Definitely Not The Ordinary Family Life

Being a royal child definitely seems like the ideal life. You're swarmed with palaces, tutors, titles, and all the pomp and circumstance anyone could hope for. Up close, though, it was often lonely and tightly managed, often isolating children from their parents. Some heirs lost mothers or fathers young, while others were sent away because courts believed future rulers needed strict training, separate households, or distance from family trouble. A few were lucky enough to find steadiness with nurses, governesses, foster mothers, aunts, or uncles who became the adults they could count on. These 20 royal heirs all grew up with their early lives shaped by people who weren’t their parents.

After Levina Teerlinc on Wikimedia

1. Joanna I

Joanna was still young when family loss pushed her closer to the throne. After both her parents died, she grew up in a royal household watched closely by her grandfather, King Robert of Naples. Philippa of Catania, remembered as her nurse and governess, became closely tied to Joanna’s early life.

Amedee Gras on Wikimedia

2. William the Conqueror

William inherited Normandy as a boy after his father died on pilgrimage in 1035. That left his childhood in the hands of guardians and protectors who were trying to keep him alive while rival nobles fought for control around him. This early lifestyle gave the future conqueror an early lesson in how quickly power could slip away.

Myrabella on Wikimedia

3. Edward the Confessor

Edward the Confessor spent much of his youth outside England, mostly in Normandy. His mother, Emma, remained a powerful political figure, but Edward’s daily upbringing was far from settled. Those Norman years stayed with him, remembered when his reign brought strong cross-Channel ties back into English politics.

Myrabella on Wikimedia

4. Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor

Frederick II became king of Sicily as a small child after losing both his parents. Pope Innocent III was his official guardian, while powerful groups in Sicily fought to control the young king and the kingdom around him. His childhood was shaped by politics almost from the beginning, fitting the complicated ruler he’d later become.

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5. James I

James I was captured on his way to France in 1406 and then held in England for nearly 18 years. His father died soon after the capture, so James became king while he was still living under English control. During that long captivity, he received an education suited to his rank from his captors. 

anonymous  on Wikimedia

6. Henry VI

Henry VI became king of England while he was still an infant, after his father died. His early life was guided by a plethora of nurses, household women, governors, and adults appointed by the council to raise the child monarch.

Poems and Romances (Shrewsbury book), illuminated by the MASTER OF JOHN TALBOT on Wikimedia

7. Edward V

Edward V spent much of his childhood at Ludlow Castle, where his uncle Anthony Woodville helped oversee his household and education. His days were built around lessons, prayers, manners, and preparation for rule, all the things a future Yorkist king was expected to learn.

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8. Arthur Tudor

Arthur Tudor was raised as the great hope of the new Tudor dynasty. As Prince of Wales, he was sent to Ludlow Castle, where tutors and household officers helped prepare him for government. When he died at 15, England’s future settled on his younger brother, Henry.

anonymous  on Wikimedia

9. Edward VI

Edward VI lost his mother, Jane Seymour, less than two weeks after his birth. His early care passed to a formal nursery household, including experienced women such as Lady Margaret Bryan and Sybil Penne. Later, tutors helped shape him into a serious, learned boy king, surrounded by pressure created by his dad, Henry VIII.

Circle of William Scrots on Wikimedia

10. Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I’s childhood changed sharply after Anne Boleyn was executed, causing Elizabeth to lose her status as a princess.  Lady Margaret Bryan, Lady Troy, and Katherine “Kat” Ashley became grounding and caring presences for the to-be regent. Ashley became especially important, giving Elizabeth a trusted adult presence in court. 

Formerly attributed to George Gower on Wikimedia

11. Mary, Queen of Scots

Mary, Queen of Scots, became queen when she was only six days old. At five, she was sent to France, where she was raised and educated at the French court while being prepared for marriage to the Dauphin. The arrangement gave her polish, languages, and courtly confidence, but it also meant she grew up far from her parents.

Unidentified painter on Wikimedia

12. James VI

James VI of Scotland grew up with almost no parental care. His father was murdered while James was a baby, and his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, was forced to abdicate soon after. Raised at Stirling Castle by guardians, tutors, and regents, he became a bookish, politically alert king before his ascension. 

John de Critz on Wikimedia

13. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V grew up in the Low Countries under the care of his aunt, Margaret of Austria. His parents were mostly absent, and his mother was later kept away from political power. Margaret’s court gave Charles the Burgundian manners, training, and political habits he carried into one of the largest inheritances in European history.

GoldenArtists on Wikimedia

14. Louis XV

Louis XV became the surviving hope of the French royal line after illness swept through his immediate family. His governess, Madame de Ventadour, played a crucial role in his early survival and care.

Jean-Baptiste van Loo on Wikimedia

15. Ivan IV

Ivan IV inherited power at three after his father died. His mother ruled as regent for a few years, but she died before he turned eight, leaving him exposed to rival boyar factions. His childhood was marked by political struggle and fear.

Viktor Vasnetsov on Wikimedia

16. Christina of Sweden

Christina of Sweden was still a little girl when her father died in the Thirty Years’ War. Her mother was moved away from the center of Christina’s upbringing, and the young queen was raised by her aunt, appointed women, tutors, and statesmen. She was educated like a prince, which helped shape her into one of Europe’s most unconventional monarchs.

Jacob Ferdinand Voet on Wikimedia

17. Akbar

Akbar’s early life unfolded during danger and movement for the Mughal dynasty. He was raised largely by foster mothers, including the influential Maham Anaga, whose role went well beyond the nursery.

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18. Hirohito

Hirohito’s infancy followed Japanese imperial custom rather than modern family expectations. Around 70 days after his birth, he was placed in the care of Count Kawamura Sumiyoshi, a former naval officer, and raised away from his parents for his earliest years.

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19. Puyi

Puyi became China’s last emperor before he was three. Palace officials took him from his family home to the Forbidden City, with only his wet nurse allowed to go with him. His daily life unfolded among attendants, eunuchs, ceremony, and rules, but no real parental figures. 

Unknown on Wikimedia

20. Queen Liliʻuokalani

Queen Liliʻuokalani was raised through hānai, a Hawaiian adoption practice that strengthened family and chiefly ties. Born Lydia Kamakaʻeha, she became the hānai child of Abner Pākī and Laura Kōnia and was raised alongside Bernice Pauahi Bishop. In her case, being raised by someone other than her birth parents wasn’t a palace workaround, but a respected cultural practice.

George Prince, of Washington, DC on Wikimedia