History Main / KingIncognito

* [[spoiler: Nat Whilk]] in ''The Dragons of Babel''. It helps that he's been gone for a number of years and no one saw that much of him to begin with. [[spoiler: And at the end, Will comes back after twenty years or so and does the same thing.]]

* In ''Akarnae'', the protagonist Alex eventually discovers that [[spoiler: her antisocial roommate D.C. is actually Princess Delucia Cavelle, the heir to the Medoran throne.]]

* In Creator/GregCostikyan's book ''Another Day, Another Dungeon'' [[spoiler:Vic, the senile old man who tells long, pointless stories and begs for spare change, turns out to be the last polymage, a type of sorcerer thought to have died out more than ten thousand years ago.]] This definitely counts as a DeusExMachina, but it's completely forgivable because it's ''hilarious''.

** [[http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/18/528946937/dutch-king-reveals-secret-life-as-part-time-pilot-on-klm-airline?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20170518 He also has had a part-time job as an airline pilot for KLM for over two decades]]. He was originally certified for the Fokker 70, that being the royal flight for the Dutch monarchy; when the Royal Dutch Air Force set out plans to retired that type, he quickly retrained for the Boeing 737. His original purpose in training as a pilot--besides childhood dreams of flying--was actually saving the public money (after all, who could object to an actual royal flying the other royals around?). Since receiving his 737 type rating, he has continued to fly KLM flights on that aircraft. He has stated that most people don't recognize him when he's in uniform and that when he gives the pre-flight safety briefings, most people don't even pay any attention to him, though sometimes people mention that they've heard the co-pilot's voice somewhere before. The King has also said he'd like to be type rated for larger aircraft, though as of yet KLM has not given His Majesty the chance to train on its 777s or 787s. (The airline has already inadvertently robbed him of his earliest flying dream--flying a 747--after retiring the type in the early 2020s.)

** [[http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/18/528946937/dutch-king-reveals-secret-life-as-part-time-pilot-on-klm-airline?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20170518 He also has had a part-time job as an airline pilot for KLM for over two decades,]] flying the Fokker 70, and is training for the Boeing 737. He has stated that most people don't recognize him when he's in uniform and that when he gives the pre-flight safety briefings, most people don't even pay any attention to him, though sometimes people mention that they've heard the co-pilot's voice somewhere before.

* [[UsefulNotes/DynastiesFromShangToQing Emperor Kangxi of Qing]] (r. 1661-1722) was famous for doing this. As was his grandson, Qianlong. In fact, these visits spawned a gesture still found in southern China. Qianlong tended to serve his companions tea and do other little things. A person receiving such a huge honour would have compelled themselves to kowtow (a deep, kneeling bow where one's head touches the ground) to show their gratitude, but in doing so it would have blown Emperor's cover. In order to keep his identity secret, they developed a more discreet way to say "thank you": tapping the table several times with the knuckles or fingers, also known as the "finger kowtow". This eventually became a common gesture for thanking anyone for pouring tea, especially in southern China.

* Emperor Kangxi was famous for doing this. As was his grandson, Qianlong. In fact, these visits spawned a gesture still found in southern China. Qianlong tended to serve his companions tea and do other little things. A person receiving such a huge honour would have compelled themselves to kowtow (a deep, kneeling bow where one's head touches the ground) to show their gratitude, but in doing so it would have blown Emperor's cover. In order to keep his identity secret, they developed a more discreet way to say "thank you": tapping the table several times with the knuckles or fingers, also known as the "finger kowtow". This eventually became a common gesture for thanking anyone for pouring tea, especially in southern China.

* ''Series/TheWheelOfTime'': It turns out that [[spoiler:Lan, full name al'Lan Mandragoran,]] is the king of a country named Malkier, which was lost to the Blight decades past in his childhood. Though, in the Borderlands it's no secret and everybody knows of him. It's only news to the Two Rivers characters.

* ''LightNovel/ExpectingToFallIntoRuinIAimToBecomeABlacksmith'': Kururi, in his capacity as feudal lord of Helan, uses the VoluntaryShapeshifting neko-sensei taught him to see how things are going. First, Kururi lets himself be picked up as a Toy Boy for a noblewoman for a meeting of his political opposition and calls them out. Then he interrupts bullies before preaching about the new school he's building. Finally, Kururi confronts a ConMan selling swords claiming they were made by him, which dispels Kururi's disguise spell because of his passion for blacksmithing.

* In the [[Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime manga adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', Link, during his trip to Hyrule Castle Town, meets a little girl and plays with her all day (including going on a semi-disastrous [[StuffBlowingUp Bombchu Bowling]] excursion). She's actually Princess Zelda, of course, who snuck out of the castle to have some fun.

* He may be a toy store owner instead of a king, but Mr. Duncan from ''Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork'' fits the trope fairly well. He poses as an ordinary store employee while talking to Kevin, who doesn't wise up until he sees a portrait of Duncan, who has already disappeared.

