Who Would Your Royally Arranged Marriage Have Been to in a Past Life?

By: Marie Hullett
Estimated Completion Time
5 min
Who Would Your Royally Arranged Marriage Have Been to in a Past Life?
Image: DianaHirsch / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Until about the 18th century, marriages arranged by parents, grandparents or other relatives were widespread across the globe. Often viewed as financial and social status agreements between families, the stakes naturally became much higher in royal families. Most of the time, marrying for love was out of the question, unless of course, you renounced the throne and ran away with your sweetheart, as King Edward VIII did with American divorcee Wallis Simpson. 

Naturally, extramarital affairs also were rampant. King Henry VIII, in particular, was known for his adulterous ways. He also beheaded one of his wives since divorce was illegal at the time, so there's that. Princess Margaret and her husband, Anthony Armstrong-Jones, were also famously unfaithful. Captain Mark Phillips, Princess Anne, and of course, Prince Charles were too.

To this day, British royals legally require formal consent from the Queen to wed, thanks to a law that dates back to the 18th century. Thus, we can assume that the likes of Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle were totally Queen-approved. We don't know about you, but the thought of Her Majesty sizing us up sounds pretty scary. 

So, in a past life, who would you end up with in a royally arranged marriage? Would you reject your destiny and run off with Wallis Simpson or settle down with the terrifying William the Conqueror? Only this quiz knows for sure!

Bride-Groom-and-Father
Neustockimages / E+ / Getty Images
How important is it that your family likes your romantic partner?
Not at all
Somewhat
It just depends.
It's really important. If you can't hang with my family, you can't hang with me.

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Prince-William-and-Harry
Harper's BAZAAR via YouTube
Let's talk about modern-day royalty. Which member of the British royal family would you most like to wed?
Prince William
Meghan Markle
Prince Harry
Kate Middleton

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Couple-Sunset
Cecilie_Arcurs / E+ / Getty Images
Some people are optimistic about love, others less so. So, do you think you'll ever find "the one"?
Yes. I mean, I don't know if it will be as romantic as the movies, but I'd like to think so.
I'm not sure.
I think so, but I might have to fight for it. Of course, that will only make everything more romantic!
Honestly, no.

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Love-Money
Juanmonino / E+ / Getty Images
Would you describe yourself as ambitious?
Absolutely
Somewhat
No, not really
I've never thought about it.

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Obama-Michelle
ELLE via YouTube
Would you rather be president of a nation or the first spouse?
First spouse
President
Neither. Both sound like no fun.
I'd rather be rich with no responsibilities at all.

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Romeo-and-Juliet
DianaHirsch / E+ / Getty Images
Let's look to fiction for some real-life love guidance. Which of these literary couples do you admire most?
Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy
Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester
Romeo and Juliet
Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby

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Windsor-Castle
Charlie Harding / Getty Images
Which one of these famous royal residences would you most like to live in?
Windsor Castle
Balmoral Castle
The Sandringham Country House
Kimbolton Castle

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Woman-Mirror
Kathrin Ziegler / DigitalVision / Getty Images
How petty would you say you are, on a scale from 1 to 4 (with 4 being extra, Mariah Carey-level petty)?
4
3
2
1

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Powerful-King
Yuri_Arcurs / E+ / Getty Images
Would you be OK with a partner who wanted to become an all-powerful ruler?
Duh! That's why I'm looking to marry royalty.
Sounds dangerous, but OK.
No, that's not for me. I'd rather live a simple life.
I don't know. I'm already pretty powerful, so ...

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Man-and-Two-Women
Gary Houlder / Corbis / Getty Images
In the past, have you gotten along with your partner's siblings?
Yeah, for the most part
Sort of. We didn't really "click," but we were civil to each other.
No, not really. We had some tiffs for sure.
Who knows? I didn't pay any attention to them.

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Cake-Divorce
Jeffrey Hamilton / DigitalVision / Getty Images
About 50% of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce, according to research. Of course, it didn't use to be so commonplace. How do you feel about divorce?
I would like to avoid divorce at all costs.
Divorce is bad for children but sometimes necessary for adults.
I'm all for it. It happens.
I'm not sure how I feel about it.

