him while he bathed, so that they could keep reveling. He was basically the most outgoing, boisterous monarch in Europe. His easygoing attitude extended to his family: although he was seemingly an OverprotectiveDad respecting his daughters (only one was allowed to marry, and he refused to feast unless all of them ''and'' their brothers who weren't out on kingdom business were present), he had absolutely no problem with them having numerous affairs and even children by various courtiers. Or as [[ComicBook/TheCartoonHistoryOfTheUniverse Larry Gonick]] put it:

* While coronations are usually lavish affairs, King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia had a very understated one, not wanting to put his financially-devastated nation under further strain with a fancy ceremony. He doesn't even have a crown: the ancient crown of Cambodia disappeared during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, and he decided against having a new one made despite the unlikelihood of the original crown even existing any more.
* King Sejong of Korea drove most of the yangban ''nuts'' with this (among other things--he just didn't share their classism). When he was required for an official meeting or the like, yes he'd put on the regalia. But if not, why bother with the attendant expense of repair and cleaning for the extra-expensive garb? Just wear what was comfortable. The traditionalists among the yangban, meanwhile, were irritated that Sejong wasn't keeping himself steeped in the gravity proper to a king.
* Władysław Jagiełło, Grand Duke of Lithuania and eventually King of Poland, dressed in black and grey. Sometimes he even wore sheepskin coats. He never drank alcohol, and shaved and bathed every day - at the beginning of the fifteenth century! According to legend, when Saint Hedwig, Princess of Poland, was about to marry him, she was afraid that he was a hairy beast per the Teutonic Knights' propaganda, so she sent a courtier to check out the truth. The future king predicted these concerns, and invited him to the steambath, where he could see that the Lithuanian monarch is no monster.
* While other monarchs of his day wore fancy clothing (silk, lace, brocade, what have you), Frederick William I of Prussia put on a simple officer's uniform all the time (at that time there were no badges of rank, so an ensign and a general of the same regiment wore the same kind of uniform). His son UsefulNotes/FrederickTheGreat followed his example, going even further by usually wearing the even simpler off-duty version most of the time. This set a trend for other European monarchs of the late 18th and 19th century. During and after the Napoleonic Wars, some of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, such as Frederick William III of Prussia and Francis I of Austria, tended to dress simply and favoured a lifestyle that was "bourgeois" with some military elements (Frederick William for instance would always sleep in a field bed).
* William I of Prussia (since 1871 German Emperor), who had served in the Napoleonic Wars as a teenager, also favoured a somewhat Spartan military lifestyle, considering even underpants an effete luxury. When Victoria, the Princess Royal (eldest child and daughter of [[UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria the British monarch]]), married Crown Prince Frederick William (later Emperor Frederick III), she was shocked by how "primitive" the facilities in the Prussian palaces were.
* As [[TheEmperor Emperor]] of the French, UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte almost always wore a simple field uniform with a couple medals, and on the field would add gray greatcoat and an undecorated bicorn hat. Ironically, that served to make him stand out near the BlingOfWar of his marshals. It is said that one of his biggest errors of judgment during the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Days Hundred Days]] was when he deviated from this during the ceremony on the Champ de Mars on 1 June 1815 for the signature of the act to amend the Imperial constitution and put on majestic monarchical finery, which did not help his image at all.
* UsefulNotes/MariaTheresa enjoyed the finer things - but she enjoyed them because she ''enjoyed'' them, and took a childlike delight in merrymaking (she could dance for hours in a night); whether or not things looked splendid was less important to her then whether or not they were fun. She usually talked with the accent of a Vienna housewife, and kept an easy-going and unpretentious court - for a Habsburg, anyway.
* [[UsefulNotes/TheSoundOfMartialMusic Her descendant, Franz Joseph]], echoing the Napoleonic era, lived a regimented, almost Spartan routine carried over from days in the military - to the point that even his quarters in the Hofburg in Vienna had little more than the bare essentials of the time.
* Contrary to popular imagery, UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette preferred simpler muslin shifts over powdered wigs, pastel satin and big frilly skirts. This caused a major scandal before UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution.
* Despite his incredible wealth, UsefulNotes/AttilaTheHun was known for living simply. According to Priscus, a Byzantine historian who visited him as a member of a diplomatic mission, he wore simple clothes, ate from wooden dishes and did not adorn his sword with gold or gems.
* A notable example was Louis IX (later canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church for his "[[UsefulNotes/TheCrusades Crusades]]" in North Africa), whose rather humble personality is recorded in the memoirs of his friend Jean de Joinville. St Louis preferred to hold the royal court under a tree in the royal garden as opposed to an official room. He also often invited his lords to sit next to him on the steps by the royal throne to converse on state matters. This is also a slight deconstruction, as although Louis appears to have been a great guy, his modesty made his officials somewhat uncomfortable, as they preferred stricter hierarchy.
* The Dutch & Danish Royal Families are known for this.
** Queen Juliana used to ride her bicycle from her residence to her office. She also insisted people call her "ma'am" instead of "Your Majesty" and did away with court protocols such as curtsying.
** The [[https://www.rnw.org/archive/faq-dutch-royalty Dutch Royal Family's FAQs page (in English)]] describes, for example that "The Dutch don't coronate or 'crown' their monarch, but ''inhuldigen'' (install) them. It's an event similar to the inauguration of a President. The current monarch, Queen Beatrix, was inaugurated in 1980." Additionally, the monarch and members of the royal family pay income tax as well as taxes on assets that are not exempted by the Royal House Finances Act. But what truly stands out is the following quote:

