History Main / PrincessesRule

* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'', a crossover between ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'', pokes fun at the former's constant use of this trope. While dimensional transplant Xenilla is able to wrap his head around Celestia and Luna both being princesses via the justification of them being co-rulers, he simply can't understand why Cadance is still called ''Princess'' even when she's ruling the Crystal ''Empire'', asking why she isn't an "Empress". And hilariously, when he points this out, no-one is able to explain it to him; it seems it never crossed their minds as being odd. Doesn't stop him from constantly referring to Cadance as "Empress Cadenza" under the justification of "just because you guys got it wrong doesn't mean I have to."\\\
It's later zig-zagged as a JustifiedTrope since it appears this is a recent development in Equestrian history. When Celestia banished Nightmare Moon she actually ''was'' offered the title of "Queen", but turned it down as not to appear unapproachable by a populace that was scared of her power. The implication is 1,000 years of great leadership by Celestia caused "Princess" to be the de-facto highest royal title for a female ruler.

[[AC:Note:]] Queens (consort) who are the wives of regnant kings might be referred to as princesses. That does not fit this trope. Nor does [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI a queen referring to herself]] as [[SheIsTheKing a prince]] or a Prince consort who is the husband of a regnant Queen. Only a princess ruling as a princess and a Prince ruling as a Prince counts.

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* It's gender reversed, but in ''Manga/DragonBallZ'', Prince Vegeta's father is dead and has been for a very long time by the start of the series, leaving him as the defacto ruler of the Saiyans, yet he never changes his title to king. [[JustifiedTrope However]], it is something of a moot point, given that Planet [[LordCountry Vegeta]] was destroyed with most of its inhabitants, and Vegeta himself was left basically enslaved to the tyrant who blew it up.

** Prince Endymion is a possible male example, since he appeared to be the main ruler of the Earth during the Silver Millennium. To make it even weirder, he eventually does become King of the Earth in the 30th century, with Neo-Queen Serenity, where he is implied to be a glorified consort.

* ''Fanfic/PrincessTrixieSparkle'' explains why Celestia is a princess and not a queen. Her older sister Astelle was accidentally crowned queen instead of her due to Starswirl misreading a prophecy. Being crowned queen involved a special magic. Alas, the magic cannot be given twice so Celestia was stuck as a princess.

* Princess Odette's father, the king, dies in the original ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' but she is still a princess in the later films. This could perhaps be explained as her kingdoms being united with that her husband, Prince Derek, through their marriage, but still ruled in their entirety by Derek's mother, Queen Uberta.

* Princess Jenna from the ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'' series is the ruler but is still referred to as "princess." She will, however, become queen. When the Time is Right.

* For some never explained reason the monarch of the Fomalhaut system in Edmund Hamilton's ''Literature/TheStarKings'' is 'Princess' Lianna.
* The Princes of Gwyneth (a Wales [[FantasyCounterpartCulture expy]]) in ''Literature/TalesOfTheBranionRealm'' are commonly female due to GenderIsNoObject and SheIsTheKing. For part of the series Gwyneth is independent and has eight Princes at any one time.

* Riliane in [[Music/{{Mothy}} Mothy's]] [[Franchise/EvilliousChronicles Story of Evil]] series is queen of her country but chooses to be called Princess, out of respect for her late mother. She's not [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen a particularly ''good'' ruler]], though.

*** In contrast, [[spoiler:Midna, the titular "Twilight Princess" herself,]] seems to have been a straight example before she was overthrown by [[spoiler:Zant]]. It's also implied she'd only recently inherited the throne before being usurped, possibly not having the chance to be crowned queen.

* In ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' Princess Voluptua is the Vicereign of Earth's solar system, meaning she's still subordinate to her dad the Emperor off in another star system, but she's the highest ranking person ''here.''

* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster''. Princess Lana is the only ruler in Videoland, but her father is still alive, he's just trapped in another dimension.

* The first episode of ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'' explains that the title character can't become queen until she comes of age according to the laws of their nation. As such she is crown princess with a council to help her rule until then.

