History Main / TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask

* Blair Waldorf in ''Series/GossipGirl''. Referred to as 'Queen B' and served by minions, she displays a constant need for perfection and order while suffering secret parental abandonment and insecurity over her classmates' love of her bubbly best friend (Serena). As soon as she leaves, her replacement is so much worse that even those she was * ''Series/TheGreat'': The first season of the show is about Catherine, who will one day be known as "The Great", learning how to develop that mask. We see her arrive in Russia's most decadent and murderous royal court as an idealistic and naive young woman who keeps blundering every time she says something, and as the season progresses, we see her become more steely and politically savvy until she is not only ready to stage a coup to seize power but is able to truly command the respect necessary for her to be able to do so.

worst to miss her.

%% Image removed per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1339040760056660100
%% Please start a new thread if you'd like to suggest an image.

* The ''Franchise/StarWars'' prequel trilogy has Queen Amidala of Naboo. Her gowns make her look larger than life, and her painted white face is firm but never emotional. Where the queen cannot go, Padmé Naberrie does, leaving her handmaid Sabé to take her place as a decoy, letting Padmé Amidala be both TheHighQueen and an invisible common girl.

* The 2009 Tamil/Telugu movie, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXlNlkWZXcM Arundhati]] takes this to the next level, with the Princess/Queen ousting tyrants, battling fiends, and even suffering voluntary ''torture and death'' for her people. Yet the while her queenly mask of composure never slips...
* The Masterpiece Theater production ''Film/BertieAndElizabeth'' is a romance about a marriage between a [[TheWisePrince Wise Prince]] (George VI) and The Woman Wearing A Queenly Mask (the Queen Mum) [[ASharedSuffering sharing]] TheChainsOfCommanding during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

* In ''Film/KingdomOfHeaven'', Princess (later Queen) Sibylla tells the protagonist, "A woman in my place has two faces, one for the world and one which she wears in private." Her characterization throughout the film is largely in keeping with this idea.

* ''Literature/ABrothersPrice'': Ren isn't really keen on all the responsibility that comes with being Princess Eldest. Her sister Halley, who was more respected, vanished and left her to do the job, but they both were born as younger sisters and didn't expect to ever have to shoulder that much responsibility. [[spoiler: Halley later reveals that she vanished on purpose, at least partly in order to make people look up to Ren more.]]
%%* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'': Reyna

* In the first book of Tad William's ''Literature/{{Shadowmarch}}'', Briony has to rule at age fifteen and though she has a hard time, her brother is completely hopeless.

* Historical/literary example: Pearl Buck's interpretation of Tsu Hsi (Ci-xi) in the historical novel ''Imperial Woman''. In real life, it's still debated if Cixi truly as much of an EvilMatriarch as usually depicted or if RedChina and its propaganda [[HistoricalVillainUpgrade made her worse than she really was.]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Dowager_Cixi#Historical_opinions Considering other testimonies]], Cixi was a polemic and very shady figure, but not the uber-horrid monster that she's portrayed to be.
* Another example discussing Ci Xi is Anchee Min's books ''Empress Orchid'' and ''The Last Empress,'' which portray her as more harassed, tired, and maligned than anything else.
* Queen Selenay of [[Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar Valdemar]]. She has to be TheHighQueen and a LadyOfWar when the need calls for it, but it helps that she has the entire Heraldic Circle to trust. Part of the problem, though, is that these are the same Heralds she must often send into deadly danger.
** Naturally, the one time she fails to ask her Heralds for advice (and they fail to speak their minds), she makes a disastrous marriage [[spoiler:that nearly gets her killed]].
* Lady Mara in Raymond Feist's and Joanna Wurtz's ''[[Literature/TheRiftwarCycle Daughter of the Empire]]'' and its sequels must take command of the noble house of the Acoma when her parents are killed. Complicating matters is a societal proscription against showing emotion in public.
* Queen Keli in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/{{Mort}}'', only allows herself to be a confused and whiny teenager in front of Cutwell and Mort. The Duchess of Borogravia in ''Literature/MonstrousRegiment'' turned into this ''after her own death'' thanks to [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve the power of belief]] on the Disc.

* Gregor in Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'' seems to be a rare male version of this. Much talk is made about the "mask" he wears as an Emperor.

