History Main / RoyaltySuperPower

-->--'''Xander''', ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates''

* In ''[[Creator/ChoiceOfGames Choice of Romance]]'', the Kingdom of [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Iberia]] has the nobility possessing Life or Death magic (depending on the family). Death mages is mostly good for fighting (e.g. throwing fireballs), while Life mages are usually healers, although it's possible to use Life magic for MindControl (with some nasty side effects for the user). As per tradition, the magic type of the current ruler must be different from the one before, meaning a Life magic King/Queen must be succeeded by a Death magic heir and vice versa. In Chapter III, a lower noble has figured out how to create Death rods, artifacts capable of storing and using Death magic without being a powerful Death mage, as long as it's been charged by one. The idea is that this would allow the Iberian army to include commoners with powerful weapons to crush all opposition. However, higher-ranking nobles fear that this would undermine the very foundations of nobility. The lower noble also claims that, at a later time, Life rods could be made to allow anyone with rudimentary magical abilities to heal (e.g. Death mages healing themselves in battle).

* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', it would seem being a descendant of royalty is one of the criteria for being a Knight of the Cross. Not much of a restriction due to the way heredity spread; for instance, almost everybody in Europe is descended from Charlemagne.

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', only those born with Crests (proof of being part of the HeroicLineage of the Ten Elites or Four Saints of the past) can wield the [[AncestralWeapon Heroes' Relics]] and gain access to powerful mystical abilities, and these Crest bearers are or ''were'' part of the noble families descended of those ancient heroes. Of course, it ''is'' technically possible to use a Heroes' Relic even without a Crest [[spoiler:assuming you're willing to accept being hurt by the Relic in the best case and being turned into a giant monstrosity in the worst]], and it's a plot point in that [[spoiler:it's possible to have a Crest ''granted'' to you through various means, such as accepting the blood of a divine dragon, having a Crest Stone implanted into your body, or being experimented on to forcibly insert the Crest.]]

* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', royal blood is needed to [[spoiler: activate the [[MindControl Coordinate]] and use it to its full potential. Eren Yeager eventually realizes the only reason he was able to use the Coordinate's power at all the first time he triggered it was because the Titan he was in contact with at the time carried royal blood. The Beast Titan's user, Zeke Yeager, also possesses royal blood -- this allows him to control Titans made from taking in his spinal fluid, trigger their transformation by [[MakeMeWannaShout screaming]], and grants said Titans the ability to function at night. As it turns out, Zeke possesses royal blood because he's the son of Dina Yeager, Grisha Yeager's (Eren's father's) first wife, who was turned into the very Titan Eren was in contact with when he first used the Coordinate]]. [[spoiler:Even when Eren manipulates Zeke into helping him reach into the Paths to contact the first Titan Ymir Fritz's spirit and convince her to give him the power of the Founding Titan, he still needs Zeke ''alive'' (if not necessarily willing) to control the mindless Titans to initiate the Rumbling. When Zeke is motivated to fight for the world by Armin's words, he's able to subvert Eren's control enough to let several fallen Titan Shifters reconnect to their otherwise mindless bodies to aid the heroes, and Zeke's own willing death by Levi's blade robs Eren of the ability to command the Wall Titans.]]

* The reason members of the royal families in ''Manga/BlackClover'' have such great magical power is because their ancestors stole mana from the elves when they massacred them. It's for this reason that the elves ''especially'' hate royalty.

* The ability of the royal family of Roshtaria to command the [[DoomsdayDevice Eye of God]] in ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'' is treated as such in-universe but due to the series' SchizoTech, it's implied by characters with a better of understanding of technology that its keyed to a genetic sequence passed down through the royal family.

* [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Originally]] Franchise/WonderWoman's powers were not unique to her and all Amazons had the same power source and set, Di and Polly were just more skilled. [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 Post-Crisis]] supposedly sticks with this, though only Diana and Hippolyta have the strength, magic level, and items needed to put together Wondy's whole powerset. ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfWonderWoman2016'' makes this explicit, as very very few Amazons are immortal in this 'verse and of the five that are four are the members of the royal family and Hippolyta has access to incredibly powerful magical items she then gifts to her daughter and heir.

--> The only thing known to go faster than ordinary light is monarchy, according to the philosopher Ly Tin Wheedle. He reasoned like this: you can't have more than one king, and tradition demands that there is no gap between kings, so when a king dies the succession must therefore pass to the heir instantaneously. Presumably, he said, there must be some elementary particles -- kingons, or possibly queons -- that do this job, but of course succession sometimes fails if, in mid-flight, they strike an anti-particle, or republicon. His ambitious plans to use his discovery to send messages, involving the careful torturing of a small king in order to modulate the signal, were never fully expanded because, at that point, the bar closed.

* ''Literature/LabyrinthsOfEcho'' explored the implications. The protagonist [[SummonEverymanHero immigrated]] to a very rich kingdom. Later his boss explains the reason why here only scholars know what "drought" means: crown princes of several successive dynasties were trained and initiated into a [[UnEqualRites special magical tradition]] giving the ability to strike deals with the land itself. So they fight off endless attempts to influence them, to the point that "was a crown prince and trained accordingly" is given as a reason why a king-[[RealityWarper Arbiter]] managed to control his powers. In many generations of batshit insane mages, almost no one tried to overthrow the monarchy or attack a specific king. Rebel mages screamed for blood of the head of a magical order allied with the crown and long after civil war's end avengers popped up once per tenday or so. Not against the King. In the land choke-full of diviners he travels incognito with two guards and a token cover-up: lots of people ''could'' track him if they wanted, but no one does.