** The current Dutch monarch, King Willem-Alexander, does sometimes wear a uniform. He's fully qualified to fly the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, and about twice a month walks through Schiphol Airport to report for duty in his KLM jacket and cap, and [[KingIncognito is rarely recognized]].
** It's a particularly old tradition for the Danish royals: Christian IX was a minor noble who only became heir to the Danish throne by agreement between the Great Powers after both the HeirClubForMen ''and'' the backup Heir Club for Women started scraping the bottom of the barrel. As a result, his only income was his yearly[[note]]About $160,000 in 2013 US dollars[[/note]] officer's salary from the Danish Army (enough to live comfortably, but hardly the amount usual for a royal), and he lived with his wife and two daughters in a relatively small house in Copenhagen[[note]]Though called a "palace", it was actually just a large townhouse some burgher had built and the Royal Family bought up and called a palace[[/note]]--in other words, he lived more like an upper-middle-class professional than as the heir to the throne. The daughters shared a room and made their own clothes growing up, which proved a stunning contrast to their later lives: the elder, Alexandra, married a fellow named Albert Edward who [[UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfWindsor happened to be the Prince of Wales]], while the younger, Dagmar, married the [[UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia Russian Tsar]] (her son [[UsefulNotes/RomanovsAndRevolutions met an]] [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober unfortunate end]]).
** The Dutch monarchs' tradition of simplicity is also rooted, for good reason: until 1815, they weren't even monarchs, but nobles who "happened" to always be elected ''stadtholder'' (commander-in-chief of the armed forces/chief magistrate) of most (but seldom all) of the Provinces of the Dutch Republic. As a result, they never quite got into the whole "I'm a king!" thing. (This, incidentally, is one of the main reasons why the English let ''stadtholder'' Prince William of Orange become King of England in 1688: having been head of state in a constitutional republic, he would know his place as head of state in a constitutional monarchy.[[note]]The other major reasons were (1) royal genetics/family ties (he was married to James II's daughter Mary and was himself a grandson of Charles I in the female line), (2) religion (he and Mary were Protestant), and (3) Dutch business expertise (the Dutch had invented central banking and made improvements to paper money, shipping insurance, and financial instruments; the English hoped closer ties to the Dutch would establish or improve those things in England.)[[/note]])
* The term "bicycling monarchy" is a British term that refers to this trope.
* The modern [[UsefulNotes/TheBritishRoyalFamily British royal family]] doesn't get much more dressed up than business formal, except for truly pomp-inducing ceremonies like a royal wedding or coronation (although there hasn't been one of those since 1953). Even Prince Charles' investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969 (when he was 21) was an understated affair, with his mother in a white hat and dress/overcoat thing and the Prince himself in military uniform.
** [[UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen Queen Elizabeth II]], being the monarch, wears the Imperial State Crown and her full regalia for her annual speech before the Parliament.
** This extends to the BritishRoyalGuards; their iconic uniforms might be rather elaborate or impractical by the standards of contemporary combat uniforms, but compared to something like [[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rom,_Vatikan,_Soldat_der_Schweizer_Garde_3.jpg the Pontifical Swiss Guard]] Parade Dress uniform[[note]]the one they wear for ceremonial duties; the Swiss Guard have an alternate, still-anachronistic but much less elaborate working uniform for everyday wear[[/note]], a red tunic, black trousers and boots and a bearskin are positively austere.
* King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy was noted to wear a basic uniform of the Royal Italian Army (that under him had been made very plain for practical reasons) every time he could get away with it.