* In ''Literature/HonorHarrington'':
** Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth III of [[TheGoodKingdom Manticore]] was forced to wear the Queenly Mask for some time in her youth after her parents were assassinated by [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Haven's]] sympathizers, who hoped that a teenage queen would be easy to manipulate. They happened to be wrong. Very, [[RoyallyScrewedUp very]], ''[[{{Determinator}} very]]'' [[{{Determinator}} wrong]]. She had it tough for some time, though, until she won a broad popular support, and not just that of her close allies.
** President Eloise Pritchart of the [[spoiler:restored]] Republic of Haven, as well -- she's not, strictly speaking, a queen, but she ''is'' a President with the same responsibilities. And all the more so because [[spoiler:she, Thomas Theisman, her lover Javier Giscard, and a few other people had restored a true republic that hadn't existed for two centuries]], and so she absolutely ''must'' be this in order to ensure it survives.
** Honor herself is not exactly royalty, but her capacity as a commander suffers from this on-and-off starting with the middle of the second book and coming in full force after the fourth.
* [[spoiler: [[GenderBender Prince Tobin/Queen Tamír]]]] in Creator/LynnFlewelling's ''The Oracle's Queen'', until close to the end of the book. [[spoiler: At this point, with the war over, she acknowledges her feelings for her childhood friend and ends up marrying him.]]
%%* ''Tin Princess'' by Creator/PhilipPullman
* Princess Marla in Jennifer Fallon's ''Wolfblade Trilogy'' starts out as a spoiled princess but becomes more and more this as the books go on, despite the fact that her brother is the High Prince. [[spoiler: Several people recognize that she is the one who makes all the decisions in Hytria instead of her no-good brother even while she continues with the [[ObfuscatingStupidity charade]] of being a spoiled brat.]]
* Played with in Creator/PiersAnthony's ''Isle of Woman'', during a segment that follows a Chinese royal concubine. She follows the trope pretty much to the letter and later becomes the Queen in all but name.
* Rhian in Karen Miller's ''Literature/GodspeakerTrilogy'' who constantly has to prove she is worthy to [[TheHighQueen rule in her own right]] and this includes [[LadyOfWar dueling with vassals]] [[StayInTheKitchen who will not submit to her]]. She only has sex with her childhood sweetheart ''once'' after she marries him, and that's only to consummate the marriage.
* Queen-Mother Muriele of Greg Keyes's ''[[Literature/KingdomsOfThornAndBone The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone]]'' series, after her brother-in-law attempts to seize power by having the entire royal family murdered (thankfully he missed a few). This event leaves her mentally challenged son as the official king, and she has to act through him to lead her kingdom through some very serious conflicts, with only a handful of advisors remaining loyal to her.
* Queen Ketricken from the ''[[Literature/TawnyMan Tawny Man Trilogy]]'' is this. She has lost her husband, all family and friends, and has had to clean up a kingdom after a war. She also has to deal with the [[BurnTheWitch persecution]] of certain of her people by others of her people. Although she wears plain clothing and little jewellery in public, she still only lets her guard down in private.
* Queen Sharleyan of the ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' kingdom of Chisholm inherited the throne at a young age after her father was murdered. While her uncle and her first councilor were instrumental in helping her stay on the throne, Sharleyan herself was quick to develop into a strong young woman. Additionally, she did it with the precedent of a less able queen hanging over her.
* Creator/CJCherryh's BangsianFantasy ''Legions of Hell'' has a passage portraying Hatshepsut as a case of this. She sent out explorers, listened to their reports when they returned, and all the while she wanted to '''be''' an explorer, not just hear what they had to say.
-->And if she were not Hatshepsut the pharaoh, she might blurt out, simply, with tears: ''I want to go'', the way she had ached when her explorers had come back to her and told of great waterfalls and strange tribes and unknown coasts and vast seas. ''I want to go'' because she had ruled two-thirds of the known world and had no freedom ever to see those things, she could only send others...

* Elayne Trakand in ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' is kind of this. Her problems are not caused by her sex or youth, but by her not actually being a queen yet. She has to deal with a civil war caused by other aspiring queens, not to mention some highly irritating magic wielders and being pregnant to a man whom (and whose children) dozens of people would love to kill. Oh, and did I mention approaching EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt yet?

*** For that matter, Queen Morgase too. Not the age part, but having to act the very picture of a queen (and the loneliness part, if her fling with Thom is any judge).

