Princess Power Trivia Quiz

Answer: New Orleans

"The Princess and the Frog" is a modern take on the well-known fairy tale "The Frog Prince", collected by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Another source of inspiration for the film was the 2002 novel "The Frog Princess" by E.D. Baker. The first of Disney's animated movies to feature an African-American protagonist, "The Princess and the Frog" is set in 1920s New Orleans; the photo shows a detail of the city's famed French Quarter.

It tells the story of Tiana, a young woman who works as a waitress but dreams of opening her own restaurant, and her romance with Prince Naveen of Maldonia, who is turned into a frog by the evil Dr. Facilier, a voodoo witch doctor. Tiana is also turned into a frog when she tries to break the spell by kissing Naveen, as only a true princess can do so. The expected happy ending occurs thanks to the help of a good-hearted voodoo practitioner, Mama Odie.

The city of New Orleans and its surroundings - in particular its bayous - play a major role in the film, which was criticized for its portrayal of race relations and Louisiana Voodoo though praised for a number of other aspects. Tiana, who is initially mistaken for a princess but eventually becomes one through her marriage to Naveen, is one of a group of iconic female characters known as "Disney Princesses" - though only some of them have an actual royal title.

Answer: Alexandra

Occasionally referred to as "French-dart-line dress", the princess line dress does not feature a horizontal separation at the waist (as the pink dress on the right-hand side of the illustration does), but is instead shaped through long seams (princess seams) and pattern pieces. As shown by the green dress in the illustration, this style achieves a closely fitted look that follows the natural line of the body. The introduction of the princess line is credited to famed English fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth, who named it for Alexandra, Princess of Wales. This flattering design remained popular throughout the 20th century, and is still used for evening and wedding dresses.

The daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, Alexandra married Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1863. She held the title of Princess of Wales until 1901, when her husband became King Edward VII upon the death of his mother, Queen Victoria. Admired for her beauty and elegance, she tolerated her husband's many affairs, and was very popular with the British public.

The three wrong answers are also names of queen consorts of the United Kingdom: Mary of Teck (consort of George V), Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (consort of George VI), and Camilla Shand (consort of Charles III).

Answer: Sweden

Prinsesstårta, or princess cake, was created in 1948 by Jenny Åkerström, a Swedish food writer and home economics teacher to the three daughters of Prince Carl, brother of King Gustav V of Sweden. The recipe was first published in her cookbook "Prinsessornas kokbok" (The Princesses' Cookbook). Originally called "grön tårta" (green cake), the cake was given its current name because of its popularity with the three princesses, Margaretha, Märtha and Astrid (the future Queen of Belgium).

Princess cake consists of layers of sponge cake, pastry cream and whipped cream covered in green-tinted marzipan. As the photo shows, the cake is usually dome-shaped, and served with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Some modern versions also include jam or fresh berries, which did not appear in the original recipe. Versions of the cake with pink or red marzipan icing are called "operatårta", This delectable confection is so popular in Sweden that a "princess cake week" has been held in September since 2004; its proceeds go to a royal charity.

Answer: an underground river

Located on the island of Palawan, Puerto Princesa ("Port of the Princess") is the westernmost city of the Philippines. It was founded in 1872 by Spanish colonists, and very likely named after Infanta Eulalia, the youngest daughter of Queen Isabella II of Spain. Home to over 300,000 people, Puerto Princesa is a major tourist centre, visited not only for its beautiful beaches and resorts, but also for its pristine natural environment. In particular, the city has become an important destination for eco-tourism.

Established in November 1999, the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park lies about 50 km (31 mi) north of the city, and is managed by the city's government. The park represents a complete example of mountain-to-sea ecosystem, home to a wide range of plant and animal species. The river that flows for over 8 km (5 mi) through a limestone cave - an underground section of the Cabayugan River - is the world's second-longest navigable underground river. In December 1999 the Park was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while in 2011 it was selected as one of the world's New Seven Wonders of Nature.

Answer: Carrie Fisher

All the actresses listed as possible answers have portrayed fictional princesses on the big screen. However, the photo of a star-shaped Christmas ornament should have pointed you in the direction of Carrie Fisher, who starred (pun intended) as Princess Leia Organa in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, as well as the sequel trilogy released between 2015 and 2019. A princess of the planet Alderaan, Leia is Luke Skywalker's twin, a feisty, strong-willed young woman who wears a distinctive "cinnamon bun" hairstyle and does not shy away from a fight.

A talented writer, Fisher also authored four semi-autobiographical novels, two plays and three memoirs. "The Princess Diarist" (a pun on the title of Meg Cabot's young adult novel "The Princess Diaries") is based on the diaries that Fisher kept while filming "Star Wars" in 1977, when she was 21 years old. Much of the book revolves around her affair with her co-star and fictional love interest Harrison Ford, who was married at the time, and 14 years her senior. Sadly, Fisher passed away only five weeks after the book's release, on 27 December 2016. Her mother, former actress Debbie Reynolds, died the next day.

Answer: Brazil

Named for 19th-century French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville, Pleroma urvilleanum (formerly Tibouchina urvilleana) is a member of the family Melastomataceae, which comprises over 5,000 species of mainly tropical flowering plants. About two-thirds of the plants in this family are native to the tropical regions of the Americas, and those in the genus Pleroma are no exception. These plants are characterized by four- or five-petalled flowers in various shades of purple or lilac.

