History Main / AdoptedIntoRoyalty

* [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/12280782/chapters/27913491 Yu-Gi-Oh Ressurrection: One Light]] reveals that [[spoiler:Bakura]] was adopted as a child by Pharaoh Aknamkanon after the destruction of [[spoiler:Kul Elna]].

* Varian in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/24696103/chapters/59685655 The Moon Calls]]'' is treated as an honorary prince by the kingdom of Corona due to him and [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] considering themselves siblings because they were raised together in captivity by Mother Gothel. [[spoiler:This becomes a lot more official when King Fredric practically adopts Varian after [[InSpiteOfANail Quirin becomes trapped in amber]]]].

* Varian in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/24696103/chapters/59685655 The Moon Calls]]'' is treated as an honorary prince by the kingdom of Corona due to him and [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] considering themselves siblings due to being raised together in captivity by Mother Gothel. [[spoiler:This becomes a lot more official when King Fredric practically adopts Varian after [[InSpiteOfANail Quirin becomes trapped in amber]]]].

* Varian in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/24696103/chapters/59685655 The Moon Calls]]'' is treated as an honorary prince by the kingdom of Corona due to him and [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] being raised as siblings by Mother Gothel. [[spoiler:This becomes a lot more official when King Fredric practically adopts Varian after [[InSpiteOfANail Quirin becomes trapped in amber]]]].

* Varian in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/24696103/chapters/59685655 The Moon Calls]]'' is treated as an honorary prince by the kingdom of Corona due to him and [[WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}} Rapunzel]] being raised as siblings by Mother Gothel. [[spoiler:This becomes a lot more official when King Fredric practically adopts Varian when [[InSpiteOfANail Quirin still manages to become trapped in amber]]]].

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/ATaleOfTwoRulers''. The princess regent Zelda claims that her daughter, Rinku, is adopted. In reality, Rinku's [[spoiler:a ChildByRape with a tutor]]. It's an OpenSecret amongst her court that Rinku is really Zelda's, with the court often complaining behind Zelda's back about Zelda having a [[HeroicBastard bastard]] for a heir.
* ''Who's This White Kid?'': In [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13095858/1/Who-s-This-White-Kid this]] crossover, ''Literature/HarryPotter'' becomes ''[[ComicBook/BlackPanther King T'Chaka's]]'' adopted son, making him a CompositeCharacter of himself and Hunter. It's stated that, as an adopted member of the Royal Family, there's no way he or his future heirs will have a chance to become the ruler unless everyone with Wakandan Royal Blood dies.

* ''Who's This White Kid?'': In [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13095858/1/Who-s-This-White-Kid this]] crossover, ''Literature/HarryPotter'' becomes ''[[ComicBook/BlackPanther King T'Chaka's]]'' adopted son, making him a CompositeCharacter of himself and Hunter. It's stated that, as an adopted member of the Royal Family, there's no chance he or his future heirs will have a chance to become the ruler unless everyone with Wakandan Royal Blood dies.

* ''Who's This White Kid?'': In [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13095858/1/Who-s-This-White-Kid this]] crossover, ''Literature/HarryPotter'' becomes ''[[ComicBook/BlackPanther King T'Chaka's]] adopted son, making him a CompositeCharacter of himself and Hunter. It's stated that, as an adopted member of the Royal Family, there's no chance he or his future heirs will have a chance to become the ruler unless everyone with Wakandan Royal Blood dies.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Princess Cadance, the eventual ruler of the Crystal Empire and the third alicorn introduced, is not blood-related to her aunts Luna and Celestia. As revealed in ''Literature/TwilightSparkleAndTheCrystalHeartSpell'', Princess Celestia [[{{Nephewism}} adopted]] her niece Cadance as a foal. This explains Cadance's origin, as Celestia's only sibling has been trapped in the moon for a millennium.

