Famous Princesses in History

The world will have a glamorous new princess in April, when Kate Middleton is set to marry Prince William of Wales at Westminster Abbey. This week, the List looks at some noted princesses in recent history.

• Princess Diana — Will there ever be a more famous princess? She stole our hearts when she married Prince Charles in 1981. She made headlines throughout the 1980s and 1990s for her glamorous looks, charity work and nasty divorce. Her untimely death in a car crash in 1997 stunned the world. She left behind two sons, Princes William and Harry.
• Princess Grace of Monaco — It was the fairy-tale wedding of the century. In 1956, actress Grace Kelly, the star of such films as “High Noon” and “To Catch a Thief,” gave up her stunning Hollywood career to marry Prince Rainier Grimaldi of Monaco. She had three children, Caroline, Albert and Stephanie, and died on Sept. 14, 1982, when she lost control of her automobile and crashed after suffering a stroke.
• Princess Margaret —  Overshadowed by her older sister, the current Queen of England, Margaret lived a rich, unconventional and varied life. Her ill-starred romance with royal aide Peter Townsend made headlines because of his divorced status. In 1973, the princess, then 43, met landscape gardener Roddy Llewellyn, who was 17 years her junior. Five years later, her 16-year marriage to Lord Snowdon was dissolved. A heavy smoker, she died at age 71 in 2002, seven weeks before her 101-year-old mother died.
• Princess Leia —  Portrayed by Carrie Fisher in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, Princess Leia, with her cinnamon-bun hairstyle, must be one of the most famous princesses on the silver screen. In “Return of the Jedi,” it is revealed she is the sister of Luke Skywalker. Can we ever forget Jabba the Hutt drooling over her?
• Princess Zara Phillips of England —  Born in 1981, Zara is the daughter of Princess Anne and Capt. Mark Phillips and the oldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II. Like her mom and dad, she loves horses and is an accomplished equestrian. She is 12th in line to the throne of England.
• Princess Letizia of Spain —  Letizia Ortiz is a TV anchorwoman married to Prince Felipe of Spain. She was already a prime-time celebrity in Spain when she married Felipe in 2004fixed. They met while she was reporting on an oil spill. Her husband is heir apparent to the Spanish throne.
• Princess Toshi of Japan —  She is the 9-year-old daughter and only child of Crown Princess Masako and Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan. Her given name, Aiko, means “a person who loves others.” She is the granddaughter of Emperor Akihito.
• Xena: Warrior Princess —  Played by Lucy Lawless, the leather-clad Xena uses her formidable fighting skills to help people in the supernatural fantasy adventure “Xena: Warrior Princess,” which aired in from 1995 to 2001.
• Princess Jasmine —  She is the princess of the fictional city of Agrabah in the 1992 Disney film “Aladdin.” She is voiced by Linda Larkin.
• Snow White —  Snow White was Disney’s first feature-film superstar when she appeared in “Snow White the Seven Dwarfs” in 1937. It was the first animated feature film produced in America. Snow White, who is voiced by Adriana Caselotti, is a princess of noble birth who is forced into servitude by the Evil Queen, who wants to kill her. Except for a bit part in “The Wizard of Oz,” Caselotti was in no other film.
• Princess Tiana —  The star of Disney’s 2009 film “The Princess and the Frog.” Tiana is the first black cartoon princess in the Disney history. She is voiced by Anika Noni Rose.
• Princess Beatrice Elizabeth Mary of York —  The 22-year-old is the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is fifth, and the first female, in the line of succession to the throne of England. She appeared in a cameo role in the film “The Young Victoria” (2009).
• Princess Anne —  The only daughter of the present Queen of England, Anne turned 60 in August. She is an avid horse rider who represented her country at the 1976 Olympics. She infamously told photographers to “naff off” as they snapped her falling off her horse at a water jump. She is married to her second husband, Timothy Laurence. Known as the Princess Royal, she is 10th in line to the throne.
• Princess Salome —  Her dancing skills so pleased her stepfather, King Herod Antipas, that he granted her a wish. After consulting with her mother, Herodias, Salome demanded the head of John the Baptist.

Compiled by John Haydon

Sources: Associated Press, teacakesandteddybears.com, The Washington Times.