Beauty is, of course, an eternally subjective concept. But the world has always had its
share of princesses and queens who were so stunning they could have come straight out
of a Disney film. All of these women are definitely as dazzling as anything out of a storybook.
Grace Kelly, arguably the most famous movie-star-turned-princess who ever lived, started out as an actress
whose talent was commensurate with her beauty. She gave stunning performances in 1953's Mogambo
and 1954's The Country Girl, and was mesmerizing in the three films she did with Alfred Hitchcock.
Despite the promise of her career, Kelly chose to "retire" from acting when she met Prince
Rainier III of Monaco in 1955. In 1956, the two wed. Though Hitchcock subsequently approached
Kelly and asked her to play the lead role in Marnie, Kelly declined, citing her royal
duties. Apparently because of royal propriety, her films were banned in Monaco, and some
say that she went on to regret giving up her career. Kelly tragically died in a car accident
at the age of 52, but the legacy of her glamour and intelligence lives on.
Born in November of 1983, Ameerah Al-Taweel of Saudi Arabia is one of today's most beautiful
princesses. Al-Taweel met Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal while she was still a student; she
had the good fortune to land an interview with him for her school paper. Romance blossomed
between the two, despite their substantial age difference, and she became royalty by
marriage, after marrying her prince at age 18. They amicably divorced in 2013.
In addition to being admired for her philanthropy, Al-Taweel is an advocate for women's rights,
especially in her native country of Saudi Arabia. Though she's dedicated to educating
the public about misconceptions surrounding Islam, she also claims to be a proponent of
freedom of speech. During a 2012 interview with the Wall Street Journal, she spoke at
length about her activism and projects.
“But there are very important issues like you said that concerns us women, like civil
rights, more fields in education, more fields in the labor force.”
Born on August 31, 1970, Rania Al-Yassin became queen consort of Jordan after she married
Prince Abdullah, who later became king. Queen Rania is as celebrated for her philanthropy,
business sense, and widespread use of social media as she is for her looks. In 2016, she
gave an interview to CNN, in which she discussed subjects like unemployment and poverty, education,
the Syrian refugee crisis and religious extremism.
"Extremists historically always rely on the complacency of moderates [...] They think
that we're not going to do anything. They mobilize, and we don't."
Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, was without a doubt one of the most gorgeous royal women
in history. While she was nicknamed "Shy Di" when she first came onto the scene, the princess
soon enough embraced her life in the spotlight and used her beauty to her own advantage.
Makeup artist and friend Mary Greenwell spoke to Vogue about the late princess' personal
beauty and style and what she did that made her so effortlessly stand out.
"She wore makeup extremely well [...] I loved enhancing her beauty."
But was Princess Diana herself interested in beauty? After all, she was so effortlessly
and naturally stunning that it would be easy to understand if she shrugged at the idea
of putting a lot of energy into her look. But according to Greenwell, Diana was more
than interested in the process.
"She loved it. She was very holistic. She took care of herself extremely well [...] She
was self-aware, not in a vain way, but by looking after herself and the people around
her."
She will forever be missed.
Princess Madeleine's eyebrows alone make us 110% jealous. Just look at them — they're
perfect. But there are a number of other reasons why Princess Madeleine of Sweden has made
it onto this list. Not only is she stunning, but she carries herself in an absolutely gorgeous,
confident manner. As noted by Town & Country, the Swedish royal family has been known for
pulling off some pretty iconic beauty and fashion moments, and Princess Madeleine has
been right there with the rest of her family.
Some of the princess' standout moments have been at the World Childhood Foundation Gala
in 2019, when she wore an absolutely gorgeous silver gown, and at the Nobel Prize awarding
ceremony in 2016, when she was spotted in a luscious pink gown and a massive tiara.
Princess Madeleine is known for many things — like her philanthropy and her charity
work — but she is also known for her beauty and grace.
Queen Letizia of Spain easily made it onto the list of the most gorgeous rulers and princesses
in history because look at her — she 's effortlessly beautiful. The queen is not only
known for her timeless beauty, but her fashion sense is off the charts.
As noted by Town & Country, some of her favorite brands appear to be Massimo Dutti and Zara.
If anyone knows how to dress to impress, it's her. Some of her looks have included details
such as snakeskin pumps, embroidered gowns, and, of course, tiaras. What an icon.
If there is one monarch on this list who really gives others a run for their money, it's Queen
Jetsun Pema of Bhutan. Pema always looks beautiful — there's seriously no doubt about that
— but some of her looks have really stood out from the crowd.
While on a trip to Japan, Pema looked stunning — she had a touch of black eyeliner on and
a pink lip and had her hair pulled back. While in Tokyo, she went pretty much makeup-free
and still looked absolutely gorgeous. Of course, the queen also looked absolutely stunning
on her wedding day, keeping her makeup really, really simple. She pretty much only added
a slight smokey eye and styled her hair in loose curls.
You know that this list wouldn't be complete without Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth's
rambunctious younger sister. Elizabeth might have gotten more attention when Margaret was
still alive, but the second child of King George and the Queen Mother was positively
stunning — so much so that she embraced her looks and really just went for it. As
noted by HuffPost, Margaret was a bit of a rule-breaker. She reportedly hung out with
members of the Beatles at parties, was a heavy drinker, and enjoyed, quote, "breakfast in
bed and chain-smoking" during her days.
