No. Elsa is not one of the 13 official Disney Princesses; she belongs to Disney's separate Frozen franchise. In the story she starts as a princess, is crowned Queen of Arendelle in Frozen (2013), and at the end of Frozen II (2019) gives the throne to her sister Anna, who becomes queen.
If your child is sure Elsa is a princess, they are partly right, and this page shows which part. Story details come from the films' Wikipedia articles and from the Frozen shooting script published by Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Checked on 13 October 2026: princess.disney.com and the Disney+ guide (revised 11 September 2026) both list 13 Disney Princesses. Elsa and Anna are not among them.
Elsa's title, film by film
| Point in the story | Elsa | Anna |
|---|---|---|
| Start of Frozen (2013) | Princess and heir to the throne of Arendelle | Princess, the younger sister |
| Coronation day in Frozen | Crowned queen; the shooting script makes her 21 | Princess; 18 in the script |
| Frozen II (2019), set three years later | Queen of Arendelle | Princess |
| End of Frozen II | Gives up the throne and becomes protector of the Enchanted Forest | Queen of Arendelle |
So Elsa is a princess only in the early part of the first film, mostly in the childhood scenes. She is queen for the rest of Frozen and for most of Frozen II. By the end of the second film she has left the throne altogether and lives in the Enchanted Forest, though she still visits her sister.
Anna stays a princess much longer: through both films, until the final scenes of Frozen II, when she becomes Queen of Arendelle. A child who says "Queen Anna" after the sequel has the story right. Like Elsa, Anna is not one of the 13 official Disney Princesses.
The sisters' ages, and where those numbers come from, are covered in our guide to Disney Princess ages.
Why Elsa isn't in the Disney Princess lineup
The Disney Princess lineup is a set group of heroines that Disney markets together