** Members of House Targaryen supposedly have the blood of dragons in their veins, though the only current one who is very situationally fireproof and can command the loyalty ([[StubbornMule well, kind of]]) of dragons is... Daenerys. She certainly is the only known person who has, frankly, lucked into being able to hatch them after almost two centuries of nothing. And, her hatchlings like being around her, at least. According to ''Literature/TheWorldOfIceAndFire'', dragon riding actually originated as a ''nobility'' superpower. The Targaryens were one of the forty so-called dragonlords, noble families who ruled over the Valyrian Freehold. The Doom killed all dragonlords aside from the Targaryens, who proceeded to conquer and rule over Westeros, hence it went from nobility to royalty superpower.

* ''Podcast/SibyllineSounds'': All nagas possess HypnoticEyes, but the venom of royal nagas, instead of being toxic, is a FantasticDrug that puts a the victim into a state of suggestibility much deeper than normal hypnosis.

[[folder:TabletopGames]]

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', only those born with Crests (proof of being part of the HeroicLineage of the Ten Elites or Four Saints of the past) can wield the [[AncestralWeapon Heroes' Relics]] and gain access to powerful mystical abilities, and these Crest bearers are or ''were'' part of the noble families descended of those ancient heroes. Of course, it ''is'' technically possible to use a Heroes' Relic even without a Crest [[spoiler:assuming you're willing to accept being hurt by the Relic in the best case, and being turned into a giant monstrosity in the worst]], and it's a plot point in that [[spoiler:it's possible to have a Crest ''granted'' to you through various means, such as accepting the blood of a divine dragon, having a Crest Stone implanted into your body, or being experimented on to forcibly insert the Crest.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'', the women of the royal Butterfly family have access to magic, as well as the ability to turn into butterfly-like creatures upon becoming teenagers. It eventually turns out genes don't have anything to do with it, they just have a powerful MagicWand as an AncestralWeapon (that can actually be used by anyone) and are the only ones ''taught'' to use magic. The transformation and FacialMarkings is caused by ''exposure'' to magic ([[MuggleBestFriend Marco]] even used the wand once, temporarily gaining the same marks himself). [[spoiler:In fact, the last several hundred years of queens are not related to the ones before them.]]

* Only the nobles in ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' can use magic, and their children can use magic via SuperpowerfulGenetics. And in a special case, a user of Void Magic must be descended from either one of the founding leaders of any of the four countries.

* ''Podcast/SibyllineSounds'': All nagas possess HypnoticEyes, but the venom of royal nagas, instead of being toxic, is a FastasticDrug that puts a the victim into a state of suggestibility much deeper than normal hypnosis.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'': The Curtanas and the Union Jack spiritual item are magical items that only the Royal Family of Britain can wield due to being based around the concepts of "England's ruler." When used to broadcast the power of Curtana, the Union Jack creates a MassSuperEmpoweringEvent.

Subtrope of RoyalBlood and SupernaturalElite, supertrope of MedicalMonarch. Compare to AuthorityEqualsAsskicking and TheMagocracy. See also HiveQueen, GodEmperor, VampireMonarch, and FisherKing. See also PresidentSuperhero, who usually got into power through democratic means, and PositionOfLiteralPower, where the power is granted by the office itself.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', all of the practicing royalty (as opposed to characters that act more like standard nobility than royalty) are alicorns, wielding very powerful magic and ruling over conceptual domains (the sun, the moon and dreams, love, and friendship). This is due to the fact that the eldest of the royalty, Princess Celestia, takes note of those potentially capable of these feats, granting them princesshood and a position in their circle once they realize their potential. Sometimes this involves actual adoption into her family, other times not.

Sometimes this is the product of SuperpowerfulGenetics, other times it's an object passed down, or a ritual that the royals invoke that grants them their powers. Other times it is just handwaved as the DivineRightOfKings with a [[ReligionIsMagic deity granting them their abilities]] (especially if it takes the form of [[MedicalMonarch healing magic]]).

There's a reason that the royal family is the one in control of the kingdom. Their [[RoyalBlood bloodline]] is the one with the powers. Their line is associated with magic, or telepathy, or some other sort of supernatural ability.

* The ability of the royal family of Roshtaria to command the [[DoomsdayDevice Eye of God]] in ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'' is treated as such in universe but due to the series SchizoTech it implied by characters with a better of understanding of technology that its keyed to a genetic sequence passed down through the royal family.
* In ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' the kings of the Ancient Belkan era invoked this trope via [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetic engineering]], turning themselves and their descendents into OneManArmies, as seen with [[spoiler:Vivio]], who, at ''six years old'', had more raw power than the title character, herself a winner of the SuperpowerLottery.

* ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'s love interest Princess Mera has the ability to manipulate water with her mind that in the New 52, its revealed to be a trait of the Xebel royal family she hails from. It also turns out that those that marry into her family inherit it as well, which is something her evil betrothed Nereus seeks to once he marries her.

* While all members of [[ComicBook/TheInhumans the Inhuman race]] have superpowers, those of their Royal Family tend to be the most powerful. Maybe justified since their culture is big on eugenics, so the guys with the best genes wind up on top.