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': Most kingdoms on Etheria that haven't been conquered by the Horde are ruled by princesses with superpowers. With the exception of Bright Moon, which has Queen Angella. [[spoiler:When Angella [[NeverFoundTheBody is assumed dead]], her daughter Glimmer is coronated as queen instead of simply ruling as a princess]].

* Princess Allura of ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'' is much the same as her ''Voltron'' counterpart, save for one little fact-- most of her kingdom (as she knew it) has been dead for thousands of years. She is still ruler and does have definite subjects to rule over at present, but it seems like she kept her princess title out of respect for the late king her father.

* There are actual principalities amongst some of the smaller states of Europe (such as Monaco and Liechtenstein) whose head of state is referred to (or translated as, in Liechtenstein's case) as "Prince", instead of another title like "King", and any woman inheriting the position would be referred to as "Princess". It’s very rare though; in the Grimaldi family’s 800 year reign over Monaco, there have only been two female rulers and only Louise Hippolyte, Princess of Monaco ruled as a true princess (Lady Claudine reigned at a time when the nation was not yet a principality).

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*** In contrast, [[spoiler:Midna, the titular "Twilight Princess" herself,]] seems to have been a straight example before she was overthrown by [[spoiler:Zant]].

* This would seem to be the case with Princess Mithian from ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}''. She arrives in Camelot for an ArrangedMarriage to Myth/KingArthur, with no sign or mention of either parent. When Arthur breaks off the engagement because he's still in love with Guinevere, he gives her full rights to the lands that were in dispute between their kingdoms, at which point Mithian says: "I would give up ''my own'' kingdom to be so loved." Presumably, she's the ruler of her own kingdom, but is still referred to as a princess. When she returns to the show in Series 5, her background is expanded on and it's revealed that she had a father the whole time. However, the example still stands, as when she first appeared the writers had no plans to bring her back again, nor gave any indication of her parentage. For that one episode at least, she was a straight example of this trope.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', all [[WingedUnicorn Alicorns]] are given the title of "Princess" and assigned different areas to govern: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are the rulers of Equestria (also an ExaggeratedTrope since their power is close to that of deities, moving the sun and moon each day and night), while Princess Cadance retains her title when she becomes ruler of the Crystal Empire, which was once overseen by her ancestor, Princess Amore[[note]]once referred to in-show as [[TheHighQueen a queen]], making for the series' first (if brief) aversion)[[/note]]. The show makes an InUniverse explanation that the "Princess" title isn't exclusively passed down from a bloodline, but is handed out based on talent and worthiness. Still, WordOfGod says the decision to use the title in the first place is due to ExecutiveMeddling dictating that little girls think princesses are good but [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen queens are evil]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': Most kingdoms on Etheria that haven't been conquered by the Horde are ruled by princesses with superpowers. With the exception of Bright Moon, which has Queen Angella.

* Princess Odette's father, the king, dies in the original ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' but she is still a princess in the later films. This could perhaps be explained as her kingdoms being united with that her husband, Prince Derek, through their marriage, but still ruled in their entirety by Derek's mother, Queen Uberta. .

%%* ''VideoGame/BoxxyQuestTheShiftedSpires'': Princess June rules Skype.

Occasionally in fiction, a princess is shown to be the absolute ruler of a realm, despite the fact that, logically, that would make her [[TheHighQueen a queen]]. There could be [[JustifiedTrope a few reasons]] ''why'' she hasn't been crowned queen, such as the realm is explicitly a principality, they are waiting until the princess comes of age (although historically this doesn't usually happen), or the princess is only acting ruler, as regent for an incapacitated monarch, or she's ruling a feudal fiefdom granted by and subordinate to her parents (who are still the reigning monarchs overall). However, in fiction-land, this set-up doesn't usually even get a hand-wave. The ruler just is a princess for [[GratuitousPrincess some inexplicable reason]]. Likely done to avoid associations with [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen evil queens]], as pretty young girls are less likely to be evil than older women. (It tends to be a popular trope in works by and for little girls still in their {{Princess Phase}}s.)

*** The [[AChildShallLeadThem child]] Prince Ralis becomes ruler of Zora's Domain after his parents' deaths but continues to be referred to only a prince, possibly being too young to be crowned king. One Zora NPC lampshades this by wondering if they should start calling him ''King Ralis'' now that the king and queen are dead.

** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'', [[AllThereInTheManual supplementary material]] say that Princess Zelda was about to be crowned queen before everything started going to hell; the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' manual also refers to her as "queen", for what it is worth. In contrast, [[spoiler:Midna, the titular "Twilight Princess" herself,]] seems to have been a straight example before she was overthrown by [[spoiler:Zant]].

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': (Golden Age) Princess Snowina of is the ruler of the North Pole.

%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1507802628082205300
%% Please start a new thread if you'd like to discuss a new image.

* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamSEEDDestiny'': Princess Cagalli might count, though she prefers a different title, and she both averts and plays it straight in the series. Neither changes the fact that she's a princess and the highest official in her nation.
* Princess Adina (Mokuba's virtual OppositeSexClone), ruler of Simlow in the virtual world in ''Anime/YuGiOh''
* In ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'', Princess Rune Venus and Fatora seem to be the co-rulers of Roshtaria (though it's uncertain how much political power Fatora holds).
* In ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'', the Pillar of Cephiro is named Princess Emeraude. Curiously, her younger brother is Prince Ferio. So there may be something else in addition to being Pillar, like a royal family with titles.

* In ''Manga/SaintSeiya'', Polaris Hilda in the Asgard saga is called princess in many foreign dubs, although she's an orphan and the official monarch of Asgard.
* ''Manga/SailorMoon'':
** In the manga, the Inner and Outer Senshi are revealed to have been the princesses (and also appear to be the main rulers) of their respective planets. This is somewhat offset, and possibly explained, by the fact that they are subordinate to Princess Serenity.
** Prince Endymion is a possible male example, since he appeared to be the main ruler of the Earth during the Silver Millennium. To make it even weirder, he eventually does become King of the Earth in the 30th century, with Neo-Queen Serenity, where he is implied to be a glorified consort.
%%* Princess Allura from ''Anime/{{Voltron}}''.

* In ''Manga/ArataTheLegend'', the ruler of the first Arata's world is simply the "princess".
* In ''Manga/YonaOfTheDawn'', the neighboring kingdom of Xing is ruled by Princess Kouren, as her father, the king, is ill. She ascends the throne properly once he properly dies.

* An unusual male example, the ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' villain the Joker has declared himself "The Clown ''Prince'' of Crime" but is the leader of his gang, which should make him "The Clown ''King'' of Crime" but then he'd lose the pun.
* A lot of the kingdoms of Mongo in ''Franchise/FlashGordon'' are ruled by princes instead of Kings.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' fanfic ''Fanfic/BookFiveLegends'' pokes fun at this trope with CloudCuckoolander Princess Koko (implied to be a descendant of King Bumi from Aang's era). She downright ''[[InsistentTerminology insists]]'' on being addressed as a Princess despite ostensibly being a Queen, and a figurehead of a Queen who answers to a Minister anyway. She's equally insistent on this title being used with [[TheChiefsDaughter Korra]], despite her Avatar title generally superseding mere mortal titles.
* It's implied in ''Fanfic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse'' that Luna and Celestia used to use the title of Princess because they were co-rulers. Especially since when Celestia went off the deep end and became Corona, she insisted on being referred to as a Queen. Presumably Luna refrained from claiming the title of Queen after her sister's defeat to avoid the traumatic associations the title had picked up for Equestria's ponies.
* In ''Fanfic/TheElementsOfHarmonyAndTheSaviorOfWorlds'', Celestia and Luna say that the reason they're princesses instead of queens is because princesses are closer to their people than queens. Though Celestia later admits that in reality, they view themselves as regents holding the throne until Queen Majesty's true heir eventual comes forth. There are hints that Twilight Sparkle may be the one they're waiting on, but there's been no confirmation on that one way or another yet.
* This is justified in the Bowser/Peach ''Super Mario Bros'' fic ''Fanfic/MyPainMyThrill'' as a choice of Peach's. Her parents disappeared when she was sixteen. Even over ten years later, Peach refuses to be crowned queen because then it means that she's given into the fact that her parents are dead. Peach ''logically'' realizes that they are dead but she still refuses to admit it.

