True love between these royal couples conquered through their challenging times in compelling you-and-me against the world circumstances.
Since time immemorial stories of royal couples have always been tainted with drama and controversy. With people and the media’s microscopic attention on them, there is little room to move without being criticized. But let’s admit it, who could resist talking about them and prying open their lives? With a life of opulence and glamour, people are clamoring to know what goes on in the lives of these royalties. From marrying commoners, brushing off rumors, to relinquishing royal titles, there is always the story of a strong woman who fearlessly fought for love. Despite the odds stacked against them, these bold women persisted and married the man they love amid controversies, proving just how love can be very powerful and can overcome anything.
Scroll below to know the stories of these women.
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Princess Sofia, Duchess of Värmland
Sofia Hellqvist is married to Prince Carl Philip of Sweden. During their years of courtship, the former model and reality star had been the subject of controversy. Starring in a Survivor-esque show called Paradise Hotel and modeled for Slitz, a men’s magazine, she also sports several tattoos and while times have changed, there had been strains with Sofia’s tabooed past. However, the couple shot down all the gossip and married in 2015. They now have two children, Prince Alexander and Prince Gabriel, proving that true love doesn’t rely, and will always go beyond surface-level appearances.
Letizia Ortiz, Queen of Spain
Before becoming a royal, Letizia was born to a middle-class family, eventually rising to fame as the best Spanish journalist under 30. At 25, she married her high school literature teacher and divorced after less than a year. Prince Felipe of Spain met her during one of her field reports and kept their relationship under wraps for a while. The royal parents were opposed to the match, seeing Letizia as the “very antithesis of a classic Spanish queen” with her past and opinionated personality. The couple ultimately won all arguments and married in 2004, and are now duly owning up to their current titles as King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain.
Princess Lilian, Duchess of Halland
The British model Lilian May Davies first met Prince Bertil at her 28th birthday party. Romance bloomed between them while Lillian was still married to Craig. The two eventually divorced but the couple didn’t get their fairytale wedding afterward. Prince Bertil’s older brother, Prince Gustaf Adolf, died in a plane crash. His son, Carl Gustaf, was only 9 months old at that time and couldn’t succeed to the throne. So, Prince Bertil had to serve as a regent first and kept his relationship with Lilian for more than 30 years. They pursued their romance and finally got married when Prince Carl Gustaf came of age and ascended the throne.
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Sayako Kuroda
Sayako, formerly Princess Nori, experienced her parents’ disapproval of her relationship with a commoner, urban designer Yoshiki Kuroda, a longtime friend of Sayako’s brother. With her decision to pursue her relationship with Yoshiki, she had to follow the imperial’s strict law, which meant relinquishing her royal title, official membership with the Imperial Family, and recipient of monetary allowance. In spite of these heavy consequences, Sayako happily married the man of her life, catching global attention as a woman who stood her ground amidst royal pressures. She is now the supreme priestess of Ise Shrine.
Princess Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden
Having suffered from anorexia and struggles with anxiety, Princess Victoria had to learn to balance her life again. She started dating Daniel Westling, her personal trainer at Stockholm gym who helped her restore her health. Victoria’s parents expressed concern over the match, thinking Daniel is not equipped for the royal life, given his small-town pedigree. However, with a little royal tutoring and a change in wardrobe for Daniel, he and Victoria were able to express true love through marriage in 2010.
Princess Anne, Princess Royal
A 1989 People magazine cover dubbed Princess Anne’s relationship “A Royal Scandal.” She fell in love with one of the palace’s equerry, Captain Timothy Laurence. However, she was still married to Captain Mark Philips at that time. The affair was only discovered when her love letters from home surfaced following a theft. In spite of the controversy, Princess Anne divorced her first husband and married Captain Timothy Laurence.
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Meghan Markle, soon-to-be-former Duchess of Sussex
The former television star has been the heated subject of conversations as soon as rumors of her relationship with Prince Harry broke out. With her publicized family drama involving her father, and background as an American actress, many continue to criticize her. Yet she and Prince Harry ignored all the controversies and media’s constant probing into Meghan’s life and happily married in 2018. And to add even more to their compelling story, the two recently announced their rescinding of royal duties over their desire to live normal lives. And as it goes, true love wins again.
Cayetana Fitz-James Stuart, Duchess of Alba and Alfonso Diez
Spain’s richest aristocrat was married three times and was considered a “shaker” in the European social scene. With a reputation of going against the official rules and obligations expected, her first marriage was at 21, the most lavish wedding in the world at that time. After her husband’s death, she married again but this time, with a former Catholic priest 11 years her junior. Following his death, she betrothed with Alfonzo Diez, a public servant 25 years her junior. She was 85 at that time, and her children attempted to stop the marriage as they saw Alfonzo as a ‘gold-digger.’ Her fortune was estimated to amount between 600 million euros to 3.5 billion euros. Amid the drama, she and Alfonzo were happily married until three years later, when Cayetana passed away at the age of 88.
Camilla Parker-Bowles, Duchess of Cornwall
Although Camilla Shand was married to Andrew Parker-Bowles, it was no secret that her former relationship with Prince Charles was truly “blissful, peaceful, and mutually happy.” Yet Prince Charles eventually married Princess Diana. Despite the marriage, rumors circulated how he and Camilla were actually dating, as the prince’s marriage with Diana remains rocky. Three years after Princess Diana’s death, Camilla and Charles finally appeared to the public as a couple and married in 2005. Though they had a rocky start, anyone can say their relationship had come to a full circle.
