Crowns, Choices, And Companions

Royal stories rarely follow a single pattern. Some figures stayed unmarried and devoted themselves to leadership or embraced independence. Others married multiple times, for duty or personal preferences. While a few unmarried individuals chose this path, others simply fell into it—due to circumstance, tradition, or unfortunate timing. Here’s a list of 10 that never tied the knot and 10 that did more than once.

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1. Prince Albert Victor, Duke Of Clarence And Avondale

Born to be king as the Prince of Wales's eldest son, Prince Albert Victor found his royal destiny tainted by scandalous Jack the Ripper rumors—though historians reject these claims. Fate dealt its final twist when influenza claimed him at twenty-eight, unexpectedly clearing his brother's path to becoming George V.

Franklin Tuttle on Wikimedia

2. Prince John Of The United Kingdom

The 2003 BBC drama The Lost Prince unveiled the poignant story of Prince John, King George V's youngest son, who lived largely hidden from public view at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate. Suffering from severe epilepsy, the young royal died unmarried at just thirteen.

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3. Prince Alfred Of Great Britain

For Queen Charlotte, welcoming her fourteenth child brought fresh maternal joy, as Prince Alfred joined Britain's expansive royal brood. But this happiness proved heartbreakingly brief as the young prince lived just twenty-three months, his demise in 1782 devastating his mother.

Franz Xaver Winterhalter on Wikimedia

4. Queen Elizabeth I Of England

You'd think being Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's daughter would define Elizabeth I. Still, she flipped the script by choosing to rule solo as the "Virgin Queen" while dodging assassins' daggers and sparking England's cultural golden age during the Elizabethan Era.

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5. Princess Augusta Sophia Of The United Kingdom

Within the stately walls of Clarence House, Princess Augusta Sophia crafted a life of dignified independence. The sixth child of George III, Sophia chose quiet resilience over marriage proposals, including Sir Brent Spencer’s pursuit. She later witnessed her niece Victoria’s wedding in 1840.

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6. Princess Sophia Of The United Kingdom

In an era when royal daughters served as dynastic pawns, Princess Sophia—the twelfth child of George III and Charlotte—found subtle ways to resist. Confined to the “Nunnery,” she joked about becoming a kangaroo, never married, and fueled rumors of a secret child.

Thomas Lawrence on Wikimedia

7. Queen Christina Of Sweden

Amid salons filled with debate and artistic exchange, Sweden’s Protestant Queen Christina emerged as an unlikely Renaissance patron. She favored culture over convention, corresponding with thinkers like Descartes. In 1654, she abdicated her unmarried throne to embrace Catholicism and intellectual freedom.

royal court painter Jacob Henry Elbfas (1600-1664) on Wikimedia

8. Princess Amelia Of Great Britain

Princess Amelia, the youngest daughter of Queen Caroline and King George II, chose to remain unmarried throughout her life. She forged an independent path as Richmond Park’s first female Ranger. Her legacy also includes influential patronage of composer Handel’s artistic works.

Jean-Baptiste van Loo on Wikimedia

9. King Ludwig II Of Bavaria

During his reign from 1864 to 1886, Bavaria’s King Ludwig II shaped his legacy through cultural patronage rather than marriage, funding Wagner’s works and building Neuschwanstein Castle. His personal life stayed solitary after a broken engagement to Duchess Sophie Charlotte.

Ferdinand von Piloty (1828-1895) on Wikimedia

10. Prince Christian Victor Of Schleswig-Holstein

During the Second Boer War, Prince Christian Victor, the unmarried eldest son of Princess Helena, served with the British Army in South Africa. His death from malaria in 1900 made him the first British royal to die on African soil, and he passed on unmarried.

James Russell & Sons (photographer) on Wikimedia

After looking at royals who remained single, it’s only fair to turn to those who took a different path—figures whose lives included more than one marriage.

1. Louis XIV Of France

While history books often record the Sun King's sole marriage to Maria Theresa of Spain, a more intriguing truth unfolded: Louis XIV actually wed twice, taking Madame de Maintenon as his wife in a carefully concealed morganatic ceremony.

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2. George IV Of The United Kingdom

When George IV claimed the British crown in 1820, he brought with him the shadows of two marriages—an invalid 1785 union with Maria Fitzherbert and a failed 1795 match to Caroline of Brunswick—finding solace during his decade-long reign in Brighton's Royal Pavilion.

Thomas Lawrence on Wikimedia

3. Philip II Of Spain

Through successive marriages to Portuguese, English, French, and Austrian royalty, Philip II wove an intricate web of alliances that mirrored Spain's expanding dominion across four continents from 1556 to 1598, culminating in his ambitious but failed Armada against England in 1588.

Sofonisba Anguissola on Wikimedia

4. Eleanor Of Aquitaine

From her sovereign duchy of Aquitaine, Eleanor charted an extraordinary path. She first joined France’s throne through marriage to Louis VII and even accompanied him on the Second Crusade. Later, she reshaped English history as Henry II’s queen and mother to kings Richard and John.

Frederick Sandys on Wikimedia

5. Catherine Of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon's path through Tudor history uniquely spanned two royal brothers: first as the bride of Arthur, Prince of Wales, and then as Henry VIII's queen from 1509 to 1533. These marriages made her England's queen mother.

Lucas Horenbout on Wikimedia

6. Emperor Charles IV Of The Holy Roman Empire

Born in Prague, Charles IV rose from local prince to Holy Roman Emperor, securing power through four marriages to Blanche of Valois, Anne of Bohemia, Anna of Schweidnitz, and Elizabeth of Pomerania. His reign crowned Prague as the imperial capital.

Circle of Theodoric of Prague on Wikimedia

7. King David II Of Scotland

The tale of David II unfolds through two royal marriages that shaped Scotland's destiny. Though he inherited his father Robert the Bruce's crown in 1329, neither his union with Joan of the Tower nor Margaret Drummond produced an heir during his forty-two-year reign.

Edward Harding on Wikimedia

8. Margaret Tudor

In a bold gambit for Anglo-Scottish peace, Henry VII dispatched his daughter Margaret Tudor to wed Scotland's James IV. Though her path would wind through three marriages, including unions with Douglas and Stewart, her lasting triumph emerged through descendants who united both crowns under Stuart rule.

Daniël Mijtens on Wikimedia

9. Joanna Of Naples

Marriage became Joanna I's shield during her turbulent reign as Queen of Naples, as she sought protection through successive unions with Andrew of Hungary, Louis of Taranto, James IV of Majorca, and Otto of Brunswick. Yet neither four husbands nor thirty-nine years of rule could prevent her violent deposition and murder.

Amedee Gras on Wikimedia

10. King Christian IV Of Denmark

For sixty years, Christian IV wielded the crowns of Denmark and Norway, his power seemingly cemented through strategic marriages to Anne Catherine of Brandenburg and later Kirsten Munk. Yet his fateful entry into the Thirty Years' War ultimately diminished Denmark's European influence.

Pieter Isaacsz on Wikimedia