7 Royals Who Gave Up Their Titles For Love
Photo, Hulton Archive/Getty Images
What would you give up to be with the love of your life? In the case of these seven royals – from Prince Philip to Princess Mako of Japan – it's just about everything. From Japan to Denmark, princes and princesses have forgone their claims to the throne because of a beloved – and many have never looked back. In honour of Valentine’s Day, we look at royals who threw it all away for love.
Click through to find out which royals gave up a title for their beloved.
Royals Who Gave Up Their Titles For Love
Prince Philip
Though Prince Philip is part of the British Royal Family, he actually had to renounce his claim to not one but two thrones when he wed Queen Elizabeth II. (He was a prince in both Greece and Denmark.)
Princess Mako
Princess Mako of Japan is one of the more recent royals to renounce their title for love. Back in 2017, she declined her right to the throne in favour of marrying commoner Kei Komuro. The declaration wasn't necessarily her choice, though. Per Japanese royal law, a female royal must renounce her title if her partner lacks an aristocratic title.
King Edward VIII
This former royal is perhaps the most famous to abdicate their position for love. After less than a year on the throne, Edward left London to marry Wallis Simpson. "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love," he said in his official announcement.
Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya of Thailand
When this princess wed the man she loved, Peter Ladd Jensen, she was forced to give up her title, even though she is the eldest daughter of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. She wasn't able to reclaim her title after the couple divorced in 1998 either. Today she is only referred to as Tunkramom Ying which means "daughter of Queen Regent."
Prince Friso of Orange-Nassau
When this Dutch royal married Mable Wisse Smit in 2004, he did so without the official blessing of the Dutch Parliament, meaning he abdicated his right to the throne (had his older brother predeceased him). Until his passing in 2013, though, he and his family were still considered members of the royal family, just not the Dutch Royal House.
King Carol II
This one-time king was forced to abdicate his throne twice: once for love when he was caught having an affair with a French woman in 1925, and then again for political reasons when he was forced into exile in 1940. He eventually wed one of his consorts, Magda Lupescu, in 1947.
Princess Sayako
Years before Princess Mako of Japan was forced to give up her title, there was this Japanese princess – the only daughter of Emperor Akihito. When she wed a commoner, Yoshiki Kuroda, she left behind the imperial household and all the benefits that went along with it (like receiving an allowance, for example).
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