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We’ve seldom heard of little ones who don’t enjoy royalty and princess stories for kids. Children are in awe of sparkly gowns, unicorns, talking animals, and other imaginative characters in princess stories. Whether it features Princess Merida or the princess who slept on the pea, these stories are delightful to everyone, regardless of age.
Some are simple stories, while others may have several surprising twists that keep you holding your breath till the end. Some others subtly address real-life issues, such as the discrimination faced by women and particular classes of society.
If you are excited to introduce your child to some short princess stories, we have a curated list of some of the best princess stories to help you pick the right ones for your child.
Key Pointers
- Princess stories for kids help them think critically and gain an appreciation for reading.
- These stories have many positive role models who help girls and boys understand the value of virtues such as kindness and empathy.
- Princess stories allow you to spend quality time with your kids while teaching them valuable lessons.
12 Interesting Short Princess Stories For Kids
1. The Princess And The Pea
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A prince is in search of a princess to marry. But whenever he meets one, something goes wrong and he fails to find a suitable alliance. One evening, there is a thunderstorm, and a young lady, who is fully drenched, knocks on the castle door. She seeks shelter in the prince’s castle.
The young lady claims to be a princess and requests the king and the queen to allow her to spend the night in the castle. As her appearance is distressed and worn out, nobody believes her.
Unwillingly, the queen allows the young lady to rest in their castle. But to test if the young lady is a real princess, the queen decides to place a pea under the mattress of the guest bed. The young lady is offered a bed, which is covered with 20 huge mattresses with a pea at the bottom.
The next morning, the queen asks their guest if she slept well. The young lady narrates how sleepless her night went as something very hard under the mattress kept her awake all night.
The prince is overjoyed as he has found a true princess. Only a real princess would experience such pain in spite of having 20 feather mattresses placed on top of the pea. The prince and the princess get married and live happily ever after.
Life lesson: Do not judge anyone by their appearance or first impression.
2. The Princess And The Faithful Knight
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Long long ago, there lived a beautiful princess who was praised by everyone for her beauty. She was also a kind-hearted young girl and was raised to be a fair and just ruler.
One bright sunny day, a prince arrives at her palace, meets her and eventually, they fall in love. One night, the prince takes the princess to a shady grassland at the edge of the woods. He says if the princess truly loves him, she must pick a rare flower called the scarlet rose for him. She tries hard to find the flower as she wants to prove her love for the prince. Finally, she finds the scarlet rose. But as soon as the princess touches the flower, she falls asleep.
The cunning prince steals all the jewelry and riches of the princess and leaves her alone in the deep woods. The king gets worried about his daughter and sends his army to find the princess. The soldiers return disappointed.
Many months later, the princess is found lying unconscious in the deep meadow. She is taken back to the castle. The advisors discover that the princess touched a scarlet rose, and cannot be woken up. Therefore, they suggest the king let the venom run its course.
The king declares that anyone who is desirous of marrying the princess must prove their faithfulness by waiting by her bedside until she awakens. Many suitors turn up hoping to marry the beautiful princess when she wakes up.
But time passes by and the weary men leave one after the other. But one hopeful knight truly waits beside the princesses for her to wake up.
One fine day, the princess wakes up and finds the knight kneeling. He narrates the entire story of her falling asleep. The princess is moved to tears and the king is overjoyed. The king announces the wedding and a grand celebration takes place in the kingdom.
Life lesson: True love is being loyal and devoted to that one person, even in distress.
3. Snow White
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Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful princess called Snow White. She was kind, gentle, and had many friends who were animals. One fine day, Snow White meets a handsome, charming prince. They become friends and their bond grows.
The Queen, who is Snow White’s evil stepmother, discovers about their relationship and out of jealousy, orders a huntsman to kill Snow White. But the huntsman could not gather the courage to hurt Snow White and requests her to escape and run to a faraway land.
Snow White escapes into the woods. Exhausted and trembling in fear, she knocks at a cottage door. When nobody answers, she steps inside. She finds the cottage in a mess and very untidy and decides to clean it with the help of her friends from the forest.
As she explores the rest of the cottage, she finds seven tiny beds and assumes they are for little children. She curls up on the bed and falls asleep.
After a long day of work, the seven dwarfs head back home to their cottage in the forest and find the beautiful girl sleeping on their bed. When Snow White wakes up, she is mesmerized by the Seven Dwarfs: Sneezy, Bashful, Happy, Grumpy, Dopey, Sleepy, and Doc.
