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We learned that her mother was a queen, but this doesn't matter since she was adopted. And she also was completely unaware of her lineage before the revelation preceding the Battle of Endor.

So, why is she considered a princess?

ThePopMachine
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DavRob60
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    Because, the epic story is about the nobody villager saving a princess with the help of the old wizard and his own, previously unknown, magic powers. And, of course, his father's legacy, passed on by the wizard (which may or may not be a sword, but if it is, it's a magic sword). Star Wars is a retelling of the epic fantasy hero's journey, so she had to be a princess. – Jeff Sep 14 '11 at 13:59
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    @Jeff gnovice gave us the short answer, but I think It deserve a long answer on the tone of this comment. Example, I suspect that the character of Amidala was defined as a queen to gave her his royal lineage, but those plans changed somehow. – DavRob60 Sep 14 '11 at 14:12
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    I considered it, but the question is asking from an in-universe perspective. I kinda figured that an out-of-universe answer would seem snarky, even if technically correct. – Jeff Sep 14 '11 at 14:30
  • @jeff thats make sense. – DavRob60 Sep 14 '11 at 15:24
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    Because princesses get 10% off drinks. – Neil Sep 14 '11 at 15:40
  • @Jeff don't forget that he's helped by a pirate and two faithful retainers. – Daniel Roseman Sep 15 '11 at 09:46
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    "Save the princess, save the Galaxy." – Keith Thompson Jul 07 '12 at 03:24
  • Have to go with not. not born a princess. [padme was not queen] not the natural daughter of a monarch. see above not a close female relative of monarch, especially a son's daughter. not the wife or widow of a prince. also she doesn't pass the duck/princess test. [ If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.] re: above remark - proving she is not a princess. Dialectic method ftw princess. I'm more saddened that she never gets much force powers. Leia kicks ass cuz she's not a princess. She's a Senator - she's a Rebel. She is Lady Vade –  Feb 05 '15 at 15:11
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    Monarchies are pretty fluid in the Star Wars universe. Naboo elects their monarch, whatever being elected Queen means, so it's not too far a stretch to think that Alderaan would allow an adopted princess. – Schwern Feb 06 '15 at 00:05
  • @user41510 - Actually, Padme did serve as queen. In most countries, once you serve in the supreme executive position, that title stays with you for life. Their monarchs just don't rule for life. – PoloHoleSet Oct 18 '16 at 18:51
  • @DavRob60: I know this is super old, but in the question text, did you mean *ignore* in the usual English sense of to willfully not pay attention to or the French sense which merely means to be unaware/to not know? – ThePopMachine Mar 02 '20 at 17:05
  • @thePopMachine You are right, French is my native language, I mean unaware. – DavRob60 Mar 03 '20 at 19:07
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    @DavRob60: Okay if I edit? – ThePopMachine Mar 04 '20 at 01:07
  • @ThePopMachine you shall proceed. – DavRob60 Mar 05 '20 at 03:05
  • All little girls who run rebellions against oppressive galactic empires are princesses! – Paul D. Waite Mar 06 '20 at 09:47

4 Answers4

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Leia was adopted as a baby by Senator Organa and his wife Queen Breha Organa, thus making her a princess.

Technically, I don't think she could be considered a princess by birth, since her mother Padmé Amidala was no longer Queen of Naboo at the time of Leia's birth, having taken the position of Senator of Naboo. So it's only via adoption that she has royal status.

gnovice
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    Part of it I think is that by the way I understand it, it was not generally known that she was adopted and that the public image was that she was a real child of Bael and Breha. – BBlake Sep 15 '11 at 15:05
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    A "princess" is a title not limited to daughters of kings and queens. It just happens to be the title also used for daughters of kings and queens. Whether her mother was a queen or not when Leia was born doesn't make a difference. If she comes from a princely family, she is a princess. And adoption by a queen would also make her a princess. Prince Charles princely title is indeed the "Prince of Wales" (Wales is a principality) and the husband of Queen Elizabeth is also a "prince" despite not being the son of a king or queen. – Andrew J. Brehm Sep 24 '11 at 14:01
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    "Prince" just means "first" and refers to rulers rather than the ruled. There is, technically, exactly ONE prince per principality. There exist two German words for "prince", "Fuerst" and "Prinz". "Fuerst" is from a Germanic root (like English "first") and "Prinz" is from a Latin root (like "primary"). Both "first" and "primary" derive from the same Indo-European root meaning the same.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality

