What makes a princess a princess? When looking for the true qualities of a princess, we can watch the classic Disney princess movies like Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. OR we can take a look at some other Disney characters who don’t technically have Princess status, but have the qualities of great princesses.

First up is Princess Shuri of Wakanda. Not only is Princess Shuri King T’Challa’s sister, she is a tech genius who creates and designs the tools and gadgets her brother (The Black Panther!!) needs to fight and save their home country of Wakanda, and to fight alongside the Avengers! What makes Princess Shuri a great Princess is her courage, her out-of-the-box thinking, and her ability to mix family with business!

Princesses Lucy and Susan from Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, are another great example of princesses who work with their siblings to save their kingdom. Although Princess Lucy was terrified when she first discovered the troubled land of Narnia in the back of her family’s wardrobe, she eventually returned with her brothers and sister. As the most responsible one of her siblings, Princess Susan was often the moral. And, the logical compass for her siblings during their adventures and battles in Narnia. Princesses Lucy and Susan resemble Disney Princesses because although they found themselves in a foreign land, they saw creatures in need of help and worked with their siblings, centaurs and talking beavers to defeat Jadis the White Witch.

Another Princess that worked hard to keep her kingdom safe is Princess Kida (Kidagakash Nedakh) of Atlantis, from the movie Atlantis:The Lost Empire. Princess Kida showed kindness when she discovered a group of explorers near her kingdom, in need of help. Despite her father’s distrust of outsiders, Kida did not jump to conclusions. She did her best to teach the outsiders about her kingdom’s culture and history. Princess Kida’s honesty and bravery make her an exceptional princess.

Not judging those who seem different than us is an important quality of a princess. And this next princess is the perfect example of why we should take the time to get to know those who are different from us. We’re talking about Lilo from Lilo and Stitch! When Lilo saw Stitch at the dog shelter, she didn’t run away in terror, she chose to take him home. Although he didn’t act like a typical dog, and more like an alien, Lilo took her time to understand him. And not only did she help him save the world from Jumba, he became a part of her Ohana (family). Lilo expressed true princess qualities by being kind, understanding, curious, and brave.

Another princess who definitely values her family is Anastasia. As a lost princess in Russia, Anastasia wants nothing more than to find her way back to her royal family.  The movie Anastasia was released in 1997 under the Fox Network. But in 2019 Fox and Disney merged, making Anastasia officially a part of the Disney family. Ever since the merger, which you can learn more about here, Anastasia has been getting the recognition she deserves! What makes Anastasia an amazing princess is her strength, growth and her resilience. Although she was separated from her family, she found her way back to her grandmother because of her curiosity and quick instincts.

Lastly, we have princess Megara from Hercules. Meg is a true princess because of her bravery and her ability to realize that she’s made a mistake. It takes a lot of courage. And it can be very scary when you have made a mistake and possibly hurt someone. But when Meg realizes she was wrong for lying to Hercules. Especially since he shows her so much kindness, she risks everything to save his life. Like all of us, Princess Megara made a mistake. But she displayed true princess qualities when she apologized and tried to make things right.

These Disney characters don’t technically have Princess status, but have the qualities of great princesses

These princesses teach us what it really means to be a princess. It’s about taking responsibility for our actions, team-work, creativity, and showing kindness to those in need. Princesses Shuri, Lucy, Susan, Kida, Lilo, Anastasia, and Megara are great examples. They make exceptional princesses even if they don’t make the traditional Disney Princess list.