* In ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'', the king of Liones adopted Elizabeth [[spoiler:after she was carried out of the ruins of Danafor]] because, paradoxically, he [[Main/{{Seers}} saw]] that he would. Also, he just really likes being a dad. No one's really worried about inheritance shenanigans because he has two elder daughters from his bloodline.

* In Literature/TheBible, Moses is a Hebrew slave adopted by Pharaoh's daughter--meaning that he's [[NiceJobBreakingItHerod the one Hebrew boy to escape Pharaoh's genocide]]. He grows up, chooses to throw his lot in with the Hebrews and is called on by {{God}} to lead them out of slavery.

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Princess Cadance, the eventual ruler of the Crystal Empire and the third alicorn introduced, is not blood-related to her aunts Luna and Celestia. As revealed in ''Literature/TwilightSparkleAndTheCrystalHeartSpell'', Princess Celestia [[{{Nephewism}} adopted]] her niece Cadance as a foal. This explains Cadance origin, as Celestia's only sibling has been trapped in the moon for a millennium.
* ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'' gives us Sofia, who was born a commoner until her shoemaker mother married King Roland II and became his queen. Roland did not outright adopt Sofia, being identified in the show as her stepfather, but he gave her the title of a royal princess and they are quite fond of each other.
* The ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' version of Tygra is Lion-O's older brother, who was HappilyAdopted by King Claudus. Interestingly, King Claudus actually [[ParentalFavoritism favors]] Tygra, thanks to him being more of TheDutifulSon in his eyes than Lion-O is.

* In ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'', the king of Liones adopted Elizabeth [[spoiler:after she was carried out of the ruins of Danafor]] because, paradoxically, he [[Main/{{Seers}} saw]] that he would. Also, he just really likes being a dad. No-one's really worried about inheritance shenanigans because he has two elder daughters from his bloodline.

* In the ''ComicBook/BlackPanther'' comics, Hunter is adopted by King T'Chaka after Hunter's parents die in a plane crash in Mohannda, just north of the Wakandan border. T'Chaka treats Hunter like a son and Hunter develops a deep love of Wakanda despite many Wakandans treating him with suspicion because of his white skin which marks him as a clear foreigner. However, upon the birth of T'Challa, it becomes clear that Hunter will never ascend to the throne. Hunter is instead made the leader of Wakanda's secret police, the Hatut Zeraze, and assumes the title of White Wolf. Throughout his life, he struggles to balance his love of Wakanda with his resentment of T'Challa.

* ''Fanfic/{{SAPR}}'': Sunset Shimmer was raised by Princess Celestia in this version of her backstory. She doesn't remember her birth parents, or any day at all before she arrived at the palace in Canterlot. Naturally she comes to consider rejecting Celestia to be one of her biggest failures.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' has [[spoiler:Princess Ovelia Atkascha, who was adopted when it appeared that the King of Ivalice was too sickly to sire an heir. He did, not long before his death, but debates over whether or not the Prince was truly his son led to the outbreak of war. Ovelia herself, and the public at large, remain unaware of Ovelia's adopted status, though the Princess learns the truth not long before the war breaks out.]]

* Throughout much of the ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' franchise (particularly ''[[VideoGame/RomeTotalWar Rome]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar Medieval II]]''), Captains are the default leader of an army when no general or royal family member is present. If they win an epic battle, they may be adopted into the ruling family. They are treated as a son and can be named Faction Heir, eventually even becoming the Faction Leader. Promoted Captains almost always come with a command rating of 3-4, sometimes come with other beneficial traits such as "Brave" and "Battle Scarred," and typically come with no negative traits. (Unlike those born into the ruling families, who are [[BigScrewedUpFamily far more likely to develop negative traits]].) Because of this, promoted Captains in enemy armies can be quite difficult as foes.

