12 Women Who Used to Live Ordinary Lives Until Destiny Made Them Queens and Princesses

From a tender age, girls are fascinated by the princesses in fairytale films. A study tells us that this princess culture results in a positive impact on child development over time. And when every once in a blue moon, these romantic fantasies turn into real-life stories, adults also get captivated by these women. Wondering if there’s a special, secret quality besides beauty, charm, and intelligence that allows a commoner to win the heart of royalty.

Bright Side is inspired by those couples who prove that nothing can stand in the face of true love. Here are 12 royals who fell in love with ordinary women and made them the queens of their heart, and their country.

1. Princess Charlene of Monaco

Charlene was born in Zimbabwe, Africa, and spent her childhood in South Africa with her father, a sales manager, and her mother, a retired swimming instructor. She is a professional swimmer and won the South African Championship when she was 18. Later on, in 2000, she won the gold medal during a swimming competition in Monaco, where she met her future husband for the first time. The couple tied the knot in 2011 and are parents to 7-year-old twins.

2. Queen Rania of Jordan

Born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, the future Queen of Jordan had earned a degree in business administration from American University in Cairo. She later went on to work in the fields of banking and information technology. She met her future husband, then-Prince Abdullah II, at a dinner party and the pair tied the knot 6 months later. In 1999, she became Queen consort after her husband succeeded the throne. The couple has 4 children — 2 sons and 2 daughters.

3. Queen Letizia of Spain

The daughter of a journalist and a nurse, Letizia grew up in a middle-class family and followed in her father’s footsteps by studying journalism. She worked as a reporter with various newspapers before becoming a TV anchor on notable channels like CNN+. She was previously married to a high school teacher and the couple divorced in 1999. 3 years later, she met then Crown Prince Felipe at a dinner party, and the pair were instantly connected. 2 years later, they were married and had 2 daughters.

4. Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

The daughter of a former journalist and a former bank employee, Mette had previously admitted to having gone through a rebellious phase during her youth, describing this period as her “wild life.” She was a single mother of a 2-year-old boy when she met the Prince of Norway through mutual friends in 1999 and they tied the knot 2 years later. It seems that it was love at first sight between her and the heir apparent to the throne, who revealed that, “What the 2 of us found together was so strong that I could not let it go.”

5. Empress Masako

With a Senior Diplomat father, Masako spent her childhood in Moscow and then New York, and she followed in his footsteps and became a diplomat herself after graduating from Oxford and Harvard. She first met Prince Naruhito, who later on became the Emperor of Japan, in 1986 at a formal party. The imperial couple has one daughter, Aiko, Princess Toshi, born in 2001.

6. Queen Silvia of Sweden

Born to a German businessman father and a Brazilian mother, Silvia finished her studies in Germany. She worked at the Argentinean Consulate in Munich and then as a hostess trainer with the Organizing Committee for the Munich Olympic Games, during which she met Carl Gustaf, the Crown Prince of Sweden, in 1972. The couple got married 4 years later and has 2 daughters and a son.

7. Princess Mary of Denmark

Born to Scottish parents in Australia, Mary’s mother was a university secretary and her father was a mathematics professor. After graduating, she worked at various advertising agencies and met Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark, during the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia. They wed in 2014 and are the parents to 4 children — 2 princes and 2 princesses.

8. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands

Maxima was born in Buenos Aires, to a father who was the former Argentinian Secretary of Agriculture. After graduating college, she occupied various positions including the Vice President of Sales at a bank. The then 28-year-old Maxima met Willem-Alexander in April 1999 in Spain, where he introduced himself as simply ’’Alexander’’ so that she wouldn’t know he was a prince. The couple tied the knot in 2002 and are the parents of 3 princesses.

9. Queen Sonja of Norway

The daughter of a clothing merchant, Sonja attended finishing school in Switzerland and returned to Oslo to graduate with a degree in French, English, and Art History. She first met Crown Prince Harald, now the King of Norway, in 1959 at a party. The couple dated in secret, given Sonja’s status as a commoner, until they were finally given permission to marry 9 years later. She has been the Queen consort of Norway for 31 years now and the couple has a daughter and a son.

10. Princess Alessandra of Hanover

The daughter of a business executive and a former model, Alessandra was born in Peru, where she studied law before getting a degree in fashion and business management from Spain and starting her own handbag label. She met Prince Christian, the second in line to the Hanoverian throne, when she was chosen to be his tour guide during his visit to Peru in 2005. The pair began dating 6 years after their first encounter and today they are married and the parents of twins born in 2020.

11. Jetsun Pema

Jetsun might not be royal by blood, but she comes from a noble family with many royal connections. She studied International Relations in London. Jigme, the then 17-year-old future king of Bhutan, first met Jetsun when she was around 7. Years later, they fell in love and became engaged. Today they are the parents of two boys.

12. Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland

Sofia’s father is an employment counselor and her mother is a marketing manager. When she was younger she studied art and also worked as a model. In 2004, her photos were published in a men’s magazine, and later on, she was also cast in a reality TV show. In the summer of 2009, Sofia met Prince Carl Philip at a nightclub through mutual friends after he had broken up with his girlfriend of nearly 10 years. The couple married in 2015 and have 3 sons.

Do you think that there is a specific attribute that all these women share? Which one of these Royal couples inspired you the most?