* Subverted in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings''. Éowyn was ''ordered'' to be this and refused.
* The Childlike Empress in ''Literature/TheNeverendingStory'' (''Die Unendliche Geschichte'') is this. She's quite different in the film version, though, because the film never truly shows the burden she has to bear.
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Literature/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/BlackColossus", Princess Yasmela. Her brother the king is prisoner and she is ruling in his stead, and when she finds Conan attractive it produces a guilty start.
* While not a Queen per se, D'ol Falla in the ''Literature/GreenSkyTrilogy'' has a lot of this. Chosen as an Ol-zhaan at thirteen (the usual age) her psychic gifts and personal charm were such that she was made High Priestess only two or three years later. Like all Ol-zhaan she could have "close communion" love affairs but was forbidden to pair-bond (marry) or have children. She had to keep up the serene and regal mask of the High Priestess for the Kindar people, and even her fellow Ol-zhaan. [[spoiler: She also has to keep up a mask of ruthlessness as Grandmistress of the Geets-Kel]]. Yet, all those [[IDidWhatIHadToDo acts she had to take]] in her long life now [[WhatHaveIDone began to weigh on her conscience]] and ended up injuring Green-sky in the long term, to say nothing of what it did to her psychic powers. Her Choosing Raamo, guided in part by a prophetic dream she'd had, was a way to try and repair some of the damage done.
* Shakuntala in the ''Literature/BelisariusSeries'' is locked in a guerrilla campaign against one of the most powerful empires of the sixth century AD with few allies due to other kingdoms in the Indian subcontinent not wanting to draw the rapacious attention of said empire.
* Web writer Tygati's short story [[http://www.fictionpress.com/s/2335307/1/A_Fairy_Tale A Fairy Tale]] has a subversion of this: the outwardly calm, beautiful and regal Faerie Queen is ''really a man'', the real Queen's servant who was forced to pretend to be her after her mysterious disappearance, lest the country erupt into chaos.
* Orual from ''Literature/TillWeHaveFaces,'' as the page quote notes. In this case, she ''literally'' wore a mask/veil as well.
* Nasuada from the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' isn't a queen, but she is [[LadyOfWar the leader of]] TheAlliance and theoretically equal to her royal supporters. She has workaholic tendencies and once noted that she cannot indulge in romance, though she has considered proposing a diplomatic marriage to one of her allies. Murtagh has a one-sided crush on her, which will probably turn out to be important in the last book of the series.
** [[spoiler: This turns into a more literal example at the end of ''Inheritance'' when Nasuada is declared Queen. Good call on the Murtagh thing, which also enhances this by not allowing the two to be together.]]
* In Fred Saberhagen's ''[[Literature/BooksOfSwords Third Book of Swords]]'', Princess Kristin was prepared to marry Mark, who was just a common soldier, and was completely informal with him, right up until they arrived back in Tasavalta and learned that her older sister Princess Rimac had been killed, and the principality was on the verge of civil war with no clear heir to the throne since everyone thought Kristin was also dead. Kristin then agreed to take the throne, but that of course meant she could no longer marry Mark or be his lover. After that, she had to be totally formal with Mark and hide her true feelings. The mask slipped once or twice, as when her uncle, the wizard Karel, was reluctant to leave them alone together, and Kristin angrily pointed out that it was ''way'' too late to be worried about that. [[spoiler:It all worked out in the end when Mark was revealed to be the son of the Emperor, and as such an appropriate consort for the princess after all.]]
** Subverted with Yambu, the Silver Queen, in the same series. After she became queen, she became detached and distant, and could never let her true feelings show; but at the same time was also pretty informal, and took [[ReallyGetsAround any man whom she pleased]] as a lover, although she never had any feelings for them, of course. She's also a subversion in the sense that her emotional detachment is necessary for her to commit the crimes she proceeds to carry out in power, including selling her own daughter into [[SexSlave slavery]].
* In the ''Literature/YoungRoyals'' book about Marie-Antoinette, ''The Bad Queen,'' she thinks that looking regal will make her people like her more.
* Elizabeth Bathory in ''Literature/CountAndCountess''.
* ''Literature/SongAtDawn'' Alienor is beloved in her home county of Aquitaine but despised in the capital, Paris. There she is called 'the southern whore'. The queenly mask is her only weapon against such gossip.
* Goldmoon of ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' fame was this during the years she waited for Riverwind's return due to her father's illness. Her mask becomes so thick that when Riverwind returns, he notices the change.
* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': Eric notes this sort of change in Kasile in ''Literature/LoomingShadow''. When she was a princess she affected a cutesy and friendly persona. Now that she is TheHighQueen she is cold and regal. When in private with him, she drops the act.
* In ''Literature/VampireAcademy'', [[spoiler:Queen Tatiana is eventually revealed to be this, being much nicer and more caring than the IceQueen exterior she wears in public. She is open to having Moroi train in self-defense and wants to protect dhampirs from Moroi royals willing to take away their rights]].
* Queen Rachel in ''Literature/ThePrincesOfTheAir''.
* In ''Literature/TheGoblinEmperor'', Maia quickly becomes a male version of this. While he has the right sex, being half goblin is not exactly working in his favour. He tries to not wear the mask of the emperor, but when one of his bodyguards tells him that they cannot be his friends, he realizes that he has to. His attempts to make his ArrangedMarriage at least a somewhat friendly arrangement are met with cold formality. He feels like a tyrant whenever he asserts his position but feels he has no choice. [[spoiler: At the end of the novel he has figured out that he can have emotional connections to the people around him, even though none of them are, strictly speaking, ''friends''.]]
* Creator/EdmondHamilton:
** The Empress Thalarna of ''Sun Smasher''.
** 'Princess' Lianna of Fomalhaut in ''Literature/TheStarKings'' and its sequel.

* Lao Ma from ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess''. Regent both for her degenerate husband and degenerate son.
* Not exactly a Queen as such, but arguably President Laura Roslin from the new ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' has to fill this role.
* Blair Waldorf in ''Series/GossipGirl''. Referred to as 'Queen B' and served by minions, she displays a constant need for perfection and order while suffering secret parental abandonment and insecurity over her classmates' love of her bubbly best friend (Serena). As soon as she leaves, her replacement is so much worse that even those she was worst to miss her.

* Delenn in ''Series/BabylonFive'' displays the traits of this despite not being a queen.
* DG from the [[Creator/{{Syfy}} Sci Fi Channel]] miniseries ''Series/TinMan'' is often portrayed this way in fanfiction set after the miniseries.

* ''Series/TheGreat'': The first season of the show is about Catherine, who will one day be known as "The Great", learning how to develop that mask. We see her arrive in Russia's most decadent and murderous royal court as an idealistic and naive young woman who keeps blundering every time she says something, and as the season progresses, we see her become more steely and politically savvy until she is not only ready to stage a coup to seize power but is able to truly command the respect necessary for her to be able to do so.

Compare IronLady, which is about fictional female leaders being portrayed as actually tough and competent (and don't require a mask to naturally fit her into her role). See also TheChainsOfCommanding, in which the position adds a layer of burden of responsibility to the ruler to angst about.

Compare IronLady, which is about the fictional female leaders being portrayed as actually tough and competent (and don't require a mask to naturally fit her into her role). See also ChainOfCommanding, in which the position adds a layer of burden of responsibility to the ruler to angst about.

A {{princess|esRule}} or a [[TheHighQueen queen]] who is the supreme ruler of her country. She is usually beautiful but certainly clever, strong-willed, and charismatic and she cares about her land and her people.