* The ''ComicBook/SupermanDoomsdayHunterPrey'' comic: Doomsday, [[WhyWontYouDie an invincible regenerating monstrosity that adapts to anything attacking it to the point of]] NoSell, experiences his first defeat when the royal family of a planet commit mass suicide to merge into a being of PureEnergy (which Doomsday had not yet encountered, and so was powerless against it). Unfortunately, they cast his body into deep space instead of burning it, meaning they were on the receiving end of a CurbStompBattle when it returned. Said royal family had developed limited PsychicPowers through centuries of inbreeding, but it was only through their sacrifice that these powers could be unleashed.
* The Asgardian Royal Family tends to have more of and more than just the ordinary Asgardian SuperStrength. [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor's]] weather powers are inherent, for one thing. Thor's greater strength however, is because his mother was Gaea, who is somewhat higher on the cosmic scale than the Asgardian royal family, being ''the'' Mother goddess.

* [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Originally]] Franchise/WonderWoman's powers were not unique to her and all Amazons had the same power source and set, Di and Polly were just more skilled. [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 Post-Crisis]] supposedly sticks with this, though only Diana and Hippolyta have the strength, magic level and items needed to put together Wondy's whole powerset. ''ComicBook/TheLegendOfWonderWoman2016'' makes this explicit, as very very few Amazons are immortal in this 'verse and of the five that are four are the members of the royal family and Hippolyta has access to incredibly powerful magical items she then gifts to her daughter and heir.

* In ''Film/Aquaman2018'', only Atlantean highborn are capable of breathing in both air and water. Common Atlanteans can only breathe water and must wear water-filled PoweredArmor on the surface. This applies to the highborn of Atlantis, Xebel, and the Fishermen (the princess is shown to breathing air just fine, even though she's a fish person). The Trench can breathe air just fine too, but they're monsters and may not count. We never learn if the Brine King can breathe air, since he doesn't come up to witness the duel. Notably, all Atlanteans used to be human, but after Atlantis sank, King Atlan used his trident to modify his people to breathe underwater and handle the cold water and crushing depth. Presumably, he also made the highborn able to breathe air as well.

* Only the nobles in ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' can use magic, and their children can use magic via SuperpowerfulGenetics. And in a special case, a user of Void Magic must be descended from the either one of the founding leaders of any of the four countries.
* In the ''Literature/HellsGate'' series, we have a few on both sides of the [[TheMultiverse inter-universal war]]. On the Arcanan side, the Mythalans have a FantasticCasteSystem, with the magic-using Shakira on top, the supported by the military nobility of the Multhari, and oppressing the mundane Garthan peasantry. On the Sharonan side, the Calirath dynasty has ruled Ternathia, and at one time or another, most of the world, thanks to their family [[SpiderSense Talent]]- the ability to predict human suffering and tragedy, and thus act to prevent or minimize loss of life (on their side, when it happens in battle. [[BadassCreed Chunika s'hari, Halian]].[[HeroicSacrifice Sho Warak]].) that gets stronger the closer the Calirath is to the centre of the danger.
* Downplayed in ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'', where the royal family is directly ([[SecretLegacy though secretly]]) descended from a legendary Herald-Mage and all his line have Mage potential. It's downplayed because overreliance on magic nearly destroyed faith in the non-mage Heralds, so magic has been a lost art in Valdemar for centuries.

* ''Literature/LabyrinthsOfEcho'' explored the implications. The protagonist [[SummonEverymanHero immigrated]] to a very rich kingdom. Later his boss explains the reason why here only scholars know what "drought" means: crown princes of several successive dynasties were trained and initiated into a [[UnEqualRites special magical tradition]] giving the ability to strike deals with the land itself. So they fight off endless attempts to influence them, to the point that "was a crown prince and trained accordingly" is given as a reason why a king-[[RealityWarper Arbiter]] managed to control his powers. In many generations of batshit insane mages almost no one tried to overthrow the monarchy or attack a specific king. Rebel mages screamed for blood of the head of a magical order allied with the crown and long after civil war's end avengers popped up once per tenday or so. Not against the King. In the land choke-full of diviners he travels incognito with two guards and a token cover-up: lots of people ''could'' track him if they wanted, but no one does.

* In the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series, the RoyalBlood is one of the Five Great Charters, linking the royal family to the very make-up of magic in their land, as well as their kingdom's fate. This conferrs several advantages: members of the royal family seem to be stronger magicians than ordinary folk, and can bestow a mark on their direct vassals (such as soldiers who enforce royal law) that grants limited protection from harmful spells. Mogget also reveals that Kerrigor corrupted this royalty superpower to make himself an extraordinary threat. As a prince he gave a mark to his evil Free Magic and undead servants, creating a loophole in the Charters.

** Members of house Targaryen supposedly have the blood of dragons in their veins, though the only current one who is very situationally fireproof and can command the loyalty ([[StubbornMule well, kind of]]) of dragons is... Daenerys. She certainly is the only known person who has, frankly, lucked into being able to hatch them after almost two centuries of nothing. And, her hatchlings like being around her, at least. According to ''Literature/TheWorldOfIceAndFire'', dragon riding actually originated as a ''nobility'' superpower. The Targaryens were one of the forty so-called dragonlords, noble families who ruled over the Valyrian Freehold. The Doom killed all dragonlords aside from the Targaryens, who proceeded to conquer and rule over Westeros, hence it went from nobility to royalty superpower.

** House Stark was royalty once back when they were the Kings of the North. Though they aren't officially kings anymore, their bloodline still has power thanks to their lineage as descendants of the First Men. Wargs, Greenseers and Greendreamers have all appeared in the Stark's family tree.