* In China, this was actually a requirement for a good Confucian ruler. Creator/{{Confucius}} is quoted in ''The Analects'' as saying that the higher up the (meritocratic) social ladder one goes, the fewer times one should eat during the day: commoners should eat several times a day, while the emperor should eat only once. Chinese historians view very favourably emperors who lived modestly and were open to criticism.
* [[UsefulNotes/ThePope Pope Francis]] showed up in the Italian newspapers pulling a [[KingIncognito Pope Incognito]] in the simple black trousers, black dress shirt and clerical collar of a rank-and-file priest while working a night-shift in a soup kitchen. This seems to be the mark of Francis's papacy in general; a humble man that calls out his subordinate clergy for spending lavishly (he fired one bishop for spending a million dollars to tile a floor). He's even written ''a children's book''.
* It has been common for communist military dictators to wear the uniform of the lowest-ranking private, without insignia or decorations - Mao, Stalin (though the latter dropped this habit after World War 2 and started to wear a white CustomUniform made for him specially). For fascist rulers, Hitler's toothbrush moustache stood in contrast to the extravagant facial hair of the old German upper classes.[[note]]It was also his way of showing his own past as a common soldier; elaborate mustaches would interfere with gas masks, which became necessary in WWI, but the toothbrush mustache wouldn't.[[/note]] A royal monarch, being the "font of honour", carried no honours themselves aside from being king or queen.
* Prince Svyatoslav I of Kyiv. Despite being the ruler of Kievan Rus (though he left most of political affairs to his mother Olga) and one of the most accomplished military commanders of his time, he wore a simple white clothes and slept and ate along with his warriors. According to the Primary Chronicle, he carried on his expeditions neither wagons nor kettles, and he boiled no meat, rather cutting off small strips of horseflesh, game, or beef to eat after roasting it on the coals. Nor did he have a tent, rather spreading out a horse-blanket under him and setting his saddle under his head, and all his retinue did likewise. He wore simple white clothes and the only signs of him being royalty were his hairstyle, his clothes being cleaner, and a single large gold earring bearing a carbuncle and two pearls.
* [[UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire Byzantine Emperor]] Basil II "[[TheMagnificent the Bulgar Slayer]]" lived like a soldier to the point of eating the same daily rations as his troops.
* [[UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire Marcus Aurelius]] made a point of keeping his living area relatively simple, seeing material wealth as a distraction from his duties as Emperor.
* During the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, Princess Sofia of Sweden worked as a volunteer hospital orderly, whereas her husband Prince Carl Philip has reported for regular military duty at the Defence Staff HQ. He is a major of the naval infantry reserve by field service, not by birth. No particular fuss about the matter.
* Corporate variation: Big-box store Costco was founded and run by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Sinegal James Sinegal]] for literal decades, whose net worth measures in the billions and who managed to keep the company's stock growing to five thousand percent of its starting value in 27 years, was rarely seen in anything other than a simple button-up shirt, slacks, and his Costco employee badge. He is seen occasionally in open-front suits or comfortable sweaters and almost never in a tie, befitting his textbook BenevolentBoss and HonestCorporateExecutive demeanor.
* King Phillip II of Spain, perhaps the individual in history to rule the biggest empire ever assembled (the ''Phillippines'' are named after him and that was at the time considered just one of his "minor" domains) weirdly zig-zags this trope. He had himself a gargantuan palace built at [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Escorial El Escorial]], but then that palace is nominally a ''monastery'' and he did the actual ruling from one of the tiniest and most spartan room in the entire building - the current Prime Minister of Spain has a more impressive office than Phillip II did. He also dressed in those weird 16th century Catholic monarch clothes that don't look all that fancy compared to earlier or later monarchical dress.
* Dom UsefulNotes/PedroII of Brazil was known for his incredible humility and frugality in how he carried himself, thus earning the nickname "The Magnanimous". One example was him refusing a statue to commemorate his victory over Paraguay, instead deciding to spend the statue budget on scholarships. However, this also reflected his disinterest in the throne [[TheChainsOfCommanding that was forced on him as child]], a disinterest that grew into a refusal to support the perpetuation of the monarchy after his sons died and he got to travel the world and be free of his obligations. By the time he was overthrown in 1889, he dispensed with any pomp and formality, embittered and resentful of the throne.
-->'''Baron Von Huber''': I found the palace of São Cristóvão the same as ever. It is the bewitched castle of the fairy tales. A sentinel at the door and beside him not a living soul. I wandered alone through the corridors which surrounded the patio. I met nobody but I heard the tinkle of glasses in a neighboring room where the Emperor was dining alone with the Empress without their suite composed of a lady-in-waiting and a chamberlain.

