The War of the Waleses and Diana's desire to be Queen in people's hearts posed a challenge to the established order where people give their love and their loyalty to the monarch. Instead, we were being invited to take part in a popularity contest with Diana on one side and the Windsors on the other. Did this cause lasting damage to the monarchy, or will Charles manage to become King in people's hearts as well as King by right of inheritance?

Princess Grace of Monaco brought her American heritage to her new country when she married its ruling prince in 1956. Although her children are prince and princesses of Monaco, they are also descendants of a large and prominent American family. This article, written in the form of a letter from Princess Grace to her children, explores her American heritage and its effect on Prince Albert, Princess Caroline, and Princess Stephanie.

They are loved and hated, praised and criticized, presented as the sign of a more democratic era or the proof of modern decadence: they are the commoners who marry royals. This article does not tell their personal stories; instead, it analyzes the rarely treated issue of why royal marriages to commoners occur so often nowadays and what could be their possible consequence for the future of the monarchies in which it happens. This issue touches on the future development and ultimate survival of monarchy itself.

Prince Charles' marriage to an apparently highly suitable bride was unhappy almost from the start and ended in a high-profile and acrimonious divorce. How did the failure of this marriage affect the marriage prospects of the European crown princes at the turn of the 21st century? This article explores the Wales marriage and its possible effect on the attitudes of the European monarchs when their heirs started dating women who might have been considered unsuitable crown princesses a decade or two earlier.

The House of Windsor seems safely settled in the chintzy drawing rooms of Buckingham Palace, but could there really be a sell-by date on the most famous Royal Family in the world? Is Prince William really the golden boy he's believed to be, and could a certain Baltic country have all the answers to the age-old question: Monarchy or Republic?

The challenges faced by commoners marrying into royal families can affect the success of the marriage, the health and wellbeing of the individuals concerned, and the popularity of the monarchy in general. Some of these commoners found it easy to fit into royal life, while some did not. This article examines the marriages of some of the current rulers who have married commoners.