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Blind-Date
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In general, how do you fare when friends and family set you up on dates?
It depends. My blind dates have been hit-or-miss.
Great. My friends and family always seem to know what's right for me, and it saves me some effort.
I hate it. It never works out; I'd much rather select my own dates.
It always gets complicated because their personal interests inevitably interfere with mine.

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Checklist
sorendls / E+ / Getty Images
Are you one of those people who have a mental (or literal) checklist of qualities you want in a partner?
Nah. I just try to remain open to whatever.
I have a few things on my list.
I'm only looking for true love. That's it.
Absolutely

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Couple-Dancing
PeopleImages / E+ / Getty Images
Do you think you'd like to live together with someone before marriage?
No, that's not necessary.
Yes, definitely
I'm not sure.
I don't ever want to live with anyone.

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Rich-Couple
cdwheatley / E+ / Getty Images
Be honest. How important is money, career and social status to you when choosing a partner?
It's of the utmost importance.
It's not important at all.
It's somewhat important.
It just depends.

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Beauty
CoffeeAndMilk / E+ / Getty Images
Which of these qualities are you most known for by others?
Aggression
Beauty
Passion
Wealth

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Soulmates
WillSelarep / E+ / Getty Images
What are your thoughts on "soul mates"? Are they real?
I think we have multiple potential soul mates.
No, but true love is.
Yes, absolutely
I'm pretty pessimistic about love in general.

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Couple-Friends
pixdeluxe / E+ / Getty Images
Should your spouse be your BFF?
No, not necessarily
I'm not sure, it depends on the person.
Duh
Not at all

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Couple-Hands
PeopleImages / E+ / Getty Images
What do you feel is most important in a marriage?
Friendship
Loyalty
Romance
Similar backgrounds

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Medieval-Couple
DianaHirsch / E+ / Getty Images
Time to time-travel to another era. Which century would you most like to live in?
11th century
16th century
19th century
20th century

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Man-Standing
PeopleImages / E+ / Getty Images
Everyone is looking for something. Which one of these traits to you value most in a partner?
Strength
Compassion
Genuineness
Social status

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Wedding
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Whether you pin your #weddinggoals to your Pinterest board or haven't thought much about it, how do you picture your ideal celebration of matrimony?
I want an intimate affair.
I want a mid-sized, traditional wedding to please my family.
I'd rather just get hitched.
I want a large, expensive wedding. Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas will have nothing on us!

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Couple-with-Kids
Geber86 / E+ / Getty Images
How important is having children to you?
Very important. I want as many children as possible!
Fairly important
Not so important
I don't want children.

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Cheating
stock_colors / E+ / Getty Images
Be honest. How faithful have you been in past romantic relationships?
I've been extremely loyal and have never cheated.
I betrayed someone once.
I have a wandering eye but have never acted on anything. I'm honest.
I haven't been honest or faithful.

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Young-Couple-with-Baby
Nisian Hughes / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Some people dream of having babies and marrying young; to others, that sounds like a nightmare. What age range is most ideal for marriage, in your opinion?
From 25 to 35ish
From 20 to 25ish
Around age 40 or older
Under 20

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Arya-Stark
HBO
Which "Game of Thrones" character would you most like to live happily ever after with?
The Mountain
Arya Stark
Jon Snow
Sansa Stark

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Couple-attraction
praetorianphoto / E+ / Getty Images
Are you one of those people who believes in the adage "opposites attract"?
Yes, 100%
Sort of
Not really
Not at all

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Couple-with-Dog
martin-dm / E+ / Getty Images
Some people are cat people, some are dog people, some are neither. So, do you imagine a future with pets?
None for me, thanks
I would love an assortment of animals — ponies and dogs in particular.
Yes, I want lots of dogs!
Maybe a cat

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Couple-Reading
kupicoo / E+ / Getty Images
Whether it's reading books or playing tennis, do you think you and your partner should have shared interests?
No, that's not important.
Maybe somewhat, in order to bond
Absolutely
I'd rather do my own thing.

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Couple-Secrets
Vladimir Vladimirov / E+ / Getty Images
Should you keep secrets from your spouse?
Sometimes it might be necessary.
It just depends.
No, never
Eh, why not?

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