Royals Who Were Brave Enough to Give Up Their Titles for Love

The dilemma of dignity and love is the topic of many stories and plots of countless books. Though, the choice between duty and relationships is not fictional. The heroes of our article faced this dilemma in real life, and just like the heroes from the pages of books, they found the courage to make one of the most difficult decisions in their lives.

We at Bright Side found stories of 5 monarchs who gave up everything for the name of love and want to share these stories with our readers.

1. Japan’s Princess Mako

Mako, the Princess of Japan, has recently married her college sweetheart, Kei Komuro. The couple first met in 2012 in college. In 2017, they got engaged and started on wedding preparations. The fairy tale was darkened by the fact that Kei Komuro was a commoner. And according to Japanese law, when a female representative of royalty marries a commoner, she has to surrender her title — though there is no such law for the male royals.

Mako didn’t just give up her title, but she also declined $1 million, traditionally issued for a royal woman who departs from the family.

2. Prince Phillip

As the Queen’s consort, the late Prince Phillip had various titles, including the Duke of Edinburgh. However, to marry Queen Elizabeth, he had to become a British citizen and give up his own titles. Phillip was born as Prince Phillip of Greece and Denmark, but in the name of love, he renounced his right to the Greek and Danish thrones and took his mother’s surname, Mountbatten.

For the first several years of his marriage, Phillip had the title of Duke, which, in a royal hierarchy, is much lower than his paternal title. Only in 1957 did he take on the name of Prince Phillip.

3. Prince Harry

The discussions around Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to step back from their royal duties were heated and long-lasting. However, in one of his interviews, Harry himself shared that the reason he decided to give up his title was his family.

Being pregnant, Meghan was experiencing mental health struggles. And, according to Harry, after their son, Archie, was born, they decided to take a step back to solely focus on Meghan and their child’s well-being.

4. Ubolratana, the Princess of Thailand

Similar to the Princess of Japan, Ubolratana, the Princess of Thailand, also gave up her royal status by marrying a commoner. The only difference is that Ubolratana married her husband, the American Peter Ladd Jensen, in 1972. In 1998, the couple broke up, but the princess did not get her titles back and is now known as “Tunkramom Ying,” which means “daughter to the queen regent.”

Technically, she is treated like a royal, but she is not covered by Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws, which prohibit offending the royal family’s dignity.

5. King Edward VIII

The story of King Edward VIII, the uncle of Queen Elizabeth, is probably the most well-known, but our compilation would not be complete without him. In 1930, Edward met an American actress, Wallis Simpson. By the time their relationship started, Wallis was twice divorced, and when Edward was proclaimed a king, he had to choose between the crown and love.

In 1936, Edward abdicated the throne and addressed the nation via radio broadcast, saying, “I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.”

How many stories were familiar to you? Is there anyone you’d add to our list?

Got some cool photos or stories and want to be featured on Bright Side? Send them all right HERE and right now. Meanwhile, we’re waiting!