The problem is, her people -- for all that they need a ruler — don't want ''her''. They don't want a [[JustAKid young woman]], or they don't want ''any'' [[StayInTheKitchen woman]], or they just don't want [[WeAreStrugglingTogether this particular woman]] on the throne. But she is the one best equipped to see them through the current war or other disaster, and she sure as hell isn't going to turn the country over to the treacherous aristocrats who would be next in line if she stepped down.

So she takes the reins with silken force and ''makes'' them follow her through [[TheChessmaster brute cunning]] and [[MagnificentBastard charisma]], overawing her detractors through her [[ErmineCapeEffect impeccable style]], speech, [[TheStoic imperturbability]], wisdom, [[TheDeterminator indomitable will]], disdain for frivolity and — where necessary — [[IDidWhatIHadToDo utter ruthlessness]]. Even her love life is coolly calculated and orchestrated to best effect, often involving ArrangedMarriage setups like AltarDiplomacy.

And if it wears her out, she'll just have to drink more coffee and soldier on. Her personal happiness is a small price to pay...

An important part of this character is that she isn't in a trusting and happy relationship (platonic or otherwise) as this would make her burden less heavy for her and thus remove much of the conflict inherent in this archetype. (It would also make her less alluringly lonely.) Naturally, this sad state can change over the course of the story.

While this trope could be applied to a male regent, the key dynamic making this trope AlwaysFemale is the inversion of [[GenderDynamicsIndex gender dynamics]] adding an element of exquisite tragedy — the gender popularly seen as less proactive and more reactive is thrust into an atypical position of power and must cope with it. For the male public, there can also be something appealing about such a character. Who wouldn't love to [[DefrostingIceQueen make her laugh]], and keep her company in her [[TheChainsOfCommanding leader's loneliness]]? Care is needed, however, as DontYouDarePityMe may come into effect. SuddenlySuitableSuitor may also be required, leading to plentiful anguish before the discovery.

Compare the ErmineCapeEffect, which she takes full advantage of, and DecadentCourt, which is often her greatest threat. She can sometimes be seen as a royal version of the StepfordSmiler. See also TheWisePrince — a tragic male royal.

In terms of the ranks of AuthorityTropes, the tropes that are equal are GodSaveUsFromTheQueen, TheHighQueen, TheGoodKing, and PresidentEvil. The next steps down are TheEvilPrince, PrinceCharming, PrinceCharmless, WarriorPrince, TheWisePrince, and all PrincessTropes. The next step up is TheEmperor. SilkHidingSteel is near the bottom; she's not in charge and not supposed to have authority, but uses similar methods to pursue her goals.

If the character does not have these duties thrust upon her, but rather freely ''chooses'' to take them on, chances are she's a GoGetterGirl or an IronLady.

* Take very literally with Princess Melia of the High Entia from ''VideoGame/{{Xenoblade}}'', since she had to show a different side to the High Entia she has to wear a mask to hide her Half-Homs face.

* One of the main plots of ''LightNovel/TheTwelveKingdoms'' kicks off when Youko not only has to fight her way into Kei to claim her throne but once crowned she starts having serious doubts about her own ability to reign over the Kei kingdom.

A {{princess|esRule}} or a [[TheHighQueen queen]] who is the supreme ruler of her country. She is usually beautiful but certainly clever, strong-willed and charismatic and she cares about her land and her people.

While this trope could be applied to a male regent, the key dynamic making this trope AlwaysFemale is the inversion of [[GenderDynamicsIndex gender dynamics]] adding an element of exquisite tragedy — the gender popularly seen as less proactive and more reactive is thrust into an atypical position of power, and must cope with it. For the male public, there can also be something appealing about such a character. Who wouldn't love to [[DefrostingIceQueen make her laugh]], and keep her company in her [[TheChainsOfCommanding leader's loneliness]]? Care is needed, however, as DontYouDarePityMe may come into effect. SuddenlySuitableSuitor may also be required, leading to plentiful anguish before the discovery.

* Mina Tepes from ''Manga/DanceInTheVampireBund'' is the sort of person whose first instinct even in the middle of a un-life-or-final-death fight is to protect a human child. Between that and the fact that [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld she looks 12]], it is hard to imagine how she can hope to maintain herself as Queen of the Vampires without the whole Stone Bitch pose and a good bit of [[IDidWhatIHadToDo doing what goes against her better nature]].

* ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'': The position of Queen demands a confident, competent, and most of all spotless image, and so Princess/Queen Henrietta has to maintain this image for the public. She takes solace in her friendship with Louise, when no one can see her.

** This it what happens with Haman Karn over the course of her young life: from being a naive-yet-well-meaning girl in ''Char's Deleted Affair'' to the cold, manipulative and nigh-genocidal [[Anime/MobileSuitZetaGundam 20-year old regent]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ of Neo-Zeon]].

* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'': Sir Integra Hellsing as the leader of the Hellsing organization. The family can be quite cuthroat. She ''is'' coldblooded but she has her moments of weariness. Also, she has the special duty of keeping Alucard in check. Anyone might get a little stiff after years of that.

-->''"He is a man who is possessed by loneliness, from which he cannot escape. The more he behaves like an Emperor, the lonelier he becomes. ... From now on, just as he adds to his reputation as the Emperor, the people who see him as 'Ryuuki' start to vanish. ... That's why Shuurei is the only person who always did and always will call him by name. ... Right now, Seiran is able to take everything that he cherishes into his hands as much as his heart wishes. However, from now on, Ryuuki-sama will never be able to obtain anything any more in his lifetime. Since he knows that, he can't let go of the one dream he has left."''