* In John Michael Greer's novel ''Literature/StarsReach'', Trey's prentice Berry seems relatively unassuming at first, outside of his loyalty and dedication to finding Star's Reach. Late in the book, however, it's revealed that he's really the son of the current [[PresidentForLife presden]]; his real name is Sharl sunna Sheren. He was cast out due to being a tween[[note]]FutureSlang for "hermaphrodite"[[/note]], so he decided to become a ruinman and gambled everything on Trey finding Star's Reach. When the current presden dies, he's able to use his royal status to stop the SuccessionCrisis before it gets going and prevent another civil war.

* This trope is the primary conceit behind the long-running JidaiGeki series ''Series/AbarenboShogun''. The eponymous Shogun disguises himself as an ordinary samurai to hang out with firefighters, uncover corruption, and solve mysteries. Every episode ends with a Big Reveal where he confronts the evildoer of the day, which nearly always results in a big sword fight.

* In Creator/GilbertAndSullivan's ''Theatre/TheMikado'' Prince Nanki-Poo disguises himself as a minstrel to escape the advances of Lady Katisha, a [[ChristmasCake much older woman]] who wants his hand in marriage.

* In one issue of ''ComicBook/TheSandman'', Augustus Caesar disguises himself as a beggar to make plans that will not be overheard by the gods.

* In ''LightNovel/ChromeShelledRegios'', queen Alsheyra Almonise pretends to be a normal, lazy professor all the time, leaving Kanaris in charge of most of the things in the palace.

* ''LightNovel/ExpectingToFallIntoRuinIAimToBecomeABlacksmith'': Kururi, in his capacity as feudal lord of Helan, uses the VoluntaryShapeshifting neko-sensei taught him to see how things are going. First, Kururi lets himself be picked up as a Toy Boy for a noblewoman for a meeting of his political opposition and calls them out. And then he interrupts bullies before preaching about the new school he’s building. Finally, Kururi confronts a ConMan selling swords claiming they were made by him, which dispels Kururi’s disguise spell because of his passion for blacksmithing.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' uses this a lot with Gym Leaders:

* Shi Ryuuki from ''LightNovel/TheStoryOfSaiunkoku'' does this a lot. Not that he always succeeds; Shuurei saw through his disguise immediately when they first met (he was using the name of someone she had met not ten minutes ago, among other things). He does manage to pull it off at other times, though -- at least once so well that when he reveals his identity, his subjects don't initially ''believe'' him.

* Crusnik #3/Methusela Empress Augusta Vradica/Seth Nightlord in ''LightNovel/TrinityBlood''; She poses as a human tea vendor around her city using an [[Film/ThePhantomMenace Amidala/Padme]] decoy system (though the decoy [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld looks much older]], this isn't much of a problem because only a handful of people have even the slightest idea what the Empress actually looks like, two of them being her brothers and the rest being her most trusted advisors[[note]]On the contrary, the fact that her decoy looks nothing like her makes it much easier for Seth to covertly wander around her empire in the guise of a young commoner since she never has to worry about somebody noticing her "resemblance" to the Empress.[[/note]]).
* Queen Dianna in ''Anime/TurnAGundam'' is incognito amongst the Earthrace for most of the story, due to a practical joke she played getting more than a bit out of hand (she switched places with an IdenticalStranger and they were separated before she has a chance to switch back). The leaders of the Earthrace do become aware of her situation, as does her personal bodyguard back with the Moonrace, but the general public on both sides has no idea. [[spoiler: By the end of the series the switch becomes permanent, as Kihel (the IdenticalStranger) was happy posing as Dianna in order to give her life meaning and to help society progress, while Dianna wished to live the rest of her short life in peace and quiet. Only a handful of people know the truth.]]
* ''Literature/TheTwelveKingdoms'':
** Shoryuu the Emperor of En does this a lot. He claims that listening to gossip in ''brothels'' is a good way to find out what's really going on. It seems to work.
** The recently crowned Yoko goes on a sabbatical like this early on to familiarize herself with her empire. She ends up joining a revolt against her own government (which had become choked with corruption before her ascension).
* In ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'',

* ''ComicBook/EdgeOfSpiderVerse2022:'' Princess Petra tries doing this, but fails to really get that going around singing draws attention anyway. Then she tries singing about how she's just a totally ordinary girl. Bishop Octopus sees through this "disguise" in an instant.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''

* In the short story "The Fable of the Three Princes" by Isaac Asimov it's the Emperor's Daughter who does this. When foreign princes come to undergo trials to impress her and win her hand, she always disguises herself as a serving maid (she's a powerful sorceress) assigned to them as a way to judge their true characters as well as a way of finding someone who would love her for her and not her title or inheritance (she's the Emperor's only child). This is how the youngest Prince wins her affection, by being kind to the serving maid and telling the undisguised Emperor's Daughter (he doesn't realize they're the same person) that he intends to wed said serving maid.

