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The classic fairy tale is arguably Cinderella. Why? Because a commoner marries a prince (and lives happily ever after). However, that has been a historically rare occurrence (think Princess Margaret and Group Captain Townsend’s doomed romance, recently brought back to life in Netflix’s The Crown). But starting in the latter 20th century, young royals have begun to marry more and more for love—no matter the title, or lack thereof, of their significant other. It’s a positive sign in the shifting mores of royal courts for sure, but also a sign of hope for the rest of us out there. And while we admit your chances of becoming a princess by marriage are pretty low, it seems it could happen.
Here, a look back at 11 royals who have married common people. You may know the story of how Kate Middleton met Prince William, and be eagerly following Prince Harry’s current romance with Meghan Markle, but do you know which queen used to be a news anchor? And which prince met his bride while working as her personal trainer? We didn’t think so.
Kate Middleton and Prince William
Kate Middleton was born in Reading, England, to parents who now run a successful party-supply business. Middleton met Prince William while the two were students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. They were friends first, and dated other people before they became a couple. After being together for a number of years, they married in April 2011. Middleton is now styled as Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.
Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III
Grace Kelly was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before beginning her career as a successful film actress. In 1955, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film The Country Girl. Later that same year, she reportedly met Prince Rainier III of Monaco at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1956, she retired to marry the prince, and moved to Monaco where she lived until her death.
Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano and King Felipe VI
Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, now Queen Letizia of Spain, was a journalist and news broadcaster. She reported on the 2000 U.S. presidential election, and was an anchor of the nightly news program Telediario. In 2003, she became engaged to Felipe, who was then Prince of Asturias. The engagement was seen as a surprise not only because of her nonroyal status, but also because she had been previously married.
Charlene Wittstock and Prince Albert II
In the summer of 2011, Charlene Wittstock married long-time bachelor Prince Albert II of Monaco—the son of Princess Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III. Wittstock, who is now Princess of Monaco, was born in what is now modern-day Zimbabwe. She moved with her family to South Africa during her childhood, and later represented the nation as a swimmer in the Olympics.
Sofia Hellqvist and Prince Carl Philip
Sofia Hellqvist married Prince Carl Philip of Sweden in 2015. She is now known as Princess Sofia of Sweden, Duchess of Värmland, but was a model and reality-TV star prior to her marriage. The couple’s first child together, Prince Alexander, was born this past April.
Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden and Daniel Westling
Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria met her husband, Prince Daniel, while he was working as her personal trainer. Before this, he had served in the Swedish Army. The couple announced their engagement in 2009, and wed in June of 2010.
Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Christopher O'Neill
Princess Madeleine, the sister of Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Carl Philip, married Christopher O’Neill in 2013. O’Neill is an American-British financier. He was born in London, and attended college at Boston University, where he majored in international relations. O’Neill does not hold a title, and he declined Swedish citizenship. As a private citizen, he has been able to continue his career in finance.
Masako Owada and Crown Prince Naruhito
Masako Owada was born in Tokyo, Japan, but moved with her family to the U.S. while she was in high school. She attended Harvard University, where she studied economics. She went on to study at Oxford and at the University of Tokyo as well, with a focus on international relations and law. Owada, now Crown Princess of Japan, has been married to Crown Prince Naruhito for more than 20 years. They have one daughter, Princess Aiko.
Rania Al-Yassin and King Abdullah II of Jordan
Now Queen Rania met then-Prince Abdullah of Jordan when she was 22 years old. Queen Rania was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents: Her family fled to Jordan around the time Kuwait was invaded by Saddam Hussein. She studied at the American University in Cairo, and worked briefly at Citibank and Apple. She and her husband became King and Queen of Jordan in 1999.
Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was working at Deutsche Bank in New York City when she met then-Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in 1999. The couple met in Seville, Spain, at a fair, where the prince introduced himself simply as “Alexander.” Máxima, who is descended from Iberian royalty though born a commoner, is now Queen of the Netherlands.
Marie-Chantal Miller and Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece
Marie-Chantal is one of the three famous Miller sisters. (Her sister Pia married a Getty, and Alexandra Miller was married for a time to Diane von Furstenberg’s son.) Their father, Robert Warren Miller, made his fortune through his empire of duty-free shops. Marie-Chantal married Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece in 1995. She is now styled as Crown Princess of Greece, Princess of Denmark, and has five children.