* In ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'', more of an identifier than a useful power, the Idrian royal line can change the color of their hair based on their emotions. It is useful way to demonstrate their strong will and self-control, though, because it can be controlled with extreme effort. This is specifically called out in the annotations as not being genetic - only the children of the person who ends up inheriting the throne will retain the so-called "Royal Locks", and none of their siblings will pass it on.

* In medieval England and France, it was believed the touch of a king could cure diseases. It was called the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_touch Royal touch]] and was believed to cure forms of tuberculous. This concept was tied to the DivineRightOfKings, as it was believed someone anointed by God could preform miracles.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem'' have the royal family of Altea, whose relationship to the hero Anri allows them to wield the holy sword, Falchion. Female members can also use the Aum Staff that allows to resurrect a fallen character ([[ItOnlyWorksOnce but only once]]).

* In ''VideoGame/KameoElementsOfPower'', the Element of Power that allows its wearer to transform into a powerful Elemental Warrior is passed down through the Elves' royal family. The plot begins when Kameo, the younger princess, is chosen to wield the Element of Power over her elder sister Kalus and said elder sister responding to the apparent snub by their mother the queen poorly. [[spoiler:Slightly subverted since Kameo turns out to have been adopted into the royal family.]]

* Subverted in ''VisualNovel/LongLiveTheQueen''. It initially appears that all Lumen belong to noble bloodlines, but this is only because Lumen who ''aren't'' politically important [[BurnTheWitch are the subject of discrimination]] and hate crimes...so there are consequently less of them. The potential for magic ''is'' passed along the royal bloodline, but it doesn't belong to them alone.

* ''Literature/TheCityOfBrass'':

* In ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' the kings of the Ancient Belkan era invoked this trope via [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetic engineering]], turning themselves and their descendents into OneManArmies, as seen with [[spoiler:Vivio]], who, at ''six years old'', had more raw power than the title character, herself a winner of the SuperpowerLottery.
* The ability of the royal family of Roshtaria to command the [[DoomsdayDevice Eye of God]] in ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'' is treated as such in universe but due to the series SchizoTech it implied by characters with a better of understanding of technology that its keyed to a genetic sequence passed down through the royal family.
* ''Anime/AldnoahZero'': Aldnoah, the {{Phlebotinum}} that makes the [[TheEmpire Vers Empire's]] colonies, [[HumongousMecha Kataphrakts]], and Landing Castles run is directly tied to and controlled by the royal family's blood. The whole Martian FeudalFuture caste system is based on Aldnoah activation privileges being genetic.
* The Sakurada siblings from ''Manga/CastleTownDandelion'' have different super powers ''because'' their father is the king. Why this is so is never explained.
* In ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'', members of Ostian royal family exhibit the ability to use something called simply Royal Magic, with which [[TheHighQueen Arika]] is shown to easily break through [[WorldsStrongestMan Nagi's]] barriers. Asuna's [[AntiMagic Magic Cancel]] is implied to be a rare form the power can manifest as.
* In ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'', royal blood is needed to [[spoiler: activate the [[MindControl Coordinate]] and use it to its full potential. Eren Yeager eventually realizes the only reason he was able to use the Coordinate's power at all the first time he triggered it was because the Titan he was in contact with at the time carried royal blood. The Beast Titan's user, Zeke Yeager, also possesses royal blood -- this allows him to control Titans made from taking in his spinal fluid, trigger their transformation by [[MakeMeWannaShout screaming]], and grants said Titans the ability to function at night. As it turns out, Zeke possesses royal blood because he's the son of Dina Yeager, Grisha Yeager's (Eren's father's) first wife, who was turned into the very Titan Eren was in contact with when he first used the Coordinate]]. [[spoiler:Even when Eren manipulates Zeke into helping him reach into the Paths to contact the first Titan Ymir Fritz's spirit and convince her to give him the power of the Founding Titan, he still needs Zeke ''alive'' (if not necessarily willing) to control the mindless Titans to initiate the Rumbling. When Zeke is motivated to fight for the world by Armin's words, he's able to subvert Eren's control enough to let several fallen Titan Shifters reconnect to their otherwise mindless bodies to aid the heroes, and Zeke's own willing death by Levi's blade robs Eren of the ability to command the Wall Titans.]]
* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'': The Curtanas and the Union Jack spiritual item are magical items that only the Royal Family of Britain can wield due to being based around the concepts of "England's ruler." When used to broadcast the power of Curtana, the Union Jack creates a MassSuperEmpoweringEvent.

* While all members of [[ComicBook/TheInhumans The Inhuman race]] have superpowers, those of their Royal Family tend to be the most powerful. Maybe justified since their culture is big on eugenics, so the guys with the best genes wind up on top.

* The ''ComicBook/SupermanDoomsdayHunterPrey'' comic: Doomsday, [[WhyWontYouDie an invincible regenerating monstrosity that adapts to anything attacking it to the point of]] NoSell, experiences his first defeat when the royal family of a planet commit mass suicide to merge into a being of PureEnergy (which Doomsday had not yet encountered, and so was powerless against it). Unfortunately, they cast his body into deep space instead of burning it., meaning they were on the receiving end of a CurbStompBattle when it returned. Said royal family had developed limited PsychicPowers through centuries of inbreeding, but it was only through their sacrifice that these powers could be unleashed.
* Brought up with Plourr in the ''ComicBook/XWingRogueSquadron''. Her line was genetically tampered with, and she is very strong, able to fight a Tunroth to a draw -- a Tunroth who jokes that Wookiees let Tunroth win.

