15 Commoners That Conquered the Hearts of Royals and Married Them

Every time, when members of the British royal family fall in love with ordinary people, we’re always interested in their relationships. In moments like these, it seems that these situations are exceptions because royals rarely marry common people. But in fact, it’s not true, and we have 15 stories to prove it.

1. King Felipe of Spain and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano

Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano was a famous journalist and tv-presenter. She met Prince Felipe of Spain when she was covering an oil slick along the Galicia shoreline in 2002. Letizia had been married before, but Spain’s Catholic Church did not oppose her wedding to the Prince because her first wedding was not held in a church.

When Letizia married Prince Felipe in 2004, she was the first commoner in Spanish history to be in line to become queen. Prince Felipe became King of Spain when his father abdicated the throne in 2014, establishing Letizia as the Queen of Spain. They are raising 2 daughters now.

2. King Abdullah II of Jordan and Rania Al-Yassin

Queen of Jordan Rania Al-Yassin is one of the most prominent first ladies of the Arab world. She was born in Kuwait in 1970, into a family of a doctor, but was forced to leave her country and go to Jordan. There, she met her future husband, who was a prince at the time, in January 1993. 2 months later, the couple announced their engagement, and in June 1993, they got married. Abdullah became King after his father died in 1999, making Rania Queen. They have 4 children.

3. Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and Mary Elizabeth Donaldson

Before meeting a crowned person, Mary Elizabeth lived in Australia, worked as an advertisement manager, and then as a real estate agent. She met Frederik during the Summer Olympics in 2000. She had no idea he was a royal person.

They had a long-distance relationship for about a year, and Frederik came to Australia several times in secret. But in November 2001, the Danish magazine Billed Bladet named Mary the Prince’s girlfriend and it was impossible to hide their relationship any longer. The bride moved to Denmark in 2004 and married Frederik. They have 4 children.

4. Prince Albert II of Monaco and Charlene Wittstock

The son of Grace Kelly, Prince Albert II of Monaco, met South African Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock in 2000. They officially debuted as a couple at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.
They got married in July 2011.

The wedding was clouded by press reports about the couple’s relationship, suggesting that Ms. Wittstock had come close to returning to South Africa. But the rumors were fake. They got married and are raising twins now.

5. Emperor Naruhito of Japan and Masako Owada

Masako Owada graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics and returned to Japan to study law at the University of Tokyo in 1986. That same year, she met Crown Prince Naruhito while attending a tea for the Duchess of Lugo.

Masako refused to marry Naruhito because it would end her career in diplomacy and would limit her independence. He argued that serving as Crown Princess of Japan would only be “another form of diplomacy” before she finally accepted this third proposal. They got married in 1993, and in 2001, they had a daughter Aiko. In 2019, Naruhito got the throne, making Masako the consort.

6. Princess Ayako of Takamado and Kei Moriya

Former member of the Japanese royal family, Princess Ayako, decided to marry Kei Moriya, an employee of shipping company Nippon Yusen. She had to renounce her royal title to marry a commoner. But she said she was “filled with joy to get married.”

In Japan, only women who marry commoners must renounce their royal status. Men who marry commoners are allowed to stay in the family.

7. King Willem-Alexander of Netherlands and Máxima Zorreguieta

Máxima holds a degree in economics and was serving as the vice president of institutional sales at Deutsche Bank in New York City when she met Prince Willem-Alexander in 1999. They met in Spain during the Sevilla Spring Fair, and it was there that the prince introduced himself solely as “Alexander.” She said she didn’t know he was a prince until later.

To marry Máxima, the heir needed to get permission from the parliament. Many members opposed the marriage due to the reputation of her father. Finally, they got permission, but Máxima’s parents weren’t allowed to attend the wedding. They got married in 2002 and are raising 3 daughters. In 2013, Willem-Alexander became King and his wife — Queen.

8. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Silvia Sommerlath

Silvia Sommerlath was working as a hostess at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich when she met then-Prince Carl Gustaf of Sweden. He ascended the throne after his grandfather died in 1973. 3 years later, he married Silvia, making her Queen of Sweden. They have 3 children and 8 grandkids.

9. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Daniel Westling

The heir to the Swedish throne didn’t look for a couple among the members of royal families. In 2010, she married her ex-fitness coach Daniel Westling. And in February 2012, they had a daughter Estelle, second in line to the throne after her mother,

10. King Mohammed VI of Morocco and Salma Bennani

Salma Bennani was born in Morocco, became an engineer, and worked for a few months as an information services engineer at ONA Group, the country’s largest private holding company. In 1999, she met her future husband at a private party, and in 2001, they got engaged. After the wedding, Salma became the princess consort. She became the first wife of a Moroccan ruler to have been publicly acknowledged and given a royal title. They have 2 children, Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, and Princess Lalla Khadija.

11. King Harald V of Norway and Sonja Haraldsen

Sonya first met the Prince of Norway Harald in 1959. As she was a commoner, the King wouldn’t let them get married for a long time, so they finally had the ceremony 9 years later, in August 1968. Sonya became Queen when her husband ascended the throne in 1991. The couple has 2 children.

12. Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby

When Prince Haakon met a common girl and decided to marry her, he didn’t have to fight any obstacles. Single mother Mette-Marit met the rock festival Quart in Norway and became his wife in 2001. They have had 2 kids since then.

13. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck of Bhutan and Jetsun Pema

The story goes that after spotting him at a picnic, Jetsun Pema (who was 7 years old at the time) approached the future king of Bhutan (who was 17) and told him that she wanted to marry him someday. His reply was, “When you grow up if I am single and not married and if you are single and not married, I would like you to be my wife.” 3 years after the coronation, he kept his word. When he was 31, he married 21-year-old Jetsun in 2011 and made her the youngest queen in the world.

14. Prince Nikolaos of Greece and Tatiana Blatnik

Tatiana Blatnik was born in Venezuela but grew up in Switzerland. Then, she went to the US for some time, where she graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in sociology. At around the same time, she met the prince of Greece, Nikolaos. They announced their engagement only in 2009, and in August 2010, they got married.

15. King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand and Suthida Tidjai

King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand married his personal bodyguard and longtime partner Suthida Tidjai. The monarch arranged a gorgeous surprise ceremony. It shocked people because their relationship had never been officially confirmed.

Before the wedding, Suthida worked as a flight attendant at Thai Airways. Then, she became a general and joined the security service of Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Which of these stories impressed you the most?