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This is when a child, raised as an orphan, turns out to actually be the "next heir to the throne." It may not be exactly that... But it's something along those lines. There are a multitude of plots that could stem from this trope: The parents could have sent him or her away so he could have a "normal" childhood, the orphan could be well aware of his royal status, but just needs a way to get it back. The orphan could suddenly be thrust into the big chair that is occupied by the monarch. So there are a lot of possibilities when it comes to orphan monarchs. If the villain is all like, "I will kill the king and his descendants so I can take the throne." Then the orphan can be on the run from the villain trying to kill him or her... Or he or she could be the overlooked heir that the villain didn't realize was a rightful heir to the throne. The orphan could BE the villain, obsessed with getting the life he or she deserves to have, being the true heir an all...
Suddenly-Suitable Suitor is a common plot twist.
Anime and Manga[]
- Mobile Suit Victory Gundam has Usso's best friend and potential girlfriend Shakti, who's revealed to be the princess of the Zanscare Empire - who was sent away by her mother the Queen in an attempt to keep her from being used as a puppet by the Empire itself.
- The titular character of Honey Honey no Suteki na Bouken. And her older sister, albeit she was adopted into another royal family.
Comic Books[]
- The prequel comics for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformers: Dark of the Moon reveal this to be the case for Optimus Prime. After the Thirteen died, Optimus grew up without knowing that he was Prime, until he was told by Sentinel Prime, another victim of this trope.
Film[]
- Lone Starr of Spaceballs.
- In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey is revealed to be Emperor Palpatine's granddaughter, something that everyone who knew kept from her. The Emperor outright says that it's her birthright to rule.
- Rapunzel in Tangled. She was abducted as a baby and hidden away by Mother Gothel.
Literature[]
- Shasta aka Prince Cor, from C. S. Lewis' The Horse and His Boy is not exactly orphaned (his mother did die, but his father King Lune of Archenland is revealed to be alive and to have searched for years for him), but otherwise fits in perfectly since he was kidnapped as a baby by treacherous advisors to the king, went missing in the middle of a huge battle between his kidnappers and his father's forces, and was found and raised by a fisherman.
Video Games[]
- Given a cruel spin in the Fire Emblem Tellius games. Prince Pelleas seems to be the long-lost heir to the Kingdom of Daein, and in fact he seems to have the Birthmark of Destiny that the lost royal is supposed to have, but as it turns out he was a Spirit Charmer mage rather than the lost prince (which is what gave him the mark in the first place). Not only that, but he turn out to be The Wrongful Heir to the Throne due to his naivete, and he ends up dying in an attempt to save the country that turns out to be useless in the end. Unless the player gets a New Game+, which lets the player save him and become an advisor to the Queen that later takes over, Micaiah. And for massive irony? The true prince turns out to be... Soren, of all people. But he never finds out and is more or less happy as a commoner.
Western Animation[]
- In Tangled: The Series, Flynn Rider/Eugene Fitzherbert is revealed to be the orphaned prince of the Dark Kingdom.
- Meteora Butterfly/Miss Heinous in Star vs. the Forces of Evil. Though by the time she finds out, she's so bitter and jaded that it results in a Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum.