Royal Children You May Not Know About

When it comes to royal children, there's no doubt that those with a British accent win the unofficial popularity contest. Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are some of the biggest royal names in the world, and in 2021, George was even crowned the most popular and influential royal child in the world (via Express). Creative resource company Design Bundles found that the young prince was featured in over 200,000 Google searches per month, and was the most Instagrammed royal child of the year with 693,353 Instagram hashtags to his name.

Of course, his younger brother and sister weren't far behind him — and even Prince Archie and Princess Lillibet were in the top 10. But while it could be said that the British royals are the "jocks" of the royal realm, it's important to remember that there are 25 other royal families around the world. From Belgium to Bhutan, these royal families are full of royal children all with similar titles to the British heirs. Unfortunately, many of these royal children have slipped under the radar, but they're no less important. And their lives are just as lavish as those in Buckingham Palace.

As the eldest daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor of Spain is the heir presumptive to the throne — meaning she's first in line to wear the crown. Since her birth on October 31, 2005, the Spanish people have regarded her as their future queen. And if the Princess of Asturias chooses to ascend the throne, she will break barriers as the first queen regnant since Isabella II, who reigned from 1833 until 1868. Of course, this means that there's a lot of pressure on Leonor's shoulders to uphold her family's claim on the country. In an effort to prepare herself for the role, the 17-year-old has a busy few years coming up.

In March 2023, the royal household of Spain announced that the young royal will complete three years of military training once her studies at UWC Atlantic College are over. The news release stated, "Military education provides a very complete and adequate technical and human training to guarantee the commitment of permanent service to Spanish society" (via Casa Real).

Throughout her training, Leonor will spend a year with the army, another year with the naval forces, and then her final year with the air force. This will properly prepare her for her role as the commander of the armed forces if she assumes the throne.

Prince Jacques of Monaco was born into an iconic family. Not only is he the grandson of former Hollywood legend Grace Kelly, but he also has the pleasure of calling the late Prince Rainier his grandfather. Rainier III ruled the Principality of Monaco from 1949 until his death in 2005, and many credit Jacques' grandfather for transforming the small sovereign city-state from near-bankruptcy into the luxurious playground for the rich and famous it is today (per The Washington Post). But with such an impressive history behind him, all eyes are on 8-year-old Prince Jacques of Monaco to make his mark.

However, Jacques doesn't have to deal with the pressure of royal life by himself. He has his twin sister, Princess Gabriella, to keep him company along the way. And while their mom Princess Charlene loves sharing photos of the pair (including their adorable joint Halloween costumes) on Instagram, there's no doubt about the fact that Jacques is higher up the pecking order.

Although Princess Gabriella was actually born two minutes earlier than her twin brother, she will never inherit the throne. That's because the laws of succession in Monaco state that only the firstborn son can become the rightful heir apparent, which means that he'll soon swap Halloween parties for official royal appearances (per People).

The 17-year-old Prince Sverre Magnus of Norway is almost a legal adult, but that doesn't mean that he's ready to inherit the throne. The Nordic prince is currently third in the line of succession, with his father set to take over the crown when his grandfather King Harald V either dies or abdicates his place. And while all eyes have mostly been on Sverre's sister, Princess Ingrid Alexandra, over the years, it's fair to say that this youngster has still stolen the show in the past. Especially when this cheeky chap went viral in 2017.

When Sverre appeared on the balcony of Oslo's Royal Palace during his grandparents' 80th birthday celebrations, the then-11-year-old obviously needed a way to entertain himself — and those watching down below. To begin, he threw peace signs and made faces at the cameras. But then he decided to take his exploits one step further when he opted to "dab" in front of the world's media.

Although he broke royal protocol during this entertaining display of youth, royalists weren't too upset. In fact, one video of the event has over 600,000 views and thousands of likes (via YouTube).

Also called the Princess of Orange-Nassau, Princess Ariane is the youngest daughter of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. Her two older sisters are perhaps more famous than she due to their higher rank in the line of succession, but Dutch royalists seem to appreciate the quiet life that Ariane leads. Although Ariane often steps out into the spotlight when attending public family outings, such as their King's Day concert in April 2023, she tends to keep to herself (per Tatler).