* One of the main plots of ''LightNovel/TheTwelveKingdoms'' kicks off when Youko not only has to fight her way into Kei to claim her throne but once crowned she starts having serious doubts about her own hability to reign over the Kei kingdom.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWomanWarbringer'': Hippolyta. Diana mentions that her mother has to make sure to present the exact right image to the other Amazons, and that she can never act the was she wishes to without considering the consequences.

* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'' features this in a very interesting manner. Ami, after [[spoiler: becomeing the Empress of the Avatar Islands]] has to put on a cruel facade in the presence of most of her minions, as most are underworlders, and would not respond to a gentle hand attempting to govern them. She actually had this problem before, the Queenly mask is more her efforts to deal with the Lightworld Kingdoms, which require an entirely different approach.

* ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'': Downplayed with Kurotsuchi. Given that she's recently become Tsuchikage, the prospect of having to lead her village in the wake of the 4th Ninja War was clearly a heavy duty for her, and during the Five Kage summit she vocally oppossed to forming an alliance with the other villages out of fear of this being taken as a sign of weakness. It gets to the point she almost broke down crying upon returning from the summit, but thankfully, her grandfather was there to support her.

--> '''The Queen:''' Would you like me to place those for you? \\

* The 2009 Tamil/Telugu movie, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXlNlkWZXcM Arundhati]] takes this to the next level, with the Princess/Queen ousting tyrants, battling fiends and even suffering voluntary ''torture and death'' for her people. Yet the while her queenly mask of composure never slips...

** [[spoiler: This turns into a more literal example at the end of ''Inheritance'', when Nasuada is declared Queen. Good call on the Murtagh thing, which also enhances this by not allowing the two to be together.]]
* In Fred Saberhagen's ''[[Literature/BooksOfSwords Third Book of Swords]]'', Princess Kristin was prepared to marry Mark, who was just a common soldier, and was completely informal with him, right up until they arrived back in Tasavalta and learned that her older sister Princess Rimac had been killed, and the principality was on the verge of civil war with no clear heir to the throne, since everyone thought Kristin was also dead. Kristin then agreed to take the throne, but that of course meant she could no longer marry Mark or be his lover. After that, she had to be totally formal with Mark and hide her true feelings. The mask slipped once or twice, as when her uncle, the wizard Karel, was reluctant to leave them alone together, and Kristin angrily pointed out that it was ''way'' too late to be worried about that. [[spoiler:It all worked out in the end when Mark was revealed to be the son of the Emperor, and as such an appropriate consort for the princess after all.]]

* Queen Anne from ''Series/TheMusketeers'' is distrusted and disliked by her subjects because she is Spanish-born (at a time when peace between France and Spain was delicate at best). She's often ignored, dismissed or unfairly blamed when important things go wrong. She is often one of the few nobles in the French court to actually care about the poor and will always do what she can to help others, no matter how dangerous or risky it might be for her.
* ''Series/TheGreat'': The first season of the show is about Catherine, who will one day be known as "The Great", learning how to develop that mask. We see her arrive in Russia's most decadent and murderous royal court as an idealistic and naive young woman who keeps blundering everytime she says something, and as the season progresses we see her become more steely and politically savvy until she is not only ready to stage a coup to seize power but is able to truly command the respect necessary for her to be able to do so.

* The Creator/MercedesLackey song "The Cost of the Crown" deals much in the grief of being queen. For instance, mourning dead soldiers and putting your kingdoms needs before your own wants:

* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': Some [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation interpretations]] of the Scarlet Empress suggest that she is this, maintaining a cold, distant facade and engaging in and encouraging cut throat politics because the alternative (the chaos and division that characterised the Shogunate) would be far worse, and might just be enough to end the world. The occasional reference even hints at great (if private) {{Angst}} at what she's become.
* Empress Elisabetta Barbados from ''TabletopGame/AnimaBeyondFantasy''. She didn't want to become Empress after the death of her father, but took the crown because she know that otherwise the Empire would collapse and as Empress has to deal not only with the many people who think she's just a puppet or that a woman must not rule the Empire (mostly as she's also a religious leader) but also with the Azur Alliance.

** As a less dramatic example, the Queen of Diamonds appears amongst her court as calm, precise and brilliant as she dispenses well-reasoned advice, but in private she's a GenkiGirl with a boundless passion for learning who talks so fast she stumbles over her words.

