Which Disney Princesses Could Have Attended Royal Prep?

In honor of the upcoming Sofia the First spinoff, I decided to rewatch the series. When I got about halfway through, I began to think about how well it developed Royal Prep as a school for princes and princesses without pushing a narrative that the classic Disney Princesses attended, which would retroactively change their backstories. I love the idea that a magical princess school can exist in the same world as the Disney Princesses without forcing them into the narrative. As I've expressed in the past, I had a major issue with The School for Good and Evil for claiming that every well-known fairy tale character attended their school even though most of them actually grew up impoverished and didn't have the resources to get any education, let alone a magical one. Ever After High does this to a lesser extent by insinuating that all of the fairy tale characters sent their children to the school, which makes more sense because it's normal for parents to want their children to turn out like them. On that note, I thought it would be fun to do a little study of which Disney Princesses, if any, could have attended Royal Prep without interfering with their backstories.

The most obvious qualifier to be a student at Royal Prep is that you must be born royal or, in Sofia's case, became royal at a very young age. This rules out all of the princesses who married into royalty, including Cinderella, Belle, and Tiana. One thing I always questioned about Royal Prep was that if the students were from kingdoms all over the world, it should have taken hours for some of them to travel to and from school every morning. Even modern airplanes can take up to an entire day to go around the world. I realize this isn't something you're supposed to question in a fantasy setting, but that still rules out princesses with overprotective parents who weren't allowed to travel, such as Jasmine, Ariel (though the fins also would have gotten in the way), Anna and Elsa, and Snow White and Rapunzel, whose guardians kept them under lock and key. Pocahontas, Moana, and Mulan have stories that are set in the real world, so it wouldn't make sense for such a magical school to exist in their realm. Raya could have attended in theory, but she was probably too busy learning how to defend her tribe to have time for princess lessons.

Princess Aurora is a special case. Even though she was raised as a peasant by three overprotective guardians, those guardians just happen to be the Three Good Fairies, who went on to become the headmistresses of Royal Prep. It's likely that Royal Prep was established after the events of Sleeping Beauty so that Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather could ensure that every princess and prince receives the training they need to never face another tragedy like their precious Briar Rose. This is even insinuated in the lyrics of their song about it. In that respect, Aurora could be considered the first honorary student of Royal Prep since she was raised by its founders, and many of the school's traditions could have been inspired by their experiences raising her. At this point, almost all of the official Disney Princesses have been ruled out as potential students except for one. Have you guessed it yet?

Tada! It's Merida! I know it's a bit of a stretch to assume that someone who hates being a princess so much attended a school that taught her all of the things she stands against, but it actually does make sense. Most kids dislike school and grow up resenting the things they were taught. Merida was brought up as a princess with a mother who was firm about teaching her the proper behavior and mannerisms to become royal. She had the freedom to travel outside the castle and did so often on Angus, her horse, so there's no reason that either of her parents would be opposed to sending her to a far-away magical school that would teach her how to become a proper princess. In fact, she probably hated being around other girls who modeled the behavior her mother wanted to her to perform so much that it caused her to rebel in Brave. I'm not saying it's now canon that Merida attended Royal Prep. Only Disney can say that. However, she is the only official Disney Princess who could have plausibly been a student there. It is likely that Elena of Avalor attended Royal Prep as well since she was of the proper age and birth before getting trapped in the Amulet of Avalor, and her show takes place in the same world as Sofia's.

This was a fun little experiment to determine which of the princesses that Sofia encountered on her adventures could have been alumni of her school, but it is in no way meant to overwrite the Disney canon. I love that Sofia the First is the only series that combines fairy tales and royal academia without forcing them together in a way that would clash with the lore. It's clear from their stories that most of the princesses would not have attended the school, but that doesn't make them any less famous or important in Sofia's world. I hope that the upcoming spinoff continues to maintain this delicate balance of believable fantasy and ever-expanding fairy tale lore without retconning the fantastic storytelling of the original series. Would you attend Royal Prep if you were granted the opportunity? Let me know in the comments!