Snow White narrates her painful story and the dwarfs decide to protect the beautiful princess from such an evil queen.
When the evil queen learns about Snow White, she is infuriated. She makes a magic potion and injects it into an apple. The next day when the dwarfs are off to work, the queen disguises herself as an old hag lady and offers an apple to Snow White.
When Snow White takes a bite of the poisoned apple, she falls asleep and a spell is cast which can be broken only by true love. The dwarfs discover the evil act of the queen and with the help of all the animals, they trap her on the top of a cliff. She reaches the edge of the cliff when lightning strikes she loses her balance and falls into the valley and dies.
Eventually, Snow White’s Prince Charming finds her in the forest. He awakens Snow White with his first kiss, thus breaking the spell. Snow White and the Prince return to the kingdom and live happily ever after.
Life lesson: Be careful of people who only act nice but are evil at heart.
Did you know?4. The Princess Who Never Smiled
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Long ago, there lived a princess who never smiled or laughed. One day, her father declares that whoever could make her daughter smile can marry her. Many try but fail.
Meanwhile, an honest laborer lived across the town. He worked sincerely for his master. At the end of the year, the master offered him a sack full of money and said he could take how much ever he desired.
As the man isn’t greedy and did not want to sin, he picks just one coin. He goes to drink water from a well and accidentally drops the coin into the well. The same happens in the second year too.
During the third year, the master places the sack and the laborer takes just one coin just like the previous years. This time when he goes to drink water, his coin does not fall. In fact, the other two coins from the past also float up to the surface.
He decides to see the world using these coins. But a mouse asks for help and the man gives him a coin. Similarly, a beetle and a catfish ask for help too and he gives away the remaining coins.
Wandering, he arrives at a castle and notices the princess looking at him. This astounds the young man and he falls into the mud. The catfish, the beetle, and the mouse come to help him. The princess laughs looking at them. Everyone around the princess was stunned to see her laughing.
She points at him and expresses an interest in him. He is brought into the castle and is transformed into a handsome man. The delighted king announces his daughter’s wedding to the honest man. They get married and live happily ever after.
Life lesson: Being kind to others is always rewarded.
5. Princess And The Magical Ring
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Long ago there was a princess who lived in the Norfolk kingdom. She finds a ring in her garden and asks her father about it. He says the ring would give her five magical powers — the ability to sleep peacefully, to make fire without a flint, the ability to grow any crop, to make it rain without clouds, and lastly, a power, which was also the most special, the ability to sing like an enchanted siren.
The princess enjoyed singing and loved her last power the most. She believed her voice, filled with enchantment, would one day make a prince fall in love with her.
One day, a witch casts a spell on the kingdom that has adverse effects on everyone, except the princess. The witch plunders crops, rain, sunshine, and everything from the kingdom.
The princess is disappointed to see her falling kingdom and decides to use her five powers to save her homeland and its people. An idea strikes her mind to sing day and night. Nothing could stop her from singing.
After almost an entire year of singing, the kingdom is set free from the deadly spell. But this results in the disintegration of the princess. She sacrifices her life for her people and the kingdom.
Life lesson: Sacrifices are necessary if it’s leading to the greater good.
6. The Lonely Princess
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Long long ago, there lived three young princesses in the Kingdom of Glora. Of the three sisters, Isabelle was the youngest. She was a kind and warm person, friendly to everyone. The other two sisters, Rose, and Juliette, were very beautiful but cruel and heartless.
Isabelle always played with her dolls and did not pay attention to her appearance. Rose and Juliette would tease Isabelle and she felt lonely. King Paul loved Isabelle the most.
On a bright summer morning, King Paul tells his three daughters that a Prince named Geoffrey from the Kingdom of Meadowhill is on his way to the Kingdom of Glora in search of a bride. Rose, Juliette, and Isabelle get excited to meet Prince Geoffrey.
Prince Geoffrey speaks to Juliette first. He compliments Juliette on her hair but gets bored when she talks only about her hair and nothing else. Then Geoffrey starts talking to Rose, she tries to impress him by sharing the achievements of her father’s court and all the famous noblemen and knights. Prince Geoffrey soon grows bored and moves his attention to Isabelle.
When Prince Geoffrey looks at Isabelle, he tells her she is very beautiful. Isabelle turns red.