According to The Royal House of the Netherlands, the 16-year-old princess lives with her mom and dad at their home in the beautiful Huis ten Bosch Palace in The Hague. The family also states that she enjoys "horse riding, hockey, drawing, and playing the piano."

Of course, like any other royal, a huge emphasis has also been put on her education. In September 2019, Ariane started her first day at the prestigious Christelijk Gymnasium Sorghvliet, the same school both of her older sisters attended. However, Ariane didn't catch a ride to school in a royal car like other princesses around the world. In true Dutch form, Ariane cycled to school — and the official Instagram account for the royal house posted a video of the momentous occasion.

In 1979, Swedish succession laws changed to decree that the firstborn child — regardless of gender — should inherit the throne. This change came about when Princess Victoria was a toddler and resulted in her younger brother Prince Carl Philip being stripped of his original claim to the crown. The current king, Carl Gustaf, told Swedish news channel SVT in January 2023, "It's tricky to have laws that work retroactively. It doesn't seem wise" (via Royal Central). But this has certainly worked out in Princess Estelle of Sweden's favor.

As the youngest child of Crown Princess Victoria, Princess Estelle is now second in line to the throne after her mother. The 11-year-old holds the title of the Duchess of Östergötland and is the only female ruler in Swedish history to be born as heir apparent, rather than heir presumptive. This means that her title cannot be taken away by her younger brother, Prince Oscar.

Questions surrounding her potential succession are easily answered, as it's clear to see that Estelle is already preparing to one day take the throne. She's been known to mirror her mother during public appearances, and she's proved that she's incredibly proud of her Swedish roots (per People). In May 2022, the official Instagram account for the Swedish royal family posted a video of Estelle and her brother looking after their country as they cleaned up the garbage along Swedish beaches.

There are 12 monarchies in Europe, which means that there are even more further afield. In Japan, there is the Imperial House — often called the House of Yamato. This royal family can reportedly be traced back to as early as 97 B.C., making it one of the oldest in the world (per People). And as the son of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, Prince Hisahito of Akishino is currently the only heir to the Japanese throne. However, this has come with some serious complications.

Hisahito is now 16 years old and preparing to one day sit on the throne, but you'll never spot him on the same plane as his father. In 2019, the young royal was reportedly the target of an assassination attempt when a man made his way into his school and left knives on his desk (per The Washington Post). Because they are such valuable members of the Japanese royal family, the Imperial Household Agency decided after this event to keep Hisahito and his father separated during overseas trips.

Imperial history expert Yuji Otabe later told Japan Today, "We must avert the potential risks associated with imperial heirs being on the same airplane together" (via The Daily Mail).

When it comes to the Spanish royal family, there are some strict rules to uphold. This can be seen when you look at Infanta Sofía of Spain, who is the daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain. By British standards, Sofía should technically be a princess. She's the daughter of a king and queen, and her older sister is Princess Leonor. However, Spanish law states that Sofía cannot be called a princess, as this title is only given to the presumptive heir of Spain. And as the second in line to the throne, the 16-year-old was given the title of Infanta Sofía of Spain when she was born in 2007.

Although Sofía's older sister may hold the princess title and the official claim to the throne, it seems as if the younger royal doesn't feel left out. In fact, it was announced in 2023 that she will be following in her older sister's footsteps later in the year, and like many other royals before her, she will be attending UWC Atlantic College in Wales.

This was confirmed in a news release, which stated, "The cost of the international baccalaureate that the Infanta Sofía will take will also be paid in full personally by their majesties the king and queen with their annual allowance and amounts to 74,000 pounds sterling for the two courses" (via Casa Real).

Since 2007, the Danish people have had the pleasure of watching Princess Isabella of Denmark grow up in front of their eyes. As the second child of Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Isabella is third in line to the throne — and her grandmother, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, even became Europe's longest-serving current head of state after the death of Queen Elizabeth II (per People). And while the 16-year-old might not follow in the footsteps of her grandmother, a huge emphasis is still being put on her education to ensure that she has a bright future ahead of her.