* In ''[[Literature/TheBridgeKingdomArchives Inadequate Heir]]'': Crown Prince Keris likes to sneak out of his palace in Nerastis to walk, drink and gamble among common soldiers, because that allows him to learn what people really think.

* ''Literature/TheRoyalDiaries'':
** Cleopatra would often dress as a commoner and wander the streets with her maid to find out more about the people and what they think. The only person who ever saw through her disguise was [[spoiler: Marc Antony.]]
** Kristina of Sweden disguised herself as a boy a few times so she didn't have to ride sidesaddle and the stableboys wouldn't treat her as their sovereign.
** Mary, Queen of Scots at one point traveled with Diane de Poitiers with none of the trappings of nobility and royalty.
** Kazunomiya once catches her bethrothed, Shogun Iemochi, disguised as a trash collector so he could be with the woman he loves. This would later inspire her to disguise ''herself'' as a commoner so she could go to the temple and see her own love, Arisugawa.
** Isabel of Castille, to escape her brother's wrath and make her way to Aragon to marry Fernando, would disguise herself and her entourage as first minstrels and then monks.
* ''Literature/GracelingRealm'': Queen Bitterblue of Monsea starts sneaking into her own city in disguise at night because she suspects her advisors are lying about the state the city is in. When asked about herself, she poses as a baker in the royal kitchens.
* ''Literature/TheDawnOfYangchen'': [[spoiler: Near the end of the novel, Earth King Feishan meets Yangchen on an unimportant Ba Sing Se street while wearing laborers’ clothes. This is apparently a regular occurrence for him, since he doesn't want potential spies in the palace learning secrets.]]
* ''Literature/TheLordOfBembibre'': Don Alvaro, the titular lord of Bembire, disguises himself as a random commoner to sneak into the church of the convent of Villabuena and talk to his beloved Beatriz.

** Selethen invokes this trope in ''Erak's Ransom'', having his clerk pretend to be him and explaining that he feared that [[{{Ambadassador}} Princess Cassandra]] was part of a Skandian deception. If she is a true princess, she will see through his deception and will call him out on it if she's honest, and go along with it if she's not.
** Princess Cassandra herself pulls this in ''The Burning Bridge'', pretending to be her own serving-girl as a precaution after her retinue is ambushed and most of it killed. Which pays off when she and Will are captured by hostile pirates.

* in ''Series/MagnificentCentury'', Sultan Suleyman often dons a 'peasant' disguise (just a somewhat less fancy robe and less ostentatious turban) to walk amongst his people in the streets and get their opinions on the empire and his rule without them knowing they're talking to the Padishah. Often the [[HundredPercentAdorationRating people cheer his name in the streets]], and he also once sees a poor boy selling water on the street and [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething arranges for a pension for his family and for the boy to be educated.]]

* James V of Scotland was said to wander his kingdom as "the Guidman of Ballangeich". ("Guidman" = "Goodman" = "Mister".) For this, he was known as "the King of the Commons."
* As mentioned above, Haroun Al-Raschid.

* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' {{fanfic}} [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/739801/chapters/1377264 The Birthday Present]] Gil, Tarvek and Agatha try to visit Paris without altering anyone to their true identity. They even book hotels and buy opera tickets under false names. Too bad they don't make any actual effort to disguise themselves, so they get recognized almost immediately after their arrival and become headline news the next morning.

* Crusnik #3/Methusela Empress Augusta Vradica/Seth Nightlord in ''LightNovel/TrinityBlood''; She poses as a human tea vendor around her city using an [[Film/ThePhantomMenace Amidala/Padme]] decoy system (though the decoy [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld looks]] [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld much older]], this isn't much of a problem because only a handful of people have even the slightest idea what the Empress actually looks like, two of them being her brothers and the rest being her most trusted advisors[[note]]On the contrary, the fact that her decoy looks nothing like her makes it much easier for Seth to covertly wander around her empire in the guise of a young commoner since she never has to worry about somebody noticing her "resemblance" to the Empress.[[/note]]).

* ''Man with a Warranty/Guarantee'': The female protagonist in this Russian comedy has a wealthy businesswoman make a bet with her long-time rival that she can meet and marry (it's still not uncommon in Russia to have a FourthDateMarriage) a "normal" man in one of her shopping malls in 5 days while pretending to be a new employee with no residency. While she starts off as a terrible employee, she quickly gets the hang of it. The "normal" man she picks is a security guard who literally lives at the mall and absolutely loves everything about his job. Her cover is nearly blown by a friend (the wife of her rival) who sees her working at a lingerie store. The protagonist claims that she's merely undercover to find out how her business works firsthand. Naturally, her rival crashes the wedding and reveals the truth to the security guard. The guard is angry at her for lying but, of course, ends up forgiving her when she tells him that she doesn't need all her millions (which she will lose to her rival) to be with him. They end up getting a marriage license one minute before the bet deadline. She then goes to live with her husband at the mall (which she owns anyway).