But Juliette retorts, “She’s not beautiful! She’s ugly!”
“Her hair! It’s so untidy!” Rose adds.
“It’s the eyes,” Prince Geoffrey says. “She is blessed with beautiful eyes.”
“But she plays with toys!” Juliette tells Geoffrey.
Rose and Juliette leave no stone unturned to embarrass Isabelle but the prince remains unrelenting.
“So what, even I play with dolls. I got one here too! Her name is Jane, and she is my oldest friend,” he says, pulling out a small doll from his pocket.
“Would you like to meet my friends, Prince Geoffrey?” Isabelle asks.
“I would love to,” says Prince Geoffrey. They head to the garden and start playing with dolls, leaving Rose and Juliette behind.
Life lesson: Real friends do not care about appearances.
Disney Princess Stories
7. Moana
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A young girl called Moana lived on a Polynesian island called Motunui. The inhabitants of Motunui worship the goddess Te Fiti, who brought life to the ocean. But one day, a shape-shifting demigod, called Maui, steals the heart of Te Fiti and gives humanity the power of creation.
Eventually, Maui is attacked by a volcanic demon called the Te Ka. During the fight, Maui loses his magical giant fish hook and the heart that was stolen from Te Fiti. A thousand years later, the Ocean chooses Moana to bring the heart back to Te Fiti.
Moana is an adventurous teenage girl who sets out on her pursuit. She has no fears about her journey as she is determined to save her people at Motunui. During her journey, Moana comes across Maui, who helps her in accomplishing her purpose.
Moana and Maui sail across the ocean together, fighting many obstacles on the way. They encounter various gigantic monsters and deal with impossible odds. On voyage, Moana finds Te Fiti’s heart, helps Maui to find his fish hook, and returns successfully to Motunui. This adventure also helps her find her identity, which was her long-cherished dream.
Life lesson: Be brave and courageous and follow your heart.
Trivia8. Pocahontas
There lived a princess called Pocahontas, who belonged to the Powhatan tribe in Tsenacommacah, North America. The free-spirited girl loved running and exploring her homeland and sometimes headed on adventures outside the boundaries.
Pocahontas had two dear friends, Meeko, who was a raccoon, and Flit, a hummingbird. They often visited Grandmother Willow, a spiritual talking tree that spoke of dreams and various supernatural things.
One day, Grandmother Willow predicts and alerts Pocahontas about the Englishmen arriving at her native land. Capt. John Smith, his English sailors, and soldiers arrive at Tsenacommacah to loot the riches of Pocahontas’ native land. Meanwhile, Chief Powhatan pledges his daughter’s alliance with the village’s greatest warrior Kocoum.
But Pocahontas wants to be free and does not want to marry Kocoum. Her life changes when the English ship lands near her village. One fine day, she meets Captain John Smith and in a couple of meetings, they develop a strong bond and fall in love with each other. Kocoum discovers their love and tries to kill John Smith. But Kocoum gets killed and John Smith is captured by the army of Chief Powhatan.
Pocahontas confesses her love for John Smith and begs for mercy. The execution of John Smith is revoked. He decides to go back to England and asks Pocahontas to come with her. But she says she wants to stay back with her people.
Life lesson: Being different is not bad. We must learn to understand and respect diversity.
9. Ariel
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Deep in the ocean lived a sea princess Ariel, also known as the Little Mermaid. She had a dear friend called Flounder, a small fish. They loved exploring the sea-beds and sometimes the seashores, but Ariel had a dream of living on the land as a Human. She was always in search of objects or treasures used by a human.
Her father, King Triton, who was the ruler of the sea, discovers Ariel’s adventures and warns her to never visit the shore again. He assigns Sebastian, a crab, to keep a watch on Ariel.
But the stubborn Ariel continues to visit the shore. One night, a dreadful storm sweeps a ship across the sea and a young man, Eric, falls into the ocean. Ariel saves Eric and pulls him to the shore. Eric falls in love with her and it is later discovered that Eric is a human prince.
Ariel is desperate to meet Eric again and approaches Ursula, a sea witch for help. The sea witch casts a spell on Ariel, steals her voice, and turns her into a human. Ariel is unaware of the hidden objective behind Ursula’s favor. Ariel is given three days’ time and by the sunset of the third day, if Eric does not kiss Ariel, she will become a slave of Ursula.