* ''Fanfic/{{Quizzical}}'': Princesses Celestia and Luna rule over the nation of Equestria.
* ''Fanfic/{{Adjacency}}'': Princesses Celestia and Luna are the highest authority in their nation of Equestria.

* In ''Film/Cinderella2015'', this is implied to be the case with Princess Chelina, as Zaragoza was historically a principality and the fact that her parents are never mentioned. This could suggest that she is directly involved in her engagement to Kit, and that it is her way of being Queen.

* In the ''Literature/DorothyMustDie'' re-imagining of Oz by Creator/DaniellePaige, Princess Dorothy now rules Oz, and has made it a thoroughly CrapsackWorld.

* Gender-flipped with the lands of Emerald and Corisande in the ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' series. The countries are ruled by their princes, however they are also specifically referred to as ''Prince''doms, not kingdoms.
* Princess Desmia rules the kingdom in ''Palace of Mirrors,'' although she is a mere figurehead. By the end of the book, the kingdom is ruled by [[spoiler:a council of ''thirteen'' princesses, all of whom have equal right to rule.]]
* For some never explained reason the monarch of the Fomalhaut system in Edmund Hamilton's ''Literature/TheStarKings'' is 'Princess' Lianna.
* ''Literature/TheBlackCompany'': In the later books, the FantasyCounterPartCulture version of India is ruled by a prince. (At some point in the distant past, it was part of a now-defunct much larger empire.)
* The Princes of Gwyneth (a Wales [[FantasyCounterpartCulture expy]]) in ''Literature/TalesOfTheBranionRealm'' are commonly female due to GenderIsNoObject and SheIsTheKing. For part of the series Gwyneth is independent and has eight Princes at any one time.
* The Rhoynar, including the ruling family of Dorne, are late additions to Westeros in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' compared to the Andals and the First Men, and continue to style their rulers "Princes" after the fashion of their original homeland in Essos. They were allowed to continue this tradition, as well as that of absolute primogeniture (the eldest child inherits regardless of gender) upon joining the Seven Kingdoms by marriage. It is therefore entirely possible, and presumably even common, in Dorne for a princess to rule in her own right. The most recent one was the mother of the current Prince Doran. His own heir is his daughter Arianne, who sometimes rules for her father when he's away from the palace, which is quite often in recent years.
* Princess Glisselda becomes acting monarch and regent in ''{{Literature/Seraphina}}'' after her grandmother becomes incapacitated.
* ''Literature/FirstSwordChronicles'': after the death of her brother the Emperor, Princess Romana ascends to the throne; however, as she wishes to reinstate the faith of the [[GodEmperor Divine Empress]], Romana rules only as Princess Imperial, mortal steward of the Empress' will.
* In the ''Literature/LafayetteOLeary'' series, when Princess Adoreanne ascends to the throne of Artesia, she remains a princess for reasons which are never explained, but presumably have something to do with the fact that she's still young and beautiful and [[RuleOfFunny subject to various]] common PrincessTropes.
* The titular ''Literature/DreadEmpire'' is ruled by a pair of immortal sorcerers (twin brothers Yo Hsi and Nu Li Hsi) who style themselves the "Princes Thaumaturge". Explicitly justified because after they overthrew their father together, the brothers turned on each other but found themselves so evenly matched that neither could prevail and claim the title of Emperor, so they were forced to compromise with lesser titles and a shared rule (officially termed "The Dual Principiate"). After they in turn bite it, Yo Hsi's daughter Mist initially rules as princess, but only because all her enemies haven't yet been vanquished and she's not fully secure in her role. By the end of the series, with her rivals either dead or having acknowledged her authority, Mist actively starts styling herself "Empress".
* Justified in ''Literature/TheSorcerersDaughter''. After Queen Anne's death, her cousins decided to avoid a civil war and split the kingdom between them into two principalities. As a result, in the beginning of the novel, Roswald and Grünwald are ruled by Princess Odette and Princess Gertrude.

* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
** Princess Peach in many of the games. [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1 The original game's]] English-language instruction manual referred to her as the daughter of the Mushroom King, but [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse the games never mention him again after that]]. He does appear in the ''ComicBook/NintendoComicsSystem'' and ''Literature/NintendoAdventureBooks'', but he's so laughably incompetent that his daughter often ends up being the ''de facto'' ruler anyway.
** There are also the Shroobs from ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime'', who have a Princess Shroob but no King Shroob or Queen Shroob. [[spoiler:She even has an older sister who is ''also'' a princess rather than queen.]] Unusual, considering they're the villains.
** Prince Dreambert of ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'' is a male example. He is shown to be the leader of the Pi'illos, yet his domain is called the Pi'illo Kingdom, not the Pi'illo Principality.
** The Sprixie Kingdom from ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' is ruled by the seven Sprixie Princesses. No king, no queen.

* [[GenderInvertedTrope Gender-inverted]] in ''VideoGame/KirbysEpicYarn'', where Prince Fluff appears to be the ruler of Patch Land, and there is no mention of a king or queen.
* Princess Gutrune of ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey III: The Drowned City''. In her case, it's stated by locals that the Senatus is seen as holding all the ''real'' power, particularly Senator Flowdia, while Gutrune is seen as a pretty figurehead.

* {{Justified|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'' with Princess (and later ''Crown'' Princess) [[spoiler:Melia Antiqua]]. Turns out that even after [[spoiler:her father died]], she wants to become a [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething royal who actually does something]][[labelnote:note]] Not that her father wasn't one already...[[/labelnote]] by [[spoiler:joining Shulk's party]] (she's got her duties covered [[spoiler:via substitute]]); even though, as the Crown Princess, she should be the next ruler of the High Entia. This puts her duties taken temporarily by her brother who, in turn, averts this trope himself by becoming the regent of the High Entia and not the prince.

* ''VideoGame/KnightsInTheNightmare'': Imperial Princess Arlier, the leader of the Tiamat race.

* ''Videogame/SonicTheHedgehog2006'': Soleanna is a duchy, and Princess Elise's father is referred to as the Duke of Soleanna. Elise, despite being the ruling monarch, is referred to as Duchess precisely once. [[DubInducedPlothole In the Japanese dialogue]].
* Until the ending [[EverythingTryingToKillYou (if you live that long)]] Elodie of ''VisualNovel/LongLiveTheQueen'' is titled Crown Princess, as she isn't quite old enough to legally take the throne. Since it's only a few months and everyone knows she ''will'' be Queen very shortly, most of the time it makes no difference.
* Averted in ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', where the children of Little Lamplight reject the reign of Angela, who proclaims herself a princess after being elected mayor and is removed after only five minutes.
* In both timelines of ''VideoGame/RadiantHistoria'', Queen Protea is deposed one way or another, but Eruca continues calling herself Princess. Justified, as there's bigger issues preventing her having time to be crowned, [[spoiler:and Stocke being being her older brother Ernst makes her claim to the throne unclear for a while]].
* ''VideoGame/MonumentValley'' has Princess Ida, leader of the bird people.
* ''VideoGame/DragaliaLost'' has the odd male in Prince Euden. Though he officially [[FounderOfTheKingdom becomes king of the fledgling nation of New Alberia]] at the end of the sixth chapter, even his closest vassals continue to refer to him as Prince Euden rather than king.
* ''VideoGame/BoxxyQuestTheShiftedSpires'': Princess June rules Skype.

* In ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob'' Princess Voluptua is the Vicereign of Earth's solar system, meaning she's still subordinate to her dad the Emperor off in another star system, but she's the highest ranking person ''here.''

