Princes in movies, mostly in stark contrast to real-world princes, serve as the perfect storytelling templates for a coming-of-age story for boys. They usually have all that royal pressure breathing down their necks as they slowly come to terms that their stature in life comes with a hefty cost; they need to grow up, and they need to do so fast.

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As a result, a lot of iconic princes in movies have portrayed a rather relatable struggle for men of all ages. And if they're not serving as a blatant symbolism for male adulthood and responsibility, they're sometimes portrayed as parodies. Regardless, these are the freshest princes that pop culture has come to admire and adore (and sometimes ridicule).

8 Prince Charming (Shrek 2)

prince charming in shrek 2

This one needed to be put out of the way as quickly as possible. Because he doesn't really serve as a good moral symbolism of the journey from boy to man. No, Prince Charming from Shrek 2 is a shameless parody of all those Disney-fied princes from Disney's animated fairy tale films.

He's pompous, narcissistic, and sociopathic. He's a walking red flag whom only the shallowest of princesses will tolerate. In short, he's the villain of the story in a film that teaches people about inner beauty. He still serves as a valuable lesson of what not to become with privilege or lack thereof, and this more modern approach to the idea of "Prince Charming" is certainly more appreciated compared to the old Disney animated fairy tales.

7 The Beast (Beauty and the Beast)

animal crossing new horizons beauty and the beast

Speaking of old animated Disney fairy tales, the prince from Beauty and the Beast is a bit different from his predecessors. While he is a toxic human being, he was punished for his repulsive privileged behavior, by getting turned into a personification of bad hair day on a Monday morning.

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In any case, everyone and their grandmother will recognize this character. He's a walking lesson, and thus an important cornerstone of literature and film. The Beast later learned that without his privilege and good looks, he's just a rich, angry oppressor and this helped him break the curse; though having a huge library to attract sapiosexual French maidens did the heavy lifting.

6 Legolas (The Lord of the Rings)

Legolas Eyes

As far as princes in movies go, Legolas has the least amount of worries. He's just a pretty, carefree, and immortal elf lord who tags along in fun battles, making fun of mortal races with an aloof condescension. But it wasn't until he joined Aragorn and Gimli that he learned how much mortality meant to humans and to the other races of Middle-Earth.

That's how it was in the Peter Jackson adaptation, at the very least. In Legolas' defense, he's a lot older than most beings on Middle-Earth, and he's the son of Thranduil, a powerful Elven king who fought against two dark lords. Thus, Legolas has little to no room for incompetence, and everything he does is near-perfect.

5 Loki (MCU)

president loki grinning

Thor might be the golden boy of the MCU, but there's a fair chance he'll stay dead after a canonical death, unlike his adopted brother Loki; the Asgardian underdog has already died but came back multiple times in many different versions of his own show. Loki's constant tiptoeing of the line between antihero and villain also gives his character more dimensions.

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Loki's insecure yet intelligent personality as well as his bittersweet relationship with his brother has made him a fan favorite. And being able to do both the role of the villain and the antihero makes him twice as iconic.

4 Little Prince (The Little Prince)

Little Prince movie

Little Prince from the numerous film adaptations of The Little Prince is an alien who barely even qualifies as a prince since he just lives on a floating rock with only a talking rose as his subject. And this rose even orders him around so there goes the social hierarchy on his not-a-kingdom planet.

But the Little Prince teaches a different kind of lesson. Instead of portraying how people should grow up; the Little Prince taught people how they need to retain their positive childhood traits even as they grow up into busy, monochromatic adults. That's why this prince's existence appeals more to adult viewers than to children; he's the faint spark of childhood that most adults have forgotten.

3 Simba (The Lion King)

mufasa death the lion king simba

Simba might have become the king later on, but for most of his role in the first The Lion King movie, he was a stubborn and unruly prince who just couldn't wait to be king. He's one of the first shining examples of a coming-of-age story for males that comes to mind; he's part of most people's childhood, after all.

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Simba was forced to become an adult worthy of being elected as a king in order to save his people. This was a strong and irrefutable message that it's the responsibility that turns people into adults, not the desire. That's part of what makes Simba's story so iconic and timeless.

2 Moses (The Prince of Egypt)

Moses in prince of egypt

The Moses being referred to here is the one in The Prince of Egypt animated film from DreamWorks. That Moses was made an honorary orphan prince alongside Ramses in ancient Egypt. That was before he stood up for a Hebrew slave being beaten to death by an Egyptian slavemaster.

Henceforth began Moses' journey as a prophet of the Christian god. More than that, he was a liberator of slaves who led his people away from the violent gaze of the Pharaoh. He literally went from being a spoiled prince to a wizard who could conjure plagues and god's wrath just to save the oppressed. Goes to show just how much one can do with faith and sympathy.

1 T'Challa (Captain America: Civil War)

T'Challa in civil war

T'Challa sadly had a short run in the MCU, but his most important development and transition from a prince to a king arguably happened during Captain America: Civil War. There, a vengeful Black Panther was hell-bent on killing his father's murderer in a raging clamor for justice.

But upon meeting his father's murderer, T'Challa became the bigger man and resisted the urge to kill him. This kind of foresight and compassion is something most kings wish their princes would have, and seeing it in a superhero movie is a refreshing change of scenery.

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