* ''ComicBook/TheRoyalsMastersOfWar'' takes place in an AlternateUniverse UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. One where the "Divine Right of Kings" takes on a far more literal meaning.
* ComicBook/BlackPanther is the ceremonial title given to the chief of the Panther Tribe in Wakanda. That nifty cowl is actually his symbol of office. Technically, though, the only truly superhuman abilities the Black Panther has come from a heart-shaped herb, but even the ability to survive imbibing it is a hereditary ability limited to the royal line.
* ComicBook/{{Aquaman}}'s love interest Princess Mera has the ability to manipulate water with her mind that in the New 52, its revealed to be a trait of the Xebel royal family she hails from. It also turns out that those that marry into her family inherit it as well, which is something her evil betrothed Nereus seeks to once he marries her.

* ''ComicBook/NinjaHighSchool'': Salusians of Royal birth are the only Salusians we see that have SuperStrength. It is downplayed later when we find out that any Salusian with enough money can buy a royal rank, but super-strength is still so rare amongst them that it's statistically more likely to find them in royalty.

* ''ComicBook/{{PS238}}''. Deconstructed with [[spoiler:the planet Argos]]. Members of their Royal House all have FlyingBrick powers and the most powerful incarnation of the power to boot, and the entire rest of their society has been organized into a feudal-style FantasticCasteSystem where the strength of one's FlyingBrick bloodline is directly tied to one's status in the social hierarchy (non-powered individuals are referred to as 'softies' and are slaves or serfs at best). This state of affairs came to be because, after a BizarreBabyBoom similar to on Earth, the Flying Bricks, being the most common superpower, banded together at some point in the planet's history, forcibly overthrew the previous government(s) and [[WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide 'culled']] all the other superpowers from the planet. {{Civil War}}s between noble houses are implied to be ''extremely'' destructive affairs on all sides, to say nothing of what happens in a SuccessionCrisis of royals.

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[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

* In ''Film/Aquaman2018'', only Atlantean highborn are capable of breathing in both air and water. Common Atlanteans can only breathe water and must wear water-filled PoweredArmor on the surface. This applies to the highborn of Atlantis, Xebel, and the Fishermen (the princess is shown to breathing air just fine, even though she's a fish person). The Trench can breathe air just fine too, but they're monsters and may not count. We never learn if the Brine King can breathe air, since he doesn't come up to witness the duel. Notably, all Atlanteans used to be human, but after Atlantis sank, King Atlan used his trident to modify his people to breathe underwater and handle the cold water and crushing depth. Presumably, he also made the highborn able to breathe air as well.

* In ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'', more of an identifier than a useful power, the Idrian royal line can change the color of their hair based on their emotions. It is useful way to demonstrate their strong will and self-control, though, because it can be controlled with extreme effort.
** This is specifically called out in the annotations as not being genetic - only the children of the person who ends up inheriting the throne will retain the so-called "Royal Locks", and none of their siblings will pass it on.
* In Fiona Patton's ''Literature/TalesOfTheBranionRealm'' series, the royal family of an alternate Britain is associated with a fire god. All the family have glowing eyes, and the sovereign is the god's "Vessel" or avatar.
* In ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' the kings of Gondor are said to have healing abilities. The truth is, possibly, a bit more mundane-- as Aragorn uses forgotten herbal techniques (though they have strangely supernatural effects).
** His abilities to control the Dead Men of Dunharrow (a host of spectral undead) and interact with them as if they were solid, abilities granted by the oath they swore to his family, are less ambiguous.
* Everyone in ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'' has a magical talent, but there's a legal requirement that the king must be a Magician (someone whose talent is particularly powerful). Over the course of the series, one family has kept the throne for several generations because they're descended from a character who was given the gift that all his descendants would have Magician-class talents.
* ''Literature/LabyrinthsOfEcho'' explored the implications. The protagonist [[SummonEverymanHero immigrated]] to a very rich kingdom. Later his boss explains the reason why here only scholars know what "drought" means: crown princes of several successive dynasties were trained and initiated into a [[UnEqualRites special magical tradition]] giving the ability to strike deals with the land itself. So they fight off endless attempts to influence them, to the point that "was a crown prince and trained accordingly" is given as a reason why a king-[[RealityWarper Arbiter]] managed to control his powers. In many generations of batshit insane mages almost no one tried to overthrow the monarchy or attack a specific king. Rebel mages screamed for blood of the head of a magical order allied with the crown and long after civil war's end avengers popped up once per tenday or so. Not against the King. In the land choke-full of diviners he travels incognito with two guards and a token cover-up: lots of people ''could'' track him if they wanted, but no one does.
* Only the nobles in ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'' can use magic, and their children can use magic via SuperpowerfulGenetics. And in a special case, a user of Void Magic must be descended from the either one of the founding leaders of any of the four countries.
* In ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', it would seem being a descendant of royalty is one of the criteria for being a Knight of the Cross. Not much of a restriction due to the way heredity spread; for instance, almost everybody in Europe is descended from Charlemagne.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** Members of house Targaryen supposedly have the blood of dragons in their veins, though the only current one who is very situationally fireproof and can command the loyalty ([[StubbornMule well, kind of]]) of dragons is... Daenerys. She certainly is the only known person who has, frankly, lucked into being able to hatch them after almost two centuries of nothing. And, her hatchlings like being around her, at least. According to ''Literature/TheWorldOfIceAndFire'', dragon riding actually originated as a ''nobility'' superpower. The Targaryens were one of the forty so-called dragonlords, noble families who ruled over the Valyrian Freehold. The Doom killed all dragonlords aside from the Targaryens, who proceeded to conquer and rule over Westeros, hence it went from nobility to royalty superpower.
** Melisandre claims that royal blood has power. Since this power can only truly be unlocked through [[BloodMagic blood]] [[HumanSacrifice sacrifice]], this doesn't work out so well for the royals in question. Her definition of "royalty" is also very broad, including illegitimate children of royalty, children of royalty who were born ''before'' their parent took power, and relations of the King Beyond the Wall, who is self-proclaimed and whose title is not hereditary.
** House Stark was royalty once back when they were the Kings of the North. Though they aren't officially kings anymore, their bloodline still has power thanks to their lineage as descendants of the First Men. Wargs, Greenseers and Greendreamers have all appeared in the Stark's family tree.
* In Creator/MargaretWeis's ''Literature/TheStarOfTheGuardians'' series, the ubermensch ruling class have perfect genetics, psychic abilities, and the sanction of God.