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Explained and excused in ''WebOriginal/DeviantartExtendedUniverse''. The land they inhabit is intentionally made a principality so the newly appointed Princess Emerald of Gem World does not have to give up her title. Later becomes a ''co-principality'' when her sidekick, [=Antisapien=] the Christian Dinosaur is appointed as prince. His role is more of a mayor than a prince, being a direct surveyor of the land and how the people are working on DA-Land.
* {{Discussed|Trope}} by WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic in [[http://channelawesome.com/nostalgia-critic-editorial-whats-with-the-princess-hate/ this editorial about princesses in media]], noting that he was ignorant of this trope for years until having an epiphany while watching a film adaptation of ''Literature/BridgeToTerabithia'' (which he later reviewed). He suggests that the trope comes from the fantasy that a princess would have all the power of being royalty without any of the responsibility of actually running a kingdom.
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* {{Justified}} in ''WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian'': Candy has been put in charge of Udrogoth until her parents come back from destroying ''all the evil in the world.'' (It's taking a while.)
* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster''. Princess Lana is the only ruler in Videoland, but her father is still alive, he's just trapped in another dimension.
* Princess Sally from the ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'' series would be ruler if Robotnik hadn't taken over. Instead, she leads the resistance movement.
* ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'': Prince Uncouthma of Odiferous rules his people and there's no mention of a King or a Queen.
%%Administrivia/ZeroContextExample* Graciella the fairy princess in ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAFairySecret''.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Gawayn}}'', Princess Gwendolyn is portrayed as the rightful ruler of her kingdom. Her parents have never even been seen or mentioned.
* The first episode of ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'' explains that the title character can't become queen until she comes of age according to the laws of their nation. As such she is crown princess with a council to help her rule until then.
* Princess Allura of ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'' is much the same as her ''Voltron'' counterpart, save for one little fact-- most of her kingdom (as she knew it) has been dead for thousands of years. She is still ruler and does have definite subjects to rule over at present, but it seems like she kept her princess title out of respect for the late king her father.

* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': Most kingdoms on Etheria that haven't been conquered by the Horde are ruled by princesses with superpowers. With the exception of Bright Moon, which has Queen Angella.
* In ''WesternAnimation/SeaPrincesses'', Bia is the princess of the Abyssal Kingdom, responsible for maintaining order in Beyondness sea and take care of the throne while her parents are travelling throughout the kingdom.

* In some monarchies, the sovereign can step down without [[AbdicateTheThrone abdicating]] if they are unwilling or incapable of performing royal duties and call their successor Prince(ss) Regent, who rules in their proxy. A famous example is George III, who retained the title of king even after he was deemed unfit to rule because of his mental illness while his son (later called George IV) was named Prince Regent and became the true king for all intents and purposes. [[RoyalBrat Not that he did a]] [[AdiposeRex particularly good job at it...]]

* ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' appears to intentionally invoke this trope with the world of the Sugar Rush game being ruled by [[spoiler:Princess Vanellope]]. It doesn't last long, though, as [[spoiler:she decides she would rather be president instead.]]
* A RareMaleExample is Prince Eric of ''Franchise/TheLittleMermaid''. His parents are never shown, but he's still called Prince. In the musical, it's actually stated that he's still a Prince because he was out sailing when his father died and just hasn't been crowned King, but in the movie, he's a ruling prince for no stated reason. Unless his nation is a principality, in which case "Prince" would be the highest possible rank.
* Another RareMaleExample is the Beast/Prince Adam from ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''. He is described as a Prince, but we do not see his parents.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAndTheSecretDoor'', this is played with, as BigBad Princess Malucia only rules the kingdom while her parents are away.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BarbiePrincessCharmSchool'', the land of Gardenia is a kingdom, as late monarch Isabella [[spoiler:(Blair's biological mother)]] was called a queen. Still, her niece Delancy is supposed to sit on the throne while being called a princess. [[spoiler:When finally Blair is crowned instead of her, she is referred to as a princess rather than a queen by everyone, certainly to fit the movie's title.]]
* Princess Odette's father, the king, dies in the original ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' but she is still a princess in the later films. This could perhaps be explained as her kingdoms being united with that her husband, Prince Derek, through their marriage, but still ruled in their entirety by Derek's mother, Queen Uberta.
* ''WesternAnimation/MagicGiftOfTheSnowman'': Princess Electra governs her kingdom in her own right.

* In ''Film/{{Cinderella|2015}}'', this is implied to be the case with Princess Chelina, as Zaragoza was historically a principality and the fact that her parents are never mentioned. This could suggest that she is directly involved in her engagement to Kit, and that it is her way of being Queen.

* As another male version, the "Epistle Dedicatory" of the ''King James Bible'' dedicates the translation "To the most high and mighty Prince James, by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Etc."

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* In the ''Podcast/CoolKidsTable'' game ''Here We Gooooo!'', Princess Caramel Seltzer is the ruler of the Soda Pop Kingdom. It's unknown if Princess Crania is in the same boat, though there is no mention of her parents back in the Skull Kingdom either.

