Hey so I have a character who lives on earth and is destined to be king of another planet. He has an advisor (if that's the correct term) who appeared and has been secretly coaching him to become the suitable king and I need help thinking of the stuff that he would be taught and why and how and stuff like that. Any advice will be really appreciated ☺️
This reminded me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King_and_I, which might be worth a look. I also had a hazy recollection that one of the major 19th-Century children's authors might have addressed a book of moral-fable type stories to a royal family's children whom he was tutoring. I thought it might have been Hans Christian Andersen but that doesn't seem to be so. Maybe it will come to me.
Well, critical thinking skills, diplomacy, self-control, people reading skills,... that would be the basic things a ruler needs to have. Empathy would be a nice-to-have too. A bit more specific: Knowledge about the history and culture of his own people, about the histories and cultures of the peoples around his and how they interacted with his people. Then of course a solid base of knowledge in all kinds of sciences (natural sciences, social sciences, psychology etc.) and, if that thing plays a role in your world, knowledge in theological and mythological issues.
I like The Lost Princess by George McDonald. For a short synopsis check: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Princess
I’m by no means an expert on royal preparations, but as I’ve recently read the complete history of Sweden, I do have a minor insight that might come in handy. Like QueenOfPlants has already mentioned, the hereditary prince would learn about diplomacy, history, philosophy and natural science. And if your majesty has any ruling power - and is not just a symbol, like most modern royalty - he would also study warfare (with a passion). Also, contrary to popular belief, the crown prince were often treated rather poorly. Not by his servants, but by his parents. In the 18th century there was one poor danish sod who were beaten and locked in a cupboard on a regular basis, simply because he didn’t act like a king, but as a child. Although this kind of cruelty wasn’t common practice (at least not in Scandinavia), the expectations of the crown prince were still quite rough, like starting school at four years of age. And I’m not talking about drawing rainbows and singing the alphabet, that’s how old Charles XII was when he began his philosophy studies! As you can imagine, this had a big impact on their manners, having them talk and behave like snack size adults. Reading the letters they wrote to their parents is absolutely fascinating. That’s some alien sh*t right there. While I’m at it I might also mention that were quite a few kings in the making who didn’t want to be kings at all, probably because their childhood was a pretty lonely affair. A lot of them didn’t really have any friends as they weren’t allowed to assiciate with folks outside the court. Some of them weren’t even allowed to play with their own siblings, therefore the tudor often became the prince best friend and confidant. Well, that should be enough for now, but feel free to ask if you have any further questions and I’ll do what I can to help PS. Please excuse my grammar as english is not my native tounge. I’m also writing this in bed, whilst having a two year old punching me in the face.