* In the ''Literature/HellsGate'' series, we have a few on both sides of the [[TheMultiverse inter-universal war]]. On the Arcanan side, the Mythalans have a FantasticCasteSystem, with the magic-using Shakira on top, the supported by the military nobility of the Multhari, and oppressing the mundane Garthan peasantry. On the Sharonan side, the Calirath dynasty has ruled Ternathia, and at one time or another, most of the world, thanks to their family [[SpiderSense Talent]]- the ability to predict human suffering and tragedy, and thus act to prevent or minimize loss of life (on their side, when it happens in battle. [[BadassCreed Chunika s'hari, Halian]].[[HeroicSacrifice Sho Warak]].) that gets stronger the closer the Calirath is to the centre of the danger.
* In the ''Literature/RainbowMagic'' series, the Princess Fairies are in charge of all fairy magic as well as their own.
* In the ''Literature/OldKingdom'' series, the RoyalBlood is one of the Five Great Charters, linking the royal family to the very make-up of magic in their land, as well as their kingdom's fate. This conferrs several advantages: members of the royal family seem to be stronger magicians than ordinary folk, and can bestow a mark on their direct vassals (such as soldiers who enforce royal law) that grants limited protection from harmful spells. Mogget also reveals that Kerrigor corrupted this royalty superpower to make himself an extraordinary threat. As a prince he gave a mark to his evil Free Magic and undead servants, creating a loophole in the Charters.
* In Jennifer Fallon's ''Demon Child Trilogy'', the Harshini generally can tap into the same magic source as the gods. The royal té Ortyn family, though, can dam up the whole thing and release ridiculous amounts of it all at once.

* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': The royal bloodline enables Kasile to produce and control Sacred Fire, which is divine magic.
* In Gail Dayton's ''Literature/OneRoseTrilogy'', rulership of the nation of Adara isn't hereditary; the ruler is selected by the nobles and the officials of the state church. It's technically possible for someone without magical powers to be selected, but there's a definite bias toward those who have them, especially powers that are useful for ruling, such as being able to sense lies.
* ''Literature/{{Neverwhere}}'': All of the House of Portico are Openers, a power that is [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower MUCH more useful than it sounds]].
* Invoked by the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' philosopher Ly Tin Wheedle:
--> The only thing known to go faster than ordinary light is monarchy, according to the philosopher Ly Tin Wheedle. He reasoned like this: you can't have more than one king, and tradition demands that there is no gap between kings, so when a king dies the succession must therefore pass to the heir instantaneously. Presumably, he said, there must be some elementary particles -- kingons, or possibly queons -- that do this job, but of course succession sometimes fails if, in mid-flight, they strike an anti-particle, or republicon. His ambitious plans to use his discovery to send messages, involving the careful torturing of a small king in order to modulate the signal, were never fully expanded because, at that point, the bar closed.
* ''Literature/{{Tigana}}'': The Princes[[note]](Tigana titles it's rulers as "Prince". They're effectively kings of a very small region.)[[/note]] of Tigana can bind wizards to them. This comes to them via DivineParentage.
-->'''Alessan''': You will have heard the legend. It happens to be true. The line of the Princes of Tigana, all those in direct descent, can bind a wizard to them unto death. […] It is our primal story: Tigana is the chosen province of [[TopGod Adaon of the Waves]]. The first of our Princes, Rahal, being born of the god by that Micaela whom we name as mortal mother of us all. And the line of the Princes has never been broken.
* The Takisians of ''Literature/WildCards'' are ruled by several royal families who have been selectively bred for centuries to have telepathy.
* ''Literature/TheCityOfBrass'':
** The Nahid, an extinct bloodline that once ruled the [[OurGeniesAreDifferent djinn]], have a powerful HealingFactor, HealingHands, and the ability to [[{{Omniglot}} understand all languages]], and their blood is a deadly poison to the ''[[EvilCounterpart ifrit]]''. When the [[HalfHumanHybrid ostensibly human]] Nahri heals her wounds in a djinn's presence, it's a combination IAmWho and CoverBlowingSuperpower moment.
** The King of the Djinn is marked with the Seal of Suleiman, which lets them [[DispelMagic negate]] any djinn magic -- [[spoiler:right up to [[DePower De-Powering]] the entire species]]. One rebel group delays moving against King Ghassan because they have no idea how the Seal is passed on.
* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', the only humans who can touch the Orb of Aldur are King Riva and his descendants. Belgarion taking possession of it is his ReallyRoyaltyReveal.
* Inverted in the ''Literature/OneRoseTrilogy'', where the rulers of the nation of Adara don't have magic because they're royalty, but may ascend to royalty from any rank if they have the right magic powers. Adarans consider magic to be a gift of their Goddess, and since the position of ruling monarch - Reinine - is not hereditary but elected by the nobility and ranking members of the church, having magic powers that would be useful for ruling is often an important consideration. The Reinine at the beginning of the series can magically detect lies.
* Downplayed in ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'', where the royal family is directly ([[SecretLegacy though secretly]]) descended from a legendary Herald-Mage and all his line have Mage potential. It's downplayed because overreliance on magic nearly destroyed faith in the non-mage Heralds, so magic has been a lost art in Valdemar for centuries.