The princess flower (also known as glory bush or purple glory tree) is an evergreen shrub with dark green, hairy leaves and clusters of vibrant purple flowers that bloom in the summer and autumn. Native to southern Brazil, this plant grows best in warmer, sunny climates; in temperate areas it is often grown in conservatories to protect it from the cold during the winter. A spectacular sight when in full bloom, the princess flower (whose common name stems from the association of purple with royalty) was awarded the prestigious Award of Garden Merit by the UK-based Royal Horticultural Society.

Answer: Andromeda

In Greek mythology, Andromeda was the daughter of Cepheus, king of Aethiopia, and his wife Cassiopeia. When Cassiopeia boasted of being more beautiful than the Nereids (the fifty daughters of Nereus, the "old man of the sea"), Poseidon sent a sea monster, Cetus, to ravage the kingdom as punishment for her impiety. An oracle stated that the only way to appease the god's anger was for the queen to offer her own daughter as sacrifice to the monster. The unfortunate Andromeda was chained to a rock by the sea, but just as the monster was about to devour her, Perseus - son of Zeus and Danae - swooped down on the back of the winged horse Pegasus, and turned the monster into stone with the head of Medusa. The hero married the princess, and together they went back to Perseus' native Argos, where he reclaimed the throne that was rightfully his.

Extremely popular in classical and later art (the painting in the photo, by Gustave Doré, dates from 1869), the myth of Andromeda is widely regarded as the ancestor of the motif of the princess' rescue from a dragon or other monster exemplified by the legend of Saint George and the dragon. In the Aarne-Thompson-Uther catalogue of folktale types, this motif is classified as "The Dragon-Slayer" (type 300). In Ludovico Ariosto's epic romance "Orlando furioso" (1532), not one, but two princesses are rescued from monsters: however, in a break with tradition, neither of these daring rescues ends with the hero marrying the lady.

Answer: Frances Hodgson Burnett

"A Little Princess" is a moving tale of triumph over adversity with an endearing protagonist, Sara Crewe. Brought up in India by her wealthy, widowed father, at the age of seven Sara is sent to attend an all-girls boarding school in London, whose headmistress, Miss Minchin, is handsomely paid to treat her like a princess (hence the novel's title). While Sara's kind, generous nature remains unspoiled by the special treatment she receives, Miss Minchin (who secretly dislikes the girl) shows her true colours a few years later, when she receives the news that Sara's father has died of malaria and that his fortune is gone. However, in spite of her misfortune and Miss Minchin's mistreatment of her, Sara does not grow bitter, but continues to show kindness to everyone. In the illustration in the photo, she is shown giving some buns (bought with a found coin) to a starving beggar girl. Sara's good heart is eventually rewarded with a happy ending.

"A Little Princess" has been adapted in various media. The best-known of these adaptations is the 1939 film - titled "The Little Princess" - directed by Walter Lang and starring Shirley Temple.

Frances Hodgson Burnett was born in England in 1849, but spent most of her life in the US. She is also the author of "Little Lord Fauntleroy" (1886) and "The Secret Garden" (1911).

Answer: London

Originally named profile cut, the princess cut was created in 1961 by London-based diamond cutter Arpad Nagy, who took his inspiration from the geometric patterns privileged by Art Deco in the 1920s and 1930s. However, the modern version of this cut - which aims to maximize a stone's brilliance rather than its size - was developed in the early 1970s by a trio of Israeli gem cutters, who initially named it "Quadrillion cut". Modern princess-cut gems contain at least 50 chevron pattern facets, which can easily disguise any flaws or inclusions in the stone. As can be noticed by looking closely at the photo, a princess-cut gemstone bears an X shape in its centre.

The princess cut is not named for any particular princess, but is rather meant to evoke the glamour, elegance and prestige of royalty. According to some sources, it is the second most popular diamond cut, and can be considerably cheaper than a round cut because it is closer to the natural shape of the stone. Often found in engagement rings and wedding bands (for both men and women), the princess cut is a favourite of those who prize a contemporary yet timelessly elegant look.

Answer: Turandot

Inspired by plays by Venetian playwright Carlo Gozzi and German poet Friedrich Schiller (in turn based on a number of Eastern and Western sources), "Turandot" was the last opera composed by Giacomo Puccini before his sudden death in 1924. The third act was left unfinished and was eventually completed by Franco Alfano. The opera was premiered on 25 April 1926 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, with Arturo Toscanini as the conductor. Set in China in "legendary times", "Turandot" tells the story of a beautiful, cold-hearted princess who requires all of her suitors to solve three riddles - failure resulting in execution. The son of the deposed King of Tartary (Calaf, or the Unknown Prince) falls in love with her at first sight, and impulsively decides to attempt the seemingly impossible task. To Turandot's horror, he is able to solve the riddles: confronted with the princess' despair, he tells her he will forfeit his claim and accept death if she can find out his name.

The aria "Nessun dorma" (Let No One Sleep) is sung by Calaf (the Unknown Prince) at the beginning of Act 3, when everyone in Peking has been commanded not to sleep in order to find out the stranger's name. The prince addresses Turandot ("principessa" in Italian), and expresses his assurance that, come the dawn, he will win her heart. One of the most famous tenor arias in the history of opera, "Nessun dorma" was popularized by Luciano Pavarotti when he sang it during the 1990 FIFA World Cup, which took place in Italy.

"Aida" was composed by Giuseppe Verdi, "Norma" by Vincenzo Bellini, and "Carmen" by Georges Bizet.