Throughout all her frivolity, however, she always looked perfect. When she was a kid,
Margaret wore what you'd expect a princess to — like flowery dresses — but when she
came into her own as a young adult, she took up the latest trends. In the 1950s, women
tried to emulate her style, dubbing it "the Margaret Look." By 1953, she appeared on the
front cover of Picture Post magazine with the caption "The Princess: Leader of Fashion."
Margaret sadly passed away in 2002, but her legacy has stood the test of time.
Princess Fawzia of Egypt was breathtaking, and she grew up in opulence and luxury. In
1939, through an arranged marriage at age 17, Fawzia wed Mohammed Reza, the crown prince
of Iran. But the marriage was not a happy one. In 1942, the princess was photographed
for Life magazine by Cecil Beaton, who remarked upon the contrast between her perfect and
sculpted features and her, quote, "sad and mournful eyes."
Eventually, Fawzia divorced the shah, remarried, got happier, and had two children. She died
at the impressive age of 91 in 2013.
Grace Kelly's royal associations may be widely known, but not as many people know that one
of her contemporaries, the equally famous Rita Hayworth, was also a princess.
As Grace Kelly had before her, Hayworth left her film career to marry Prince Ali Khan of
Pakistan. The two were wed in 1947 in France and they had a daughter, but the marriage
did not go well. In 1951, amid rumors of her husband's infidelity, Hayworth filed for divorce.
Her request was finally granted in 1953.
Hayworth died of Alzheimer's in 1987, and her final years were largely unhappy. But
the world will always have Gilda and the legacy of her pin-up queen glamour. She was Hollywood
royalty, and that's really all that counts in the end, as far as enduring legacies go.
Princess Marie of Edinburgh was born in 1875. Nicknamed "Missy," the princess possessed
an "Alice in Wonderland" like beauty in her youth. Said to have been courted by Winston
Churchill, Marie eventually wed Prince Ferdinand, Crown Prince of Romania.
In addition to giving birth to six children, Marie worked as a nurse during World War II.
According to an account in the National Business Times, she eventually settled by the Black
Sea, dying in 1938. Poetically, her heart was removed from her body and buried with
her husband, but later exhumed and moved to several places throughout the Carpathian mountains,
including the famous Bran castle in Transylvania.
With her riveting dark eyes, flowing dark hair, ruby lips, and elegant features, Princess
Gayatri Devi was admired the world over for her beauty and fashion sense.
She wed a Major General in 1940; she was his third wife, and eventually became his widow.
Known for her kindness and philanthropy, she was once voted the fourth most beautiful woman
of the 20th century, and American Vogue called her one of the most beautiful women in the
world. She had an action-packed life that was sometimes fraught with tragedy, but in
an interview with the Times of India shortly before her death at age 90, she stated that
she had lived a happy life and had no regrets.
When we think of beautiful queens, Cleopatra immediately comes to mind. Even if you don't
consider yourself a history buff, you likely know that Cleopatra was known for her beauty,
and once you look into the background of the Ancient Egyptian queen, it's pretty easy to
understand why. As noted by Ancient World Magazine, Cleopatra is considered one of the
most beautiful women in history, and the power of her physical attraction was not to be underestimated.
It was reported that the queen clearly knew how to utilize her beauty in order to influence
political decisions, with Ancient World Magazine noting that she used her prominent features
to, quote, "[seduce] Julius Caesar and Mark Antony — and thus changed the course of
world history." Of all her striking features, Cleopatra's nose was the most pronounced — it
was reportedly one of her strongest tools, with French philosopher Blaise Pascal writing,
"The nose of Cleopatra: if it had been [...] shorter, the whole face of the earth would have changed."
So you heard it here, ladies: If you have a prominent nose, use it to seduce men and
take over the world, just like our girl Cleopatra.
“You will kneel.”
“I will what?”
“On your knees.”
Queen Nefertiti may be second only to Cleopatra, as far as the beauty of ancient queens goes.
And she might even be first, at that. The wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten, she reigned during
the 14th century B.C., and was known for her love of art. She and her husband had six daughters
and may have had a son. The royal couple also worshiped Aten, the sun god, and established
a dignified cult around him.
Most accounts maintain that Nefertiti was as powerful as her husband, and some historians
even believe that she may have dressed herself as a man. Her name literally translates to
"a beautiful woman has come," and the bust of her that was found in 1913 indeed seems
to confirm her comeliness. Said artifact portrays her as being tall and angular, with sculpted
cheekbones, a Mona Lisa-like smile, and a placid expression of wisdom.
We're going way back into the history books for this. One of the most beautiful monarchs
in history was Catherine of Aragon, Princess of Wales, who lived from 1485 until 1536.
She was, unfortunately, married to King Henry VIII, but she made quite the name for herself.
According to PopSugar, her "red-gold hair and blue eyes" were positively breathtaking.
Catherine died at just 50 years old, but her legacy of beauty, grace, and power lives on.
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