[[folder:Theater]]
* The male variation of this trope is featured in ''Emilia Galotti'' by [[UsefulNotes/DichterAndDenker Gotthold Ephraim Lessing]]. The antagonist, Prince Hettore Gonzaga is the king and regent of Guastalla in all but the title. Lessing probably did that to avert any obvious parallels to the regents of ''his'' time (the piece, albeit set in renaissance Italy, was a warily subtle commentary on the corrupted politics of the then-contemporary 18th century [[UsefulNotes/AllTheLittleGermanies German states]]).

[[folder:Theme Parks]]
* In ''Ride/SpaceFantasyTheRide'' at [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Studios Japan]], Kosumia is the Princess of the Sun and appears to be its ruler, as no other authority figures besides her are shown.

[[folder:Music]]
* Riliane in [[Music/{{Mothy}} Mothy's]] [[Franchise/EvilliousChronicles Story of Evil]] series is queen of her country but chooses to be called Princess, out of respect for her late mother. She's not [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen a particularly ''good'' ruler]], though.

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* A male example: TheDevil is often referred to as the "Prince of Darkness".
* Inverted male example. Belshazzar, referred to as the King of Babylon in Literature/TheBible book of Daniel, even though he was never officially enthroned as king (a separate ancient text called ''Nabonidus Chronicle'' called him "the crown prince") and was only serving as a temporary ruler while his father, King Nabonidus, was away. As such, Belshazzar was only able to offer the position of "third ruler in the kingdom" to the person who can give interpretation to the handwriting to the wall, because he's not actually the highest authority figure and would not have been able to give "the second highest authority in the land", as was the case with [[Literature/BookOfGenesis Joseph and the Pharaoh]].

[[folder: Web Original]]

* {{Discussed|Trope}} by WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic in [[http://channelawesome.com/nostalgia-critic-editorial-whats-with-the-princess-hate/ this editorial about princesses in media]], noting that he was ignorant of this trope for years until having an epiphany while watching a film adaptation of ''Literature/BridgeToTerabithia'' (which he later reviewed).

* There are actual principalities amongst some of the smaller states of Europe (such as Monaco and Liechtenstein) whose head of state is referred to (or translated as, in Liechtenstein's case) as "Prince", instead of another title like "King", so it would be reasonable that any woman inheriting the position would, if possible, be referred to as "Princess".

* ''WesternAnimation/StrawberryShortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures'': Princess Berrykin.

* Graciella the fairy princess in ''WesternAnimation/BarbieAFairySecret''.

* Due to her father's insanity, Hilde is this for her nation in ''VideoGame/SoulCalibur IV''. She's technically regent, however, not the monarch.

* Princess Jenna from the ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'' series. She will, however, become queen. When the Time is Right.

* Princess Desmia in ''Palace of Mirrors,'' although she is a mere figurehead. By the end of the book, the kingdom is ruled by [[spoiler:a council of ''thirteen'' princesses, all of whom have equal right to rule.]]

* Subverted in the ''Literature/DorothyMustDie'' re-imagining of Oz, by Creator/DaniellePaige. Princess Dorothy now rules Oz, and has made it a thoroughly CrapsackWorld.

* The Princess of Alamut from the ''Film/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime'' film.

* Odette and Derek are married at the end of the original ''WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess'' but are still a princess and prince in the later films. This withstands even after they adopt a princess and make her a princess too. This could perhaps be explained as their kingdoms being united through their marriage, but still ruled in their entirety by Derek's mother, Queen Uberta.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BarbiePrincessCharmSchool'', the land of Gardenia is a kingdom, as late monarch Isabella [[spoiler:(Blair's biological mother)]] was called a queen. Still, her niece Delancy is supposed to sit on the throne while being called a princess.[[spoiler:When finally Blair is crowned instead of her, she is referred to as a princess rather than a queen by everyone, certainly to fit the movie's title.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MickeyDonaldGoofyTheThreeMusketeers'', Minnie is cast in the role of Princess Minnie. Despite this, she's pretty much queen in every other aspect.