* ''VideoGame/RadiantHistoria'': Eruca, the princess, is the only one who can perform the ritual to delay Desertification. [[spoiler:The Chronicle users are also royal family members, but they play a totally different part.]]

* In ''VideoGame/AtelierIris2TheAzothOfDestiny'', members of the Slaith Royal Family are apparently born knowing how to perform the Ein Zecksclaw technique. [[spoiler:Fee's]] ability to do this in times of great danger ultimately reveals that she is really [[spoiler:Princess Audrey, Max's long-lost sister]].
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': The daughters of Hyrule's Royal Family inherit [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast the powers of the Seventh Sage / Maiden]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime the Triforce of Wisdom, the power of the Goddess Nayru]], [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap the Light Force]]]], and [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword the blood of the Goddess Hylia]]]]. You'd think all the power would prevent them from inevitably being the DamselInDistress at one point in every story...Though to be fair, the one who places her in distress most often is the wielder of the Triforce of ''Power'' [[spoiler:and is the embodiment of an eternal curse laid by Demon King Demise, Hylia's ArchEnemy]]. ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'' says that these powers are passed down by the women of the Royal Family, and when [[spoiler:the queen died while Zelda was just a child and couldn't guide her daughter in awakening those powers]], it proves devastating for the kingdom's defenses.
* In ''[[Creator/ChoiceOfGames Choice of Romance]]'', the Kingdom of [[FantasyCounterpartCulture Iberia]] has the nobility possessing Life or Death magic (depending on the family). Death mages is mostly good for fighting (e.g. throwing fireballs), while Life mages are usually healers, although it's possible to use Life magic for MindControl (with some nasty side effects for the user). As per tradition, the magic type of the current ruler must be different from the one before, meaning a Life magic King/Queen must be succeeded by a Death magic heir and vice versa. In Chapter III, a lower noble has figured out how to create Death rods, artifacts capable of storing and using Death magic without being a powerful Death mage, as long as it's been charged by one. The idea is that this would allow the Iberian army to include commoners with powerful weapons to crush all opposition. However, higher-ranking nobles fear that this would undermine the very foundations of nobility. The lower noble also claims that, at a later time, Life rods could be made to allow anyone with rudimentary magical abilities to heal (e.g. Death mages healing themselves in battle).
* House Randgriz in ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'', the royalty of Gallia, are supposed to be this, said to have been descended from Valkyria, a race of powerful warriors wreathed in blue flames. [[spoiler:[[AvertedTrope Nobody pegged them as Darcsen]], whom the Valkyria defeated thousands of years ago.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Drawn}}'': The royal family is said to have possessed magic, presumably the same ArtInitiatesLife power that Iris, the sole royal survivor possesses.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'', the royalty of Lucis can use magic due to the power of the [[MineralMacGuffin Crystal]]. This magic includes storing weapons and other objects and [[HyperspaceArsenal summoning them at will]], warping short distances or to a thrown object, and drawing elemental energy from the environment to craft spells. They can also share these abilities with others. The female members of Tenebrae's royal family have other powers - namely being able to communicate with the gods and heal the [[MysticalPlague Starscourge.]] [[spoiler:Ardyn is an exception -- while he can still use the same magical techniques and magic as the rest of the Lucian royal bloodline, his abilities are fueled by the concentrated Starscourge in his body instead of the Crystal.]]
* The Alberian Royal Family in ''VideoGame/DragaliaLost'' all have Dragonblood, which allows them to make a Dragonpact with a dragon that chooses them and shapeshift into them when they need to. This isn't limited to them, however. The twelve Wyrmclan Leaders of Hinomoto make soulpacts with their clan dragons, similar to the dragonpacts but [[spoiler: at the cost of shortening the users lifespan]]. The apostles of the Ilian Chruch are not royalty, but they also have a special bond with their dragons called a Sigil which kills one if the other dies.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'':
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestI'': Princess Gwaelin effectively set the precedent of princesses from eastern gaming possessing inexplicable magical abilities, as once/if the Hero returns her to her father, she bestows on him an item through which she can communicate with him telepathically as well as pinpoint his exact position in the world. Taken further in her ''Battle Road'' appearances, where she channels the artifacts the Hero collected to create the Rainbow Bridge herself. To top it off, in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestBuilders'', the Dragonlord actually isn't the one guilty of petrifying any of the survivors of ancient Tantegel — she actually recited and enacted the spell herself as a means of protection.
** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestX'': The Hero is part of a royal family that had the ability to control time.
* In ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneySpiritOfJustice'', only women of the royal family of Khura'in can channel spirits or conduct the Divination Seance in court. (The Fey Clan are descended from a member who left to found her own branch). This becomes plot-relevant when a character is challenged to prove her claim to the throne by channeling someone.
* In ''VideoGame/KameoElementsOfPower'', the Element of Power that allows its wearer to transform into a powerful Elemental Warrior is passed down through the Elves' royal family. The plot begins when Kameo, the younger princess, is chosen to wield the Element of Power over her elder sister Kalus and said elder sister responding to the apparent snub by their mother the queen poorly. [[spoiler:Slightly subverted since Kameo turns out to have been adopted into the royal family.]]