* Queen Arshtat from ''VideoGame/SuikodenV'' combines this with BlessedWithSuck. Taking the throne after her mother (a real [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Evil Queen]]) dies, she is forced to bear the country's all-powerful Sun Rune herself to stop it from being stolen. Unfortunately for her, along with power it also confers mental instability and delusions of grandeur that has isolated her from both her family and people, not to mention the hard decisions she has had to make to keep her country from full-scale civil war. The game actually plays with this early on, trailers and her actions at the beginning of the game portraying her as a merciless [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen Tyrant]], totally at odds with her real character. [[note]] Arshtat was not always this trope; she became queen during a time when the country was on the verge of civil war. However, a bordering nation invaded the country and Arshtat and her Husband Ferid (they're HappilyMarried by the way) managed to unite the Queendom and drive out the invaders. Since then, she had the love of the people; was renowned as a kind, fair, and strong ruler(too strong for the various political groups to control); was on good terms with her sister and cousin (both of whom had voluntarily abdicated their rights to the throne); still HappilyMarried to her husband; and was a loving mother to her two children. Those years were probably the happiest of her life. However, things started to go downhill about two years before the start of the game, when events forced her to bear the Sun Rune. That's when she became this trope. Her sheer force of personality, along with her husband's, had been keeping the country stable for that entire time. But with the run pushing her closer to the edge, both of them know that it's only a matter of time before she goes completely insane, and/or the political groups make a grab for power (restarting the civil war). [[/note]]

** [[spoiler:Princess Nyna]] from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem'' is almost terrifying in her willingness to throw away her personal happiness for the greater good. This especially comes into play after [[spoiler:she marries the future Emperor Hardin not for love but because she thought it was the best for their kingdoms, sacrificing her love for [[BlackKnight Camus]] in the process. Things goes downhill soon afterward.]]

* Played with a bit is ''VideoGame/LuminousArc2''. Carnava's rule has been matriarchal for so long that while Queen Sofia does feel the burden of leadership, her authority is never questioned and he subjects carry out their orders unwavering.

* [[BaitAndSwitchTyrant Queen Elizant II]] from ''VideoGame/BugFables'' was crowned immediately after her mother's [[NeverSayDie "sudden retirement"]] and was entrusted with her dream of finding the [[ImmortalityInducer Everlasting Sapling]]. However, she was very inexperienced in ruling the Ant Kingdom, reigniting the old hostilities with the Termite and Wasp Kingdoms, banishing all ladybugs from the Ant Kingdom [[DisproportionateRetribution because seventeen of them were raiding aphid farms]], and constantly putting on the cold, harsh facade, which made many bugs fear, distrust, or, in some cases, outright hate and resent her. Her facade finally cracks when [[EvilOverlord the Wasp King]] forced her to give him all artifacts required to find the sapling, and she outs herself as [[SourOutsideSadInside a sad bug with inferiority complex]] who desperately tries so hard to be the strong ruler, lamenting her inability to live up to her subjects' expectations. In the end, when she opens her heart to Team Snakemouth, she finally becomes the kind and fair ruler the Ant Kingdom needs, and rebuilds all broken relationships with the people she pushed away.

** It's pretty bad when [[spoiler:Lancelot]] apparently figures out after his death that he kinda goofed on that one, and [[spoiler:Bedivere]] was the only one to suspect the mask was exactly that before she died. Even [[spoiler:Mordred]] [[GenderFlip herself]] admits after death and some self-reflection that she simultaneously admired, hated, and wanted to lighten the burdens of that role for her. Other than that?... She seemed to get along okay with [[spoiler:Merlin]], and [[spoiler:Agravain]] ''wholeheartedly admired'' her for this, believing that the fact she could wear the mask so well made her the perfect and only choice for a king..

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': [[PrincessesRule Princess Bubblegum]] has been doing this for more than 800 years and counting, but it's more a part of her personality than a mask. Season 5.2 made it especially clear that she's having a breakdown caused by all the stress she's under throughout the series. She fears dying because it would leave the Candy populace unattended and she has few confidants, namely Lady Rainicorn and TheProtagonist Finn. The latter is complicated given how he had feelings for her for the longest time and how her own tendencies means she can be suspect in how much she cares about him (though it does become clear she genuinely treasures their bond and cares for him as a friend.) She is somewhat unrespected (though that's namely because of her surveillance and her subjects come to appreciate her more when they realize living under the so-called King of Ooo is pretty bad).
** It's telling that when she was temporary restored to her 13-year-old self, she did not want to take back the reigns of her 18-year-old self. She preferred to indulge in youthful merriment, especially [[ShipTease spending alot of close time with Finn.]] She was also more jovial and light-hearted. She only re-aged herself back up since her successor Lemongrab was running the Candy Kingdom to the ground and even then, she was reluctant to.

** [[TheCaligula Yellow Diamond]] could be seen as touching on this trope — she [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtA-juh3rf4 has a song]] trying to convince [[ALighterShadeOfBlack Blue Diamond]] to get over [[spoiler:[[PredecessorVillain Pink Diamond]]'s death]], but by the end it's pretty clear that she's close to tears herself. (Blue Diamond may also count, but it's not clear if she's even ''trying'' to hide her depression.)

** Ironically, the rebel leader Rose Quartz ''becomes'' this. Initially Rose's purpose was [[spoiler:for Pink to be able to [[LonelyAtTheTop socialize with others and experience freedom from the restraints of her class]]]], but since her decision to spearhead a Rebellion, she had to become whatever necessary for her fellow rebels to believe in her competency in leadership and maintain unity in the cause. She had a lot of personal baggage that probably would have torn the Rebellion apart if her secrets had been known and led to the doom of the Earth, humanity and the rebels, so she hid her flaws under a graceful, perfect, wise, infallible veneer in order to keep the Rebellion together. Which ironically [[spoiler:though not uncoincidentally]], reflects many traits in the façade propagated by the Diamond Authority about their own leadership.
*** Furthermore, this would meant that Rose would be unable to connect with any of the other Gems as equals because of her mask. Even Pearl, her close confidant, viewed their relationship not as equals and could not provide the emotional support or intimacy she needed. Ultimately, this would be why she would end up with Greg Universe. Greg liked her for her and they were BirdsOfAFeather. He ''pushed'' her to be honest and to change to be more open, furthering her CharacterDevelopment and giving her some much needed emotional support. Of course, the other Gems didn't understand this nor why Rose would wanna have Steven at the risk it came to her despite being so beloved (though it's implied Garnet begins to nderstand once the TheChainsOfCommanding begin wearing on her.)

