These Guys Are Some of the Worst Disney Princes, According to Fans
Ever since Disney started churning out their various versions of princesses, children – and adults – around the world have fallen in love with them and their stories. Along with that, there are plenty of friendly debates and ranking systems about which princess is the best, favorite, or smartest.
Whether Disney princesses are plucked and remastered from old fairy tales or are simply creative inventions of the multimedia giant, they’ve become symbols. But so have Disney princes. They too are subject to analysis, jokes, admiration, and criticism.
In the spirit of animated humor, nitpickiness, and character studies of these fictional characters, some fans have chosen examples of which Disney princes are the type of guys to avoid due to their storybook behavior.
Prince Florian
Otherwise known the prince from Snow White, Prince Florian has been described as creepy for not getting consent before trying to kiss an almost-dead girl.
Just last year, the Daily Dot highlighted a viral Twitter wave that concluded age gaps between some of the princesses and princes were inappropriate. Prince Florian was deemed the worst for being 31 while Snow White was 14. Yes, someone took the time to calculate it.
Flynn Rider
Though he’s technically not a prince, he was the love interest of Rapunzel in Tangled. Yeah, he’s a Disney favorite, but he’s 26 and Rapunzel is but 18 when they meet. Google it.
Prince Phillip
Even teens are commenting on the behavior of Prince Phillip with Sleeping Beauty. As the story goes, she falls into a sleep coma, and the prince is supposed to awaken her with a kiss on the lips.
Fans critical of the story point to non-consent issues here too, with some Redditors calling it “disturbing.”
Prince John in ‘Robin Hood’
Greedy, conniving, and a bona fide villain, Prince John is a lion in the animated Disney tale but still a jerk. He schemed to steal the throne from his brother and to take Robin Hood down. No snarky analysis needed as he’s just plain evil.
Hans from ‘Frozen’
On the same level as Prince John is Hans Westergaard, a prince of the Southern Isles in Frozen. Power-hungry, manipulative, and willing to kill, Hans solidified himself as one of the cruelest princes of all for trying to take over a kingdom and murder Anna.
Prince Charming (Henry)
It’s been hilariously pointed out that Prince Charming is one of the worst for forgetting the face of someone he was enamored with all night.
He knocks on doors all over the land to have random girls try on one shoe rather than simply recognizing his lady love in a sea of young women. Some wonder if he needs glasses.
Prince Eric in ‘The Little Mermaid’
Much of the criticism directed toward Prince Eric has to do with him being on board with Ariel rearranging her life to be with him. She gave up her life and voice for “love” to conform to a lifetime with him.
Then there’s the issue with him falling for Ursula and forgetting about Ariel. As Time magazine once pointed out, many found the story to be sexist. Perhaps there will be some small changes for the live-action reboot.
