Ordinary women who became Princesses [photos]
It’s straight out of a fairy tale! The following ‘ordinary’ women weren’t born to be Princesses, but captivated the hearts of many after becoming Royals.
In light of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s recent engagement, we thought it best to have a round up of prominent princesses who weren’t necessarily from or born into a Royal family.
Lisa Halaby:
The future Queen of Noor, born Elizabeth Halaby received a master’s degree in Urban Planning, worked in Sydney and Tehran, and eventually took a job with Royal Jordanian Airlines where she met King Hussein of Jordan. She married him after the death of his wife Queen Alia in 1978. She took Noor as her new first name, the Arabic word for “light.”
Grace Kelly:
Possibly one of the most famous stars. The Academy Award-winning actress Grace Kelly somehow became even more famous when she married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco. Grace was in the south of France for the Cannes Film Festival screening of her film The Country Girl when her first meeting with Prince Rainier was captured on film. The rest is as they say history. She went on to live in Monaco until her death at the age of 52. She never acted again.
Charlene Wittstock:
Charlene was an Olympic swimmer for South Africa before marrying long-time bachelor, Prince Albert II of Monaco. Albert is the son of Princess Grace Kelly and Rainier III. Charlene was born in what is now modern-day Zimbabwe and relocated to South Africa during her childhood with her family.
Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano:
Now Queen Letizia of Spain, was a journalist and news broadcaster before she married King Felipe VI. Letizia reported on the 2000 U.S. presidential election and was an anchor of the nightly news program Telediario. When she became engaged with (then Prince) Felipe, it was quite a surprise because she had been married before.
Sofia Hellqvist:
Now known as Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Värmland, Sofia married Prince Carl Philip of Sweden in 2015. She was formerly a model and reality-TV star.
Kate Middleton:
No need for an introduction: The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate first met Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge (and second in line to the British throne) in 2001 while they were students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. They started dating in 2003, and became engaged in 2010. They eventually married in 2011 and is expecting their third child sometime next year.