* The Celtic queen Boudicea. Her husband was killed, she was beaten, and her two daughters were raped by Roman invaders. She did not choose to take that sitting down and declared war on them. She was ultimately defeated but did so much damage that ''to this day'' excavators in London still find what's been deemed the "Boudicca's Destruction Horizon" so she certainly didn't go down without a fight.[[labelnote:note]]It's less heroic than that in reality. The Romans were the underdog in the war against her, not the other way around. Boudica was defeated even though she held massive numerical advantage over the Romans. The Roman Governor Paulinus' already small army was made even smaller when one legion refused to answer his call to arms and another got routed while trying to reach him. In total, Paulinus had only 10,000 men to his name against Boudicca's 230,000 (per Romans accounts). Emperor Nero found the situation so hopeless that he considered abandoning Britain altogether. Inspite of this overwhelming odds, Paulinus chose to fight on his own terms rather than run, eventually picking a bottleneck location where Boudica's superior number was ineffective and attacking her entire army head-on. The poorly-equipped Iceni warriors were no match for the heavily-armored Romans and died in droves. The battle might not have ended in total disaster had it not been for one giant blunder from Boudica's part. She had set up some wagons behind her army to let their families witness a triumphant victory over the Romans, only for those wagons to end up preventing ''her'' army from escaping when the battle went south for them instead. Unable to retreat, the panicked Iceni got absolutely massacred. Her rebellion fell apart soon after this CrackDefeat.[[/labelnote]]

* ''Webcomic/{{Nefarious}}'': [[http://nefariouslair.com/comic/it-came-from-the-wa-verse-p-24/ Princess Foxglove]] tries her best to make sure Kyuutopia is economically prosperous, however, that requires her to cut deals with big corporations and supervillains that cause massive finantial inequality an give her a ZeroPercentApprovalRating.

-->-- '''Orual''', ''Literature/TillWeHaveFaces'' by Creator/CSLewis

* ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'' portrays Empress Maria Theresa as this, mixed with KnightTemplarParent. See RealLife below.

Compare the ErmineCapeEffect, which she takes full advantage of, and DeadlyDecadentCourt, which is often her greatest threat. She can sometimes be seen as a royal version of the StepfordSmiler. See also TheWisePrince — a tragic male royal.

** Empress Celene, who is TheGhost til ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', qualifies, especially since she has to deal with a DeadlyDecadentCourt. As if to hammer the point home, she wears a literal mask.

* Toyed with in the interactions of UsefulNotes/MariaTheresa and Austria in ''Manga/AxisPowersHetalia''. Since this ''is'' Hetalia, though, it's PlayedForLaughs.

* Later chapters in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' begin to reveal [[TheHighQueen Arika]] to be this. Nagi makes many attempts at [[DefrostingIceQueen lowering her unflappable guard]].

* FanFic/DungeonKeeperAmi features this in a very interesting manner. Ami, after [[spoiler: becomeing the Empress of the Avatar Islands]] has to put on a cruel facade in the presence of most of her minions, as most are underworlders, and would not respond to a gentle hand attempting to govern them. She actually had this problem before, the Queenly mask is more her efforts to deal with the Lightworld Kingdoms, which require an entirely different approach.

* Both the Princesses Equestris in Fanfic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse, though it's somewhat {{Deconstructed}} as the strain has gradually cause problems for both of them. In Celestia's case, untold centuries fighting to keep her ponies alive wore away at her until she JumpedOffTheSlipperySlope and became Corona, the Tyrant Sun, seeking to rule every last detail of her ponies' lives in order to ensure their safety. Luna, on the other hand, has been consumed by fear of following her sister into madness, and that fear has crippled her and made her reluctant to use her authority to reign in the excesses of her Night Court.

* Hinata from ''FanFic/PrincessOfKonoha'' is an {{Ojou}} and is the heir to the most powerful clan in her village. She keeps her emotions in check and normally seems like an EmotionlessGirl.

* ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'': Elsa represses her feelings and isolates herself from others because she is next in line to the throne... and she is ''absolutely terrified'' of screwing up. Unlike other queens, she has the additional burden that anxiety makes her PowerIncontinence worse... and her [[AnIcePerson magical abilities]] are potentially deadly. "[[SurvivalMantra Conceal, don't feel]]." Unfortunately, one argument with Anna, she snaps and outs her powers by accident which caused her mask to whittle down. In the end, she completely abandons it and becomes a benevolent queen who entertains her people with her powers and has fun skating with them as well.
* Somewhat subverted with Queen Elinor in ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}''. She fits the trope very well, being the more level-headed sovereign; her husband, King Fergus, is a BoisterousBruiser with a good heart who is much more prone to being ruled by his emotions than his wife. Elinor is the one who is able to calm a crowd of feuding Scots simply by walking through it with the utmost dignity and takes care of details such as the betrothal of their daughter. The subversion comes in where it doesn't appear that Elinor is remotely ruffled by her holding this position; she doesn't seem to find it at all wearying, and it's only later in the story that she comes to realize that she's adopted the mask a little too well, and learns to let her hair down again (literally, in fact).