Eric and Ariel have a lovely time together. Ursula, disguised as a young pretty girl called Vanessa, casts a spell on Prince Eric and makes him fall in love with her. They decide to marry each other, leaving Ariel disheartened.
Ariel’s friends discover that Vanessa is Ursula and warns her about it. Sebastian goes to find Ariel’s father, King Triton, while Ariel and Flounder hurry to catch Prince Eric’s cruise. Ariel stops the wedding and gets her voice back from the evil witch.
But as the sun goes down on the third day, Ariel and Eric cannot kiss each other and she turns into a mermaid again. To save Ariel, King Triton gives the powers to Ursula and becomes her slave.
The prince fights and destroys Ursula by ripping her heart apart. Now King Triton regains his powers. Seeing their love, the King grants the wish of Ariel and she becomes a human. Prince Eric and Ariel get married and start living happily in a castle by the sea.
Life lesson: Be bold and willing to take risks for the people you love.
Trivia10. Brave
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Princess Merida is a beautiful daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor, who rule the kingdom of DunBroch in Scotland. She has three brothers, who are triplets. Queen Elinor tries to teach Merida to behave like other princesses but Merida is a free-spirited girl, who enjoys archery.
One night, while the family is having their supper, the queen announces that three men are visiting soon to compete for a matrimonial alliance with their daughter. Merida is angry and rebels against it. The following day when the suitors arrive they try to impress Merida with their skills at shooting and archery but all of them fail miserably.
The heroine of the story, Princess Merida marches into the field and leaves everyone in awe of her skills at archery. Queen Elinor is angry and scolds Merida for her act. But Merida fights with her mother, tears a tapestry of their family, leaves the castle, and goes deep into the forest.
There, Merida discovers an old witch in a cottage. She asks the witch to change her mother’s mindset. The old witch gives a spell cake to Merida, which is to be fed to the queen.
Merida gives it to her mother, and when the queen takes a bite of the cake, she falls sick and turns into a bear. Merida’s brothers, who too take a bite from the cake, turn into bears.
Worried, Merida tries to help her mother and she rushes to the old witch’s cottage. She does not find her but reads a message on the wall of the cottage, “Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond torn by pride.”
Merida figures out the hidden meaning behind the message on the wall. She hops onto her horse, goes to the palace, and sews the tapestry that she tore.
She places the tapestry, which is now mended, on her mother and the three little brothers. “I want you back, Mum,” Merida cries. “I love you.”
Queen Elinor and her sons turn into humans again, and King Fergus is happy to have his family back. The happy family returns to the castle and Merida is granted all the freedom she desires.
Life lesson: Do not be prideful and selfish; do not make decisions in anger.
11. Mulan
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Centuries ago, there was a young girl named Mulan in ancient China. She lived with her parents and a dog whose name was Little Brother. Her father was once a great warrior but not anymore as he was injured in a war.
One day, terrible news comes that China’s enemy, the Huns have invaded again. The emperor orders all the men in the country to fight. As her father could not fight, Mulan comes up with a plan. She offers a prayer to her ancestors, cuts off her hair with a sword, and changes into her father’s warrior clothes.
While her parents are asleep, she takes along Mushu, a dragon, jumps on to Khan, her father’s horse, and goes to join the army, where everyone believes her to be a man. She meets Captain Li Shang at the training camp.
Mulan struggles at the training camp but impresses everyone by accomplishing the toughest task of retrieving an arrow from the highest pole.
Meanwhile, the Huns army surrounds the Chinese army. Mulan gets an idea and she uses Mushu’s fire to light a cannon. This causes a huge avalanche and Huns get buried under the snow.
But when the snow starts racing, Khan and Mulan see that Shang is in danger and they pull him to safety. During the war, Mulan injures herself and a medic on duty discovers that she is a woman. The angry Shang leaves Mulan behind.
As Mulan sits disheartened, she hears Hun’s voices and realizes that they are alive and planning to attack the Chinese emperor. Mulan informs Shang about what she heard but he does not trust her.
When Shan Yu, the leader of the Huns, kidnaps the emperor, Mulan and Shang pair up to rescue the emperor. They defeat the Huns and free the emperor. Mulan is appreciated and praised for her bravery, by everyone including Captain Shang and her father.
Life lesson: Be courageous and make your own identity; stand up for what is right.