However, the Danish royal family found themselves in a sticky situation in August 2022 when they were forced to remove her brother Prince Christian from Herlufsholm boarding school (per E! News). The school was hit with allegations of bullying and sexual abuse, and in a statement, his parents said, "We are deeply shaken by the reports that have come out about Herlufsholm recently. We have also made it clear that, as parents of a child at the school, we expect that the school will do what it must do to rectify the unacceptable conditions" (via Kongehuset).

This also posed a problem for Isabella, who was set to join her brother at the boarding school before the allegations. After deliberating, they chose to send the youngster to Ingrid Jespersens Gymnasieskole in Copenhagen instead (per Kongehuset).

If old Swedish laws of succession were still in place, Prince Oscar of Sweden would be gearing himself up to one day become king. However, now that his sister has claimed her rightful place as the second in line to the throne, Oscar holds the title of the Duke of Skåne instead. At just 7 years old, he hasn't had long to immerse himself in the royal world, but royal fans across the globe are still enjoying getting to know him.

According to Kungahuset, the young prince lives with his parents Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel in their family home at Haga Palace. And like many other young boys around the world, the prince has a love of animals.

In fact, the family welcomed a dog they called Rio into their home in 2020 (per Hello). It's been reported that Oscar is particularly fond of their Cavalier King Charles spaniel/poodle mix, and he even posed with the fluffball for his official royal portrait in March 2023. The adorable pictures were then posted on Instagram by the Swedish royal family's official social media page and racked up almost 80,000 likes.

As the youngest grandchild of King Albert II and Queen Paola, Princess Eléonore of Belgium has a special place in the hearts of subjects. The 15-year-old may not be at the top of the succession food chain, but it seems as if she's extremely passionate about her place within the Belgian royal family and is intent on making her mark on her own terms. However, she's still following in her siblings' charitable footsteps.

Eléonore's older siblings Princess Elisabeth and Prince Emmanuel prefer to run races to raise money for charity (per Hello). But the youngest princess did something a little different during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to The Belgian Monarchy, the youngster used her extra time at home to phone the elderly in care facilities across Belgium and offered companionship during such a troublesome period. Alongside this, she also showcased her baking talent to make waffles for the elderly and homeless people during this time.

When she's not helping out those in need, Eléonore reportedly loves to spend her time outdoors skiing, sailing, or hiking. And in 2022 she even embarked on a 44-mile pilgrimage to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela in Spain with her mom, dad, and her older siblings (per People).

No twin would be complete without their other half. But despite the fact that Princess Gabriella was born two minutes before her slightly younger brother, she stands behind Prince Jacques in the line for succession in the Monegasque monarchy. Nevertheless, it's been suggested that this hasn't come between their relationship, and the twins love getting up to mischief together. In fact, she even loves cutting her brother's hair.

In September 2022, Princess Charlene of Monaco proved that she was just like any other parent around the world when she shared a hilarious hair update on Instagram. Alongside a photo of Jacques, Gabriella, and their wonky haircuts — which has since been deleted — Charlene wrote, "Gabriella gave herself and her brother a haircut! Looking forward to school on Monday ... " (via People)

However, this wasn't the first time that Gabriella decided to get scissor-happy on her hair. The same thing happened in August 2021, when the Monegasque royal family was vacationing in South Africa. Once again, Charlene posted photos of the new hairdo on Instagram and even suggested that she'd tried (and failed) to fix her daughter's hair herself.

Before she died, the late Queen Elizabeth II welcomed the arrival of 12 great-grandchildren. And while Prince William and Princess Catherine's children are perhaps the most famous on that list, what you might not realize is that Prince George is not the eldest. That honor falls upon 12-year-old Savannah Phillips, who is the daughter of Peter and Autumn Phillips and the granddaughter of Anne, Princess Royal.

At the time of her birth, Savannah was 12th in line to the British throne. However, as Prince William and Harry have had more children, she has been pushed down the pecking order and today stands at number 18. Despite this, she's still extremely close to those closest to the crown — and she went viral in 2018 for getting up to mischief with Prince George on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

During the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony, the young prince struggled to keep his excitement in check, prompting his cousin Savannah to cover his mouth and offer a sly smile to the camera (per People). A year later, royal fans couldn't help but laugh when they realized that the two youngsters had conveniently been separated on the balcony.