     – Andrew J. Brehm Sep 24 '11 at 14:03
  • @AndrewJ.Brehm, obviously you've never read War & Peace. Based on that novel, approximately half of pre-revolutionary Russia were "princes". – The Photon Feb 05 '15 at 18:55
  • That is obvious to you because of my explanation what "prince" means? Your analysis is as far-fetched as it is wrong. – Andrew J. Brehm Feb 07 '15 at 20:25
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    Great answer, guy who I totally didn't go to high school with or anything. – Wad Cheber Jul 27 '15 at 05:13
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    This raises an interesting question: Leia's mother died when Alderaan was destroyed. So one might expect that Leia would have succeeded her as Queen of Alderaan, and should thenceforth have been "Queen Leia" instead of "Princess Leia". Of course, it's hard to be Queen of Alderaan when there is no Alderaan, but that also makes it hard to be a Princess of Alderaan... – Nate Eldredge Jul 27 '15 at 05:31
  • Are Bill Clinton and George W Bush still referred to as "President?" Yes. It's entirely possible that the title stays, so, technically, she'd still be a princess, even if it didn't carry with it eventual succession to the throne. – PoloHoleSet Oct 18 '16 at 18:52
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    @NateEldredge: Unless the Organas had an older boy?... or adopted an older child! – Oddthinking Dec 28 '17 at 16:11
  • @AndrewJ.Brehm - The Duke of Edinburgh is not Prince Philip because he comes from and married into princely families. He's Prince Philip only because Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II granted him that title on Feb 22nd, 1957, via Letters Patent. From March 1947 until then, he was not Prince Philip, having renounced his previous Greek and Danish titles to marry Her Majesty. (citation) It's not some vague entitlement. It's a very specific and structured thing. – T.J. Crowder Jul 10 '19 at 10:45
  • @T.J.Crowder What did I say was the reason for Prince Philip's princely title? – Andrew J. Brehm Jul 13 '19 at 07:01
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    @AndrewJ.Brehm - I took it (understandably, I think, given the context) that you were using Prince Philip to support your "If she comes from a princely family, she is a princess." premise (which is false in the real world in any of the significant royal systems, I believe; of course, the SW world may be different). If you meant him just as an example of a prince/princess not being the child of a king or queen, then fair enough. :-) (He's the grandson of a king, but his father was never king, having multiple elder brothers.) – T.J. Crowder Jul 13 '19 at 12:15
  • @T.J.Crowder In Liechtenstein both the head of state and his son are "princes". In Monaco the reigning prince is a prince as are most of his immediate family. Some women married to family members are princesses. Which significant royal system has princely families and does it differently? – Andrew J. Brehm Jul 18 '19 at 19:54
  • @AndrewJ.Brehm - And you will find in both cases there are specific rules, not some vague "comes from a princely family." – T.J. Crowder Jul 19 '19 at 04:42
  • @T.J.Crowder You find me beaten by your arguments. You don't even have to give any examples of significant royal systems where a princely family exists where family members are not princes. – Andrew J. Brehm Jul 20 '19 at 12:38
8

Leia was adopted by the Royal Family of the planet, Alderaan. Her adopted mother was Queen Breha Organa of Alderaan and her adopted father was the Viceroy (and Senator) Bail Organa. Leia became a princess because she was adopted into royalty.

After the destruction of Alderaan, Leia is still considered their Princess (and assumed Queen) by the remaining Alderaanians, even though she calls herself either Senator or General.

In the Star Wars canon book Bloodline by Claudia Gray, it goes into a bit more depth about Leia's royal roots. As to whether Leia (and her brother Luke) are royal by birth, the novel makes an attempt to answer this question. Here is one quote from the book that I found interesting:

'Leia, I always told you the truth about your mother and how she died. But I never told you that she was Padme Amidala, former Queen and Senator of the planet Naboo.' A war orphan and yet a royal by birth? Surprised as Lady Carise was, she decided it made sense. Leia's nobility was indeed in her blood....

Bloodline by Claudia Gray, page 202

Community
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Annoymous101
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Actually even exhiled Royalty is still consider King and Queen. Like the ones from Greece. Speaking of Greece Prince Philip who you claim was not a Prince by birth was actually born as grandson of both a King and Queen of Denmark and a King and Queen of Greece. As such he was born a Royal Prince. Upon his marriage to the future(Now Queen) Elizabeth he was made the Duke of Edinburgh. Hence Leia is the Princess of Alderaan. Technically is Queen as they have a population that survived the death star blowing up Alderaan.

Paul Hunziker-Langsholt
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  • She could opt to call herself Princess as she is the heir of something that cannot be inherited any longer. And the people (well anyone except Han) could be calling her Princess out of respect for the memory of the Alderaan-that-was (Han, of course, does it just to annoy her). – BMWurm Nov 05 '15 at 11:10
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She was adopted but no one knew this. They believed she was the daughter of a queen by birth. And that isn't changed even though she has no kingdom anymore. When kings and queens are removed from control and a monarchy dissolved they still keep the title and everyone still calls them prince, princess, king, queen, etc.

Null
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Randell1985
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