* Played with in ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'', similarly to its take on the DivineRightOfKings: Royalty is in itself a superpower. Royalty means not only being sovereign of a nation or a people, [[RealityWarper but sovereign over the laws of reality itself and capable of ignoring it at will]]: Anyone calling themselves 'royal' are invoking the name of the superpower. Royalty is not inheritable but an EnlightenmentSuperpower and becomes harder to obtain the harder you try: Hence, no royals in TheMultiverse are Royalty.

* All of the direct descendants of the Fire Nation Royal family in the ''[[Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar]]'' franchise are incredibly powerful firebenders. This list includes but is not limited to: Fire Lord Sozin, Fire Lord Azulon, Iroh I, Ozai, Zuko, Azula, and Iroh II. The only ones who aren’t confirmed to be benders are Zuko’s daughter Izumi and her unnamed daughter (though that’s not confirmation they’re not either). Fire Lord Sozin was eventually given a non-bender sister in a canon tabletop game as well.

* All of the direct descendants of the Fire Nation Royal family in the ''[[Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar]]'' franchise are incredibly powerful firebenders. This list includes but is not limited to: Fire Lord Sozin, Fire Lord Azulon, Iroh I, Ozai, Zuko, Azula, and Iroh II. The only ones who aren’t confirmed to be benders are Zuko’s daughter Izumi and her unnamed daughter (though that’s not confirmation they’re not either).

[[folder]]

* In the ''Literature/HellsGate'' series, we have a few on both sides of the [[{{Multiverse}} inter-universal war]]. On the Arcanan side, the Mythalans have a FantasticCasteSystem, with the magic-using Shakira on top, the supported by the military nobility of the Multhari, and oppressing the mundane Garthan peasantry. On the Sharonan side, the Calirath dynasty has ruled Ternathia, and at one time or another, most of the world, thanks to their family [[SpiderSense Talent]]- the ability to predict human suffering and tragedy, and thus act to prevent or minimize loss of life (on their side, when it happens in battle. [[BadassCreed Chunika s'hari, Halian]].[[HeroicSacrifice Sho Warak]].) that gets stronger the closer the Calirath is to the centre of the danger.

** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'', only the royal line of Ylisse (who are descendants of the above-mentioned royal family of Altea) is capable of wielding Falchion, the sword that can defeat the Fell Dragon Grima; anyone else who tries to use the sword will find it to be as dull as a butter knife. Even among royalty, though, the sword is picky about who can use it. Out of the current three royal siblings ([[TheHighQueen Emmeryn]], [[WarriorPrince Chrom]], and Lissa), only Chrom can use the sword. [[spoiler:Although ''both'' of his children prove capable of wielding it. [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair Maybe it's the hair]]?]]

-->'''Alessan''': You will have heard the legend. It happens to be true. The line of the Princes of Tigana, all those in direct descent, can bind a wizard to them unto death. […] It is our primal story: Tigana is the chosen province of [[TopGod Adaon of the Waves]]. The first of our Princes, Rahal, being born of the god by that [[HumanMomNonhumanDad Micaela whom we name as mortal mother of us all]]. And the line of the Princes has never been broken.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BarbieInAMermaidTale'', only those of the royal family can spin Merillia.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BarbieThePearlPrincess'', Lumina has pearl powers because she's a princess.

* In ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' members of house Targaryen supposedly have the blood of dragons in their veins, though the only current one who is very situationally fireproof and can command the loyalty ([[StubbornMule well, kind of]]) of dragons is... Daenerys. She certainly is the only known person who has, frankly, lucked into being able to hatch them after almost two centuries of nothing. And, her hatchlings like being around her, at least.

* ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'': Queen Elsa rules Arendelle while sporting the ability to conjure up snow and ice. A scene early in the movie after she accidentally hurts Anna implies that magic goes back several generations in the royal family of Arendelle.

* Played with heavily in ''Webcomic/KillSixBillionDemons'', similarly to its take on the DivineRightOfKings: Royalty is in itself a superpower. Becoming Royalty means not only being sovereign of a nation or a people, [[RealityWarper but sovereign over the laws of reality itself and capable of ignoring it at will]]: Anyone calling themselves 'royal' is merely trying to invoke the name of the superpower. To top off the twist, Royalty is not inheritable but an EnlightenmentSuperpower and becomes harder to obtain the more you want to obtain it: Hence, no royals in TheMultiverse are Royalty. Of the four people in TheMultiverse known to be Royalty two of them were beggars and the third was a philosopher (the fourth, YISUN, was TheCreator). [[spoiler:Zoss is on the verge of Royalty, but it's implied he could only get that far by becoming TheExile and abandoning his throne.]]