** The remastered version tones down the {{fanservice}}, putting them (except Alicia and Claudia, who wear armour) closer to this trope.

** The aversion of RequisiteRoyalRegalia means that the Seven Shields and Olga would qualify... [[{{Subverted}} if one overlooks]] how their outfits seem to be designed for [[MsFanservice showing off their bodies/assets]].
** The remastered version tones down the {{fanservice}}, putting them a bit closer to this trope.

*** For [[PlayedStraight straighter]] cases, there's [[TheHighQueen Celestine]], who wears a shawl and a white robe; [[{{Hobbits}} Luu-Luu]], who is clad in raw animal hide; and Kaguya, who looks like a {{Miko}}.

* ''LightNovel/{{Slayers}}'': Multiple:
** Princess Amelia's yellow/tan traveling outfit is modest, even compared to the sorceress Lina's complex getup, and the dress and accessories she's usually seen in (a [[PrincessesPreferPink ruffly pink dress]]) while performing her duties isn't super-elaborate. Aside from her [[JusticeWillPrevail vocal love of righteousness]] that borderlines on WrongGenreSavvy, one also doesn't get more modest than a willingness to travel in austre settings with a bunch of misfits.
** And from season 4, the prince Pokota (before being transformed into a [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter stuffed animal thing]]) was also shown to have dressed down.
* Van Fanel (as did the rest of the Fanelian royal family, as seen in flashbacks) in ''Anime/TheVisionOfEscaflowne'' dresses very plainly, to the point that people outside of Fanelia -- noble and peasant alike -- don't even ''realize'' he's royalty unless someone points it out.

