Basic Trope: A member or members of the royal family have actual careers and/or useful skill sets which make them dynamic characters rather than static occupants of thrones.
- Straight: Princess Alice, Heir to the throne of Tropevania, is a gifted motorcycle racer and mechanic.
- Exaggerated: Princess Alice is a motorcycle racer, mechanic, jet pilot, and bartender, and she refuses to wear a dress or sit in any chair that even slightly resembles a throne.
- King Badass is a One-Man Army of the highest caliber, and puts his life on the line every waking moment in order to keep his people safe.
- Downplayed:
- Didn't Alice spend an hour working at a soup kitchen sometime...when was that?
- Alice could perform spectacular feats, but only does so when no one else can do the job. She mostly focuses on the political side of her work.
- Alice has completed officer's training and has a legal degree, so she can command Tropevania's armies and study the law rather than needing subordinates to do either.
- Justified:
- The monarchy of Tropevania is chosen from a pool of persons who have a certain skill set, because all inter-kingdom conflicts are settled with motorcycle races.
- Alternately: Since the average folk spend their lives in one or two careers, the royalty takes pride in learning non-royal things just because they have the time to do so.
- Or: Politics can be infuriating, so members of the royal family often dedicate themselves to other pursuits as well, as a way to help keep themselves sane. Alice, for example, finds motorcycle races to be a good way of blowing off steam.
- Princess Alice doesn't want to be seen as just another pretty face to fill the pages of society magazines, but to be known for something more worthwhile.
- The Tropevanians see the royal family as a waste of space, and actually doing something is good for their public image.
- Alice is a Fallen Princess fighting to reclaim the throne.
- King Bob understands that any king who simply lives a life of leisure without actually focusing on their job likely won't stay a king very long, so he focuses on efficiently running his country to make sure a rebellion doesn't take him out, and efficiently running his military to protect his country.
- Inverted: Stephen is a peasant. He is very lazy and does nothing.
- Subverted: Many tales are told of Alice's racing career, but it turns out that she just made them up.
- Double Subverted: In the end she stops pretending and actually races her motorcycle, somehow saving the day.
- Parodied: Because all inter-kingdom conflicts are settled with motorcycle races, Alice and all Tropevania royals undergo motorcycle training starting from the age of six.
- Zig Zagged: Alice loves Pete the Peasant an expert motorcycle repair mechanic. Her father, King Kenneth wants Alice to marry Duke David. David seems to be a useless aristo. Later, Alice discovers that Duke David is an expert weapon-smith and that the Nation needs better weapons. Meanwhile, David's entourage visits the Citadel and includes Wendy the Wench. Pete falls in love with Wendy. Alice takes some bitter sweet that her beloved is happy and does her duty to the State.
- Averted: Princess Classic
- Enforced: "We need a good role model, so Alice will have to be more than just a pretty dress."
- Lampshaded: "Do you ever spend any time, you know, ruling?"
- Invoked:
- "I know! I'll become a great motorcycle racer and show them all I'm not just another pretty princess!"
- "The Hero's awesome ride just broke down and I'm the best mechanic he knows despite the fact I'm your precious princess. Of course I'll be there to help him fix it, daddy!"
- Exploited: The Evil Chancellor sets up something to happen to Alice while she's away, or just makes sure she goes into already-dangerous situations.
- Defied: Alice refuses to get her hands dirty, or her attendants forbid her to risk her life when she is the Heir to the throne.
- Discussed: The peasants are talking about what a great racer Princess Alice is, and what a worthless socialite Prince Bob is.
- Conversed: "Should we make Princess Alice an Idol Singer?" "A Princess Idol Singer on Motorcycles? Great idea!"
- Deconstructed:
- Alice's kingdom is a monarchy only in name; while she looks good in the title, Alice's career only reminds everyone that she has no real power.
- Fighting on the front lines causes Princess Alice to become a hardened ruler with a heart of stone.
- Alice gets herself killed trying to help out her people, leading to a Succession Crisis once she dies as the king had no other children. This throws the kingdom into a panic.
- Reconstructed:
- ...However, her actions endear her and her family to the people greatly, and the people of Tropevania treat her like an authority anyway.
- Fighting on the front line Alice becomes a hardened ruler who does what is necessary for the good of the kingdom no matter how cruel it may seem.
- The king's next heir, Prince Bob, is monitored so that he never ends up in danger like his dead sister Alice. He still learns skills that are useful for the kingdom, but doesn't end up in as many dangerous situations because now everyone is more cautious after what happened with Alice.
- Played For Laughs: Princess Alice is constantly showing up in different jobs, everything from cashier to neurosurgeon.
- Played For Drama: Princess Alice has studied and trained for something she sincerely wants to do, but the only way to find out if she is actually remotely competent at it rather than being humored due to her rank is to ditch anything resembling an entourage and go so deeply incognito that it risks real problems.
Now get back to fighting, king, we have creepers to kill!
