Top 10 Real-Life Royal Romances

The public was initially skeptical when they found out that Swedish Prince Carl Philip was dating Sofia Hellqvist. A prince dating a former reality show star and glamor model? It would never last! Yet in 2014, after several years of dating, the couple announced their engagement, and a year later, they were wed. They were introduced through mutual friends while hanging out at a nightclub. Initially, the couple went to great lengths to keep their relationship secret. Of course, in spite of their best efforts, the news eventually broke. The pair have had to ward off plenty of criticism and numerous attempts to spotlight Hellqvist’s past. Regardless, in June 2023, the couple, who have three children, celebrate their 8th wedding anniversary.

In 2017 the “Suits” actress told Vanity Fair, “Personally, I love a good love story.” And as far as those go, she hit the jackpot. Britain’s Prince Harry first spotted his future wife while scrolling through social media. However, the pair first met when a mutual friend set them up on a blind date in 2016. Soon after, the couple reportedly jetted off on vacation to Botswana. They tried to keep their relationship away from the press but ultimately went public at the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto. In November 2017, Prince Harry proposed, and they married the following May. The British press proved hostile to Markle, and the couple ultimately left Royal life and now live in California with their two children.

You could say that Queen Victoria was Britain’s OG influencer. So naturally, she’d be the one to buck royal marriage trends and give us a real-life royal fairytale. Before meeting her cousin Albert, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the young royal had apparently rejected all marriage prospects. But this was love at first sight. Still, she took her time and, due to royal protocol, proposed to him. They married on 10 February 1840. Fun fact: Queen V is often credited as the trendsetter who popularized white wedding dresses. The couple had nine kids and spent 21 years together until Albert’s untimely death. From then on, the Queen famously only dressed in mourning and retreated from public life.

Imagine you were part of one of the oldest dynasties in the world, and you had to give up your title for love. Could you do it? Princess Mako of Japan did. In 2017, the 25-year-old relinquished her royal status after meeting and falling in love with law firm worker Kei Komuro, whom she met while they were both studying. After multiple delays, the couple tied the knot in 2021. She chose to forgo the sum the government traditionally pays women who leave the Imperial family and they currently live in the United States. Another Japanese royal, Princess Ayako, also gave up her title in 2018 to marry Kei Moriya, a businessman who she'd been introduced to by her mother.

Talk about a love story made for the movies! In May 1955, actress Grace Kelly was on the train to the Cannes Film Festival, when she met fellow actress Olivia de Havilland, who offered to introduce her to Prince Rainier III of Monaco. The two met in Rainier’s palace a few days later and posed for photographs. The pair kept in touch, and later that year Rainier proposed. Thought today’s royal weddings were lavish? Well, this two-day affair brought luxury to a whole new level. Kelly traded in Hollywood for public service as Monaco’s new princess. The couple had three children and remained together until Kelly’s tragic passing in 1982.

Upon the ascension of 22-year-old George III to the British throne in 1760, all attention turned to finding a Queen to rule by his side. According to historian Janice Hadlow, he wanted “a helpmate and a companion” who shared his values and visions for the monarchy. Enter 17-year-old Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in northern Germany. Within hours of their first meeting, the two were wed. Although it had been arranged, they shared many common interests like music and nature. Unlike his other family members, George III reportedly never had a mistress. The King and Queen seemingly remained devoted to each other and had 15 children. Love letters kept at the Royal Collection Trust suggest that the sparks didn’t fade even after decades of marriage.

We’ve talked about Princesses Mako and Ayako choosing to abdicate for love. But it was Crown Prince Akihito who first broke the 2,600-year-old Japanese tradition when he fell in love with Michiko Shoda, who was not of noble status. The pair met on a tennis court in 1957 and quickly became the center of a media storm. Their meeting was likened to a real-life “fairy tale” and dubbed the “romance of the tennis court.” The pair are often credited with modernizing the Imperial House of Japan. As well as both being active royal members, Michiko insisted on being a hands-on mother to their three children. In 1989 they officially became the Emperor and Empress Consort of Japan.

Few of us would expect to find our Prince (or Princess) Charming at a nightclub. Even fewer of us would expect that person to be an actual, well, Prince. While at a nightclub in Washington D.C., Ariana Austin hit it off with a young man on the dancefloor. Apparently, just minutes into their meeting, Makonnen told Austin that she was going to be his girlfriend. You know what he didn’t mention? That he’s a freakin Prince! Due to his family’s complicated history in Ethiopia, he only told her once they were already in a committed relationship. They got engaged in 2014 and tied the knot in 2017. Their wedding, which had 13 officiants, is something out of a fantasy wedding mood board.

Princess Indira Raje of Baroda, India, was originally betrothed to the Maharaja of Gwalior. However, during a trip to Delhi in 1911, she met Prince Jitendra Narayan of Cooch Behar, and they fell in love. She boldly bypassed her parents and sent a letter to her fiancé breaking off their engagement. Her parents were mortified when they found out and desperately tried to change her mind. But you know what they say, the heart wants what the heart wants. Eventually, Indria and Jitendra married in London. After Jitendra's brother died, they returned to Cooch Behar as the new Maharaja and Maharani.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Princess Margaret & Peter Townsend
Their Whirlwind Romance Ended Amid Pressure from Parliament, the Church, and the Royal Family

Prince Frederik & Princess Mary Donaldson
The Australian Advertising Exec Had No Idea She’d Been Hanging Out with a Danish Prince Until After Their First Meeting

King Felipe VI & Queen Letizia
Their Unlikely Pairing Eventually Led to Spain’s First Ever Commoner Ascending the Throne

King Jigme Khesar & Queen Jetsun Pema
What Started as a Childhood Crush Turned into a Royal Wedding

Emperor Shah & Mumtaz Mahal
The Emperor Had the Taj Mahal Built as His Late Wife’s Tomb to Symbolize His Eternal Love

Aspiring model Keisha was on her way to a casting call in New York when she noticed someone looking at her. He came over and asked for her number, but she gently turned him down and was already walking away when something made her change her mind. After two years of dating, he introduced her to his mother, who called her “my princess”— which she thought was just a term of endearment. But the mom told Keisha that her beau was, in fact, a Nigerian Prince from the ruling family. The couple now lives in Europe with their two kids. Unlike some other royals, Princess Keisha kept her day job. Maybe you even recognize her as ‘the Pantene girl’!