* In ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'' we see King Louis XVI dressing very simply unless he's on an official occasion (as his coronation or the inauguration of the Estates-General, the ''only'' occasions we've seen him not wearing plainly). Even then he'll sometimes wear simple clothing (when ordering the National Assembly to revert to the Estates-General, for example).
** Maria Theresa of Austria always wears simple dresses, with only [[SimpleYetOpulent a purple sash, earrings and a diadem]], plus her own dignity, to announce she is the ''Empress of the Holy Roman Empire''. She considers this as the only appropriate style for a sovereign, and she's horrified upon discovering [[PimpedOutDress her daughter's preferences]] as the Queen of France, anticipating she'll alienate the people if she continues.

* In ''Fanfic/AYoungWomansPoliticalRecord'', [[LightNovel/SagaOfTanyaTheEvil Tanya von Degurechaff]], in her position as Germania's Chancellor (Read: Kaiserin of the ResurgentEmpire in all but name), prefers to wear simple dresses made by the nuns running the orphanage she was raised in along with a heavier military coat.

** Ariel from ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Mermaid|1989}}'' always wears casual attire as a mermaid, and in a notable contrast to her sisters, she prefers a very natural look for her hair, always leaving it down and letting it flow messy and free, and doesn't wear any hair decorations except for tropical flowers by her ear. Even though she wears more [[CoolCrown tiaras]], [[PimpedOutDress regal gowns]], [[NiceShoes fancy shoes]], and [[PrimandProperBun Prim and Proper Buns]] as a human, she seems to prefer going [[DoesNotLikeShoes barefoot]] with her hair down and wearing the more modest, less regal-looking "Kiss the Girl" dress. Honestly, most of the time she's a mermaid and a human you would ''never'' guess she was a princess based on looks alone.

** Midna, the titular [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]], is this when we finally see her true form. While Zant, the usurper who had [[BalefulPolymorph cursed her]] to be [[CuteMonsterGirl an imp]], was someone who didn't care about the Twili people and [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/zelda_gamepedia_en/images/9/97/TPHD_Zant_Artwork.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/2000?cb=20210328194808 dressed in opulent robes with a metal mask]], Midna prefers [[https://www.sideshow.com/storage/product-images/903589/true-form-midna_the-legend-of-zelda_silo.png a simple cloth coat, loincloth, and some hair dressings.]]

* ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'': Catarina has the PastLifeMemories of a modern day tomboyish otaku, and finds the outfits that would be expected of someone of her station to be stuffy and restrictive, much preferring the work clothes that she wears while tending to her farm. She has only willingly worn fancy jewelery once, and that was only because the necklace looked just the one from a character in one of her favorite romance novels.
* Souma in ''LightNovel/HowARealistHeroRebuiltTheKingdom'' wears normal clothes, talks casually to the castle guards, and even eats with soldiers in the cafeteria in an attempt to save money. While appreciating his pragmatism, prime minister Hakuya and others in the castle eventually convince him to act at least a little bit like a king.

** When [[CrystalDragonJesus Aslan]] summons Helen, a commoner from our world, to become the first Queen of Narnia she arrives in a simple dress and hands still soapy from doing the dishes. The narration notes that if she had known what was about to happen she would have put on her fanciest outfit, which was tacky and foolish-looking.

* In ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'', the aversion of RequisiteRoyalRegalia means that the Seven Shields and Olga would qualify... [[{{Subverted}} if one overlooks]] how their outfits seem to be designed for [[MsFanservice showing off their bodies/assets]]. The remastered version tones down the {{fanservice}}, putting them a bit closer to this trope.
** A more notable {{subversion}} would be Prim from the remastered version. She wears a white and pink dress during her first appearance, but the narration describes her dress as "the work of the finest tailors of Feoh and Ur", meaning that she falls into SimpleYetOpulent. Later [[DoubleSubversion double subverted]] as she wears a more practical white dress during the ride to Ken, which would take approximately three to five days.
** For [[PlayedStraight straighter]] cases, there's [[TheHighQueen Celestine]], who wears a shawl and a white robe; [[{{Hobbits}} Luu-Luu]], who is clad in raw animal hide; and Kaguya, who looks like a {{Miko}}.