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'', Jiminez Hoffman was [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20151113#.Wsyxt3JOm2w adopted by the Mole King]] for suggesting a way for them to end their war with the Argurons: AltarDiplomacy. Which they decided ''he'' should do, since he was now a Mole Prince, and also the same species (human) as the Argurons. [[spoiler: It turns out to be a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage in the end, although it takes them most of the Paris arc before Hoffman figures it out--Princess Larana having a bad case of CanNotSpitItOut.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Princess Cadance, the eventual ruler of the Crystal Empire and the third alicorn introduced is not blood related to her aunts Luna and Celestia. As revealed in ''Literature/TwilightSparkleAndTheCrystalHeartSpell'', Princess Celestia [[{{Nephewism}} adopted]] her niece Cadance as a foal. This explains where Cadance came from, as Celestia's only sibling has been trapped in the moon for a millenia.
* ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'' gives us Sofia, who was born a commoner until her shoe-maker mother married King Roland II, which in turn her a princess and her mother a queen.
* The ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' version of Tygra is Lion-O's adopted older brother and HappilyAdopted by King Claudus. Interestingly, King Claudus actually [[ParentalFavoritism favors]] Tygra thanks to him being more of TheDutifulSon in his eyes than Lion-O is.

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* ''Franchise/StarWars'': As shown in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', Leia Amidala Skywalker was adopted by Alderaanian Viceroy Bail Organa and his wife, Queen Breha. Leia's mother Padmé actually ''had'' been the Queen of Naboo, but that's an elected position. In the novel ''Literature/LeiaPrincessOfAlderaan'', it's shown that Leia being adopted is no barricade to her inheriting the throne, and that there is even a variant of the traditional Day of Demand ceremony specifically for adopted heirs, meaning she was not the first adopted Crown Princess or Prince of Alderaan.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics'' has [[spoiler:Princess Ovelia Atkascha, who was adopted when it appeared that the King of Ivalice was too sickly to sire an heir. He did, not long before his death, but debates over whether or not the Prince was truly his son led to the outbreak of war. Ovelia herself, and the public at large, remain unaware of Ovelia's adopted status, though the Princess learns the truth not long before the war breaks out.[[/spoiler]]

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/ATaleOfTwoRulers''. The princess regent Zelda claims that her daughter, Rinku, is adopted. In reality, Rinku's [[spoiler:a ChildByRape with a tutor]]. It's an OpenSecret amongst her court, who complain about Zelda having a [[HeroicBastard bastard]] for a heir.

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/ATaleOfTwoRulers''. The princess regent Zelda claims that her daughter, Rinku, is adopted. In reality, Rinku's [[spoiler:a ChildByRape with a tutor]].

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/ATaleOfTwoRulers''. Zelda claims that her daughter, Princess Rinku, is adopted. In reality, Rinku's [[spoiler:a ChildByRape with a tutor]].

* In ''Fanfic/OurBond'', Link was adopted by Hyrule's king as a child after he turned up near the castle, but he refuses any princely recognition. Link sees Zelda as his sister, but he see her advisor Mikal as his adopted father.

[[folder:Mythology]]

* In ''Manga/NanatsuNoTaizai'', the king of Liones adopted Elizabeth [[spoiler:after she was carried out of the ruins of Danafor]] because, paradoxically, he [[Main/{{Seers}} saw]] that he would. Also, he just really likes being a dad. No-one's really worried about inheritance shenanigans because he has two elder daughters from his bloodline.

...unless a coup attempt or some other freak disaster wipes out their royal adoptive family and the following SuccessionCrisis leaves the entire kingdom desperate enough to put the sole-surviving adoptee on the throne, to their own [[UnexpectedSuccessor surprise]] [[ReluctantRuler and possible dismay.]]

Maybe you got a father who was lucky enough to marry a queen, maybe you reported and helped stop a coup attempt and the royal family saw adopting you as a way of thanking you, maybe you're already of some position and are adopted into the family as a political fodder, or maybe you just befriended a prince and he liked you enough that he came to his father and [[SiblingsWanted begged]] him (if not outright [[RoyalBrat demanded]]) you get adopted into the royal family so you and he could spend more time together. However it happened, you're suddenly now at the top of the food chain of society, we hope you're comfortable (and you likely will be.)