I am curious. It is briefly mentioned and asked by one of my characters in my novel, what his sister was majoring in abroad for?
And it got me thinking a bit: What would a prince or princess go to university/college for anyway? Politics or something else entirely?
I can understand going to a fancy high school or getting homeschooled, but university is interesting to me what reason they need to go for.
If that prince or princess is destined to take the throne of their nation or become the spouse of another nation’s royal heir, what reason is there for going to a very top-notch university?
I am talking about the royal heirs who want to stay royalty not the ones who are willing to leave the royal life to pursue a different lifestyle choice.
Idk, maybe further their education in whatever interests they have? Contribute to research?
Like, the princess of Japan is interested in biology and will be going to uni for that. She really doesn’t NEED to. I mean…she’s the princess. But she probably wants to do research like her grandfather and contribute to the research field. Her grandfather discovered several sub-species of a certain type of shallow-water fish in his time and published those findings.
To add: It’s not like her being a princess makes her exceptionally smart or anything. I think she’s just a regular girl. But like, whatELSE is she supposed to do with her life, right? She’s the PRINCESS. It’s not like she needs to study to get a job. That’s what I think anyway.
I wasn’t thinking that at all, but I get what you mean. LOL!
Still, I wanted to know what the many reasons would be for a royal heir to attend college.
One of my royal characters is going to college to study governmental science or something similar to that. She won’t take over as the family’s head because of her place in the royal family along with not wanting to become the head of the family.
I think the royals would either study a masters / doctorate in International Business or Finance, or attend Military Collage (become an Officer / Special Forces*). Maintaining and growing family / intergenerational wealth and prestige is a complex task.
*The Social Elite join the Military Elite. A quote from Tried by Fire.
Maybe they’re a nerd, maybe they want to be a better ruler than the uneducated people already in charge, maybe they’re just a naturally curious person, maybe they want to learn more about the world. We have to remember that royals are also regular people when it really comes down to it
Depending on the genre of this tale it could be many options, but what comes to mind firstly is Sociology, Modern Economics, Politics, Law and, Media studies… If it was for a Fantasy tale, I’d say Local Politics of your realm, then the histories and cultures of your bordering Realms and races…
I’d hardly think they’d go to a university to learn about politics or how to be a princess or prince, considering they’d learn all of this as soon as they’re born—they’re taught from a young age to be a princess, a prince, and all that comes with it.
My guess would be they’d go to study things that interest them like fashion or something. They have money, so they’re able to study whatever they want for however long they want without feeling like they’re wasting money.
I mean, you can look at real royalty and see why they went to college. Prince William earned a Scottish Master of Art in Geography; Princess Eugenie got a degree in English literature and history of art and politics.
Whatever they’re into, just because they’re royalty doesn’t limit the broad of studies they may acquire–they also have the privilege which in certain studies wouldn’t spell out their doom.
I guess it would also depend on why they’re studying. Are they doing it because they want to/because it’s something they’re passionate about? Or are they simply fulfilling the expectations around them? I.e. are they doing this out of duty, or pressure? Their intentions about how they feel is important when considering what, exactly, they would study.
Although, if one was more politically aligned and wanted to broaden their knowledge as far as ruling a country goes, they’d probably study a good number of politics, economics, sociology, and law stuff. Also perhaps history.
She’s the PRINCESS. It’s not like she needs to study to get a job. That’s what I think anyway.