* Shogun Yoshimune in ''Manga/{{Ooku}}: the Inner Chambers'' has a very informal style, going so far as to conduct business in her pajamas and dragging members of her harem into convenient rooms or bushes on a whim. [[Film/HistoryOfTheWorldPartI It's good to be the shogun.]] Yoshimune actually ''weaponized'' this by using it as a pretext to dismiss Akifusa Manabe from office, when Manabe said that she was now shogun, not just a lord of some backwater, and should dress the part. [[spoiler:Granted, Manabe also tried to prevent Yoshimune from becoming shogun, but this was the excuse Yoshimune used.]]

** Stannis Baratheon, in particular, especially when he compared his his brothers, as he dresses much like his men, with very few royal affections in his dress in general, and forgoes wearing a crown - even more modest than his book counterpart, who wears a crown shaped like flames. (Stannis's younger brother Renly Baratheon, on the other hand, wanders about in a [[NiceHat silly crown made of stag antlers]] and loves dressing extravagantly.)

** This extends to the BritishRoyalGuards; their iconic uniforms might be rather elaborate or impractical by the standards of contemporary combat uniforms, but compared to something like [[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rom,_Vatikan,_Soldat_der_Schweizer_Garde_3.jpg the Pontifical Swiss Guard]] Parade Dress uniform[[note]]the one they wear for ceremonial duties; the Swiss Guard have an alternate, still-anachronistic but much less elaborate working uniform for everyday wear[[/note]], a red tunic, black trousers and boots and a [[NiceHat bearskin]] are positively austere.

* ''SailorMoonLegendsOfLightstorm'': Queen Beryl. Despite being the queen of the Negaverse, the only thing she wears that indicates this is a small tiara-like headpiece with a single jewel. The rest of her clothes resemble armor more than anything else, which is unsurprising considering how leadership in the Negaverse works.

** Considering that they're long descendants of [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia Marth]], they must've gotten that from Caeda/Sheeda (who is Marth's wife). She is never seen in royal garb, preferring to wear normal dresses plus necessary armors for combat, and her activities include cooking normal non-gourmet food (and eating those normal foods too), [[TomboyPrincess fighting while riding a Pegasus]], and mingling with commoners, which led her to be able to recruit more units than usual while being something of a kind 'girl next door' type (also winning lots of the loyalty of many non-nobility units. Ask Ogma about it).

* Zelda from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda'' looks upper-class, but doesn't dress like a princess at all. Her most common costume is a purple shirt, a blue vest, white trousers and black thigh-high boots. She only really gets one PimpedOutDress in all thirteen episodes.

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* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'': [[CharactersEldenRingMalenia Malenia]] is a demigod princess and the WorldsBestWarrior, but if you look at her statues in the Haligtree (where she currently dwells), they never depict her as such. Malenia is shown in plain clothes, with her [[HandicappedBadass prosthetic arm]] detached, kneeling to embrace her child-sized brother Miquella. Even in her boss fight, her garb is understated and practical, aside from her winged helmet. This is especially notable since basically every single soldier in her army has more ornate clothing and equipment than she does, particularly her elite [[https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Cleanrot+Set knights]].

* ''VideoGame/EldenRing'': Malenia is a demigod princess and the WorldsBestWarrior, but if you look at her statues in the Haligtree (where she currently dwells), they never depict her as such. Malenia is shown in plain clothes, with her [[HandicappedBadass prosethetic arm]] detached, kneeling to embrace her child-sized brother Miquella. Even in her boss fight, her garb is understated and practical, aside from her winged helmet.

** Queen Juliana used to ride her bicycle from her residence to her office.

* During the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, Princess Sofia of Sweden works as a volunteer hospital orderly, whereas her husband Prince Carl Philip has reported for regular military duty at the Defence Staff HQ. He is a major of the naval infantry reserve by field service, not by birth. No particular fuss about the matter.