12. Princess Rose And The Golden Bird
In a distant kingdom lived Princess Rose, known for her long red hair and love for roses. She sang a lullaby with a golden bird every night, ensuring sweet dreams for all. However, a wicked witch, envious of Rose’s influence, curses her and turns her hair black. That night, the kingdom was plagued with nightmares. Saddened by Rose’s plight, the golden bird advised her to wash her hair in rose water. Rose obeyed and eventually restored her hair’s red glow and the kingdom’s peaceful sleep.
Infuriated, the witch repeated the curse and destroyed all the roses in the kingdom. Rose couldn’t hold back her tears. However, a prince secretly in love with her used a strand of her hair and a tear to create a single rose. Rose used it to break the curse again. The prince revealed he had kept a strand of her hair since childhood to symbolize loyalty, and Rose had done the same. The kingdom rejoiced, the couple married, and the witch vanished. Peace and roses returned to the kingdom, and Princess Rose continued her nightly lullabies.
Life lesson: Kindness and love can break all curses and challenges.
The Importance Of Princess Stories
Princess stories involve magical moments, enchanted places, and surreal scenarios. Thus, these stories can encourage imagination in children. They also offer moral lessons in a lighthearted way and help develop critical thinking and decision-making skills through different characters (1). Choosing their favorite princess or character can also help children become confident (2). Additionally, the goal of these stories is that ‘Justice is served and the innocent always win at the end,’ which can help nurture faith, making the child confident to face life’s challenges.
Tips For Choosing Princess Stories For Kids
Consider the following when selecting a princess story for your children:
- Pick an age-appropriate story.
- Choose stories with positive characters and traits.
- Opt for stories with strong moral lessons.
- Select diverse stories from various cultures to introduce your child to different traditions.
- Look for a story with cheerful endings, especially for younger children.
- Read stories that encourage discussions and questions.
- Avoid stories with stereotyped plots and gender-biased roles.
- Avoid stories that encourage bullying and other bad traits.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What age group are princess stories suitable for?
You can start telling princess stories to your children right from their toddlerhood. However, introduce children’s literature with complex settings and content as they grow older.
2. Are all princess stories based on European fairy tales?
No, not all princess stories are based on European fairy tales. There are many princess stories from other regions, including princess stories of Aladdin, Mulan, and Pocahontas.
3. Are all princesses depicted as helpless and in need of rescue?
While traditional princess stories usually featured princesses as helpless and in need of rescue, many princess stories emphasize female empowerment and independence.
4. How do princess stories differ across different cultures and regions?
Princess stories may differ across different cultures and regions in terms of their themes, characters, social messages, and settings.
5. How can princess stories be used to teach children about history and different cultures?
Princess stories can be used to teach children about history and different cultures by reading stories from different cultures. Through the stories and characters, children can learn about the different customs, traditions, and beliefs of those regions and cultures.
6. What are some popular retellings or adaptations of classic princess stories?
Some popular retellings or adaptations of classic princess stories include “Cinderella” by Disney, “The Princess and the Frog” by Disney, “Mulan” by Disney, “Brave” by Pixar, and “Beauty and the Beast” by Disney.
7. How can parents effectively read princess stories to enhance children’s understanding?
Use simple language when telling the story, use picture books, or act out the scenario with different voices and expressions to make it more interesting. Share the moral lesson the story teaches and relate it to real-life examples. You can ask questions and encourage questions to encourage deeper understanding.
Reading bedtime stories for toddlers and children is a great way to acquaint them with real-life scenarios. Stories teleport children to a world full of exciting twists, turns, and surprises. Perhaps, that is why almost every child loves hearing or narrating stories. Fuel your child’s interest with these beautiful short princess stories for kids. These simple yet engaging stories will teach your child valuable life lessons while keeping them entertained. Inspirational stories with morals for kids are another way of teaching them important life lessons. Read them during the day or at bedtime and give them a quick escape to a magical world of imagination and fantasy.
Illustration: Beautiful Princess Stories For Kids To Read
Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team
Join us on this video as we explore the classic fairytale and bedtime story of the Princess and the Frog
References
- The Importance of Fairy Tales to Preschool Development.
https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branch-out/importance-fairy-tales-preschool-development - Disney Princesses Can Be Good for a Child’s Self-Image, UC Davis Researchers Suggest.
https://www.ucdavis.edu/curiosity/news/disney-princesses-can-be-good-childs-self-image-uc-davis-researchers-suggest
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