Megan Leigh Prince Questions

2019 is the year of the prince!

Throughout 2018, I asked friends and contacts what they thought made a good princess. You can find the answers to those questions here

This year, I will be asking authors from a variety of genres as well as a host of others from editors to academics, what they think makes a definitive prince.

To kick us off is Megan Leigh.

Host of the feminist podcast, Breaking the Glass Slipper, Megan is also a writer of fiction and non-fiction. Her work has appeared on Pop Verse, SFWA, SFF World, Pornokitsch, and Writers’ Workshop. She reviews books for the British Fantasy Society. Follow her @m_leigh_g.

1. A prince has to win the trust not only of his people but of his chosen princess - and very quickly! What three qualities would you need a prince to show before you’d be won over to their cause?

Personality This is why I struggle with some of the older Disney films… the princes had so little characterisation that it was impossible to feel much of anything for them.

Take Cinderella’s Prince Charming, for instance. I don’t think I could tell you a single thing about his personality.

Who wants a Prince who is nothing more than his title?

Honesty If Aladdin taught me anything, it’s that a prince is only worth his salt once he starts telling the truth. I didn’t fancy ‘Prince Ali’ either, but street-rat Aladdin? Yes, please!

A great singing voice What’s a prince without a song? (I realise these questions aren’t necessarily Disney related, but that’s the way I’ve taken it.)

I don’t want a prince who is grounded or wise, I want one who can serenade me, dammit!

2. All princes are armed, but what is the best weapon or weapons for a prince? (Magical weapons are allowed).

Great wit. Anyone can learn to be proficient with a physical weapon, but only the intelligent ones with real spark can learn to launch precision verbal hits.

3. Disney princesses often have an animal companion to share their trials with. If the same applied to princes, what kind of animal would be a good choice for a prince?

Definitely a talking cat. To match a prince’s acerbic wit, he needs an animal who can keep up with his verbal sparring with twice the sarcasm.

Cats are also the perfect creatures to keep an ear to the ground for courtly politics and gossip.

And where’s the fun in an animal familiar that does what it is told? A cat will provide endless trouble, ignoring instructions or making situations worse. The perfect narrative foil!

4. The Disney princes were a pretty unmemorable bunch. What kind of prince - or saviour-hero - would you like to see in future Disney movies?

As I mentioned before, it all comes down to personality. I want a prince who has enough characterisation to have defined motivations and something about them that is incidental to the main plot.

But I think, most importantly, I’d like to see a prince who regularly turns to the princess for advice rather than the default reliance on skepticism when it comes to first seeing a capable young woman. There are other ways to create tension! Have him be blown away by her intelligence and self-reliance from the get-go!

5. The focus on princesses is often what they wear, but what would be a good look for your ideal prince?

He can wear whatever he likes as long as he’s got a good ass! :)

6. Which fictional prince is your favourite, and why?

I’m going to move away from Disney here and choose Prince Verity from Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy.

He is basically the fantasy novel version of Jean-Luc Picard. Serious and sensible, with a great heart. I also really relate to his struggles when it comes to people who are entirely self interested and work to undermine what is best for everyone.

Megan Leigh Prince Questions

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