*** Furthermore, this would meant that Rose would be unable to connect with any of the other Gems as equals because of her mask. Even Pearl, her close confidant, viewed their relationship not as equals and could not provide the emotional support or intimacy she needed. Ultimately, this would be why she would end up with Greg Universe. Greg liked her for her and they were BirdsOfAFeather. He ''pushed'' her to be honest and to change to be more open, furthering her CharacterDevelopment and giving her some much needed emotional support. Of course, the other Gems didn't understand this nor why Rose would wanna have Steven at the risk it came to her despite being so beloved (though it's implied Garnet begins to nderstand once the ChainsOfCommanding wear on her.)

** Ironically, the rebel leader Rose Quartz ''becomes'' this. Initially Rose's purpose was [[spoiler:for Pink to be able to [[LonelyAtTheTop socialize with others and experience freedom from the restraints of her class]]]], but since her decision to spearhead a Rebellion, she had to become whatever necessary for her fellow rebels to believe in her competency in leadership and maintain unity in the cause. She had a lot of personal baggage that probably would have torn the Rebellion apart if her secrets had been known and led to the doom of the Earth and the rebels, so she hid her flaws under a graceful, perfect, wise, infallible veneer in order to keep the Rebellion together. Which ironically [[spoiler:though not uncoincidentally]], reflects many traits in the façade propagated by the Diamond Authority about their own leadership.

An important part of this character is that she isn't in a trusting and happy relationship (platonic or otherwise) as this would make her burden less heavy for her and thus remove much of the conflict inherent in this archetype. (It would also make her less alluringly lonely). Naturally, this sad state can change over the course of the story.

* ''Literature/{{Victoria}}'' generally uses male examples, but otherwise plays this dynamic straight in its rather dark portrayal of politics. Chief of Staff Rumford, Governor Kraft and even the AntiVillain BigBad President Warner are all "outsiders" and reluctant rulers who are weighed down by their responsibilities -- and all are forced to take desperate risks, accept the deaths of numerous subordinates, engage in intrigues and crass power politics with their allies, and authorize [[IDidWhatIHadToDo ruthless policies they personally regret]] as the civil war escalates. And no leader (even on the [[BlackAndGrayMorality "good"]] side) can ever afford to show any hint of weakness, hesitation or doubt, except to a few personal confidants, or else his enemies (without or within) will immediately pounce on it.
* ''Literature/WonderWomanWarbringer'': Diana mentions that her mother Queen Hippolyta has to make sure to present the exact right image to the other Amazons and that she can never act the was she wishes to without considering the consequences.

** We later find out that [[spoiler:Pink Diamond herself]] zigzagged this. [[spoiler:While the Diamond Authority was a rule of four equals on the outside, Pink, being the youngest, was often brushed aside as incompetent, and had begged for her own colony because her authority was essentially a farce put on for their subjects. But when she got the colony she asked for, she realized to her horror that completing colonization would kill the life that lived there — a truth she'd been unaware of, as she'd believed that Gem production "created life from nothing"; she later miserably corrects herself and says they are "stealing life and leaving nothing behind." When Pink made the decision as Ruler of Earth to spare the Earth from the resource extraction process that would destroy it, Yellow and Blue wrote her off as irresponsible and ungrateful, usurped control, and made her only task to smile and assure her subjects that the Rebellion that had cropped up against Gem Homeworld rule was no threat. Unbeknownst to them, [[RebelLeader Pink had created the Rebellion herself]]; her PuppetQueen role was a part she played in the hopes that her careful balancing act would last until her rebels could free the colonized planet; she even spread Anti-Pink propaganda to incite them further. All the while the Diamond Authority continued putting on a front of being a single, cohesive, flawless oligarchy in order to hold their empire together.]]

* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'': Elsa represses her feelings and isolates herself from others because she is next in line to the throne... and she is ''absolutely terrified'' of screwing up. Unlike other queens, she has the additional burden that anxiety makes her PowerIncontinence worse... and her [[AnIcePerson magical abilities]] are potentially deadly. "[[SurvivalMantra Conceal, don't feel]]." Unfortunately, one argument with Anna, she snaps and outs her powers by accident which caused her mask to whittle down. In the end, she completely abandons it and becomes a benevolent queen who entertains her people with her powers and has fun skating with them as well.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': [[PrincessesRule Princess Bubblegum]] has been doing this for more than 800 years and counting, but it's more a part of her personality than a mask. Season 5.2 made it especially clear that she's having a breakdown caused by all the stress she's under throughout the series. She fears dying because it would leave the Candy populace unattended and she has little confidants (the closest being Finn, who has his own problems.) She is somewhat unrespected (though that's namely because of her surveillance and her subjects come to appreciate her more when they realize living under the so-called King of Ooo is pretty bad).
** It's telling that when she was temporary restored to her 13-year-old self, she did not want to take back the reigns of her 18-year-old self and indulged in spending [[ShipTease a lot of time with Finn.]] She was also more jovial and light-hearted. She only re-aged herself back up since her successor Lemongrab was running the Candy Kingdom to the ground.

* Queen Keli in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/{{Mort}}'', only allows herself to be a confused and whiny teenager in front of Cutwell and Mort. The Duchess of Borogravia in ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'' turned into this ''after her own death'' thanks to [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve the power of belief]] on the Disc.