The Hook | The Royal Subject
The Unwritten Reign: Why the Crown Princess is Absent from the Throne of Historical Dramas
The Crown Prince is a constant in historical dramas: his story is the default template for power, duty, and romantic sacrifice. Yet, his counterpart, the Crown Princess—the woman legally destined to be Queen—remains a marginal figure, often relegated to the political background or transformed into a villainess. This essay argues that this absence is not accidental; it is a direct structural consequence of the Crown Princess's historically passive role conflicting with the audience's modern demand for an active, decision-making protagonist. Her life was defined by endurance and prescribed duty, which simply lacks the immediate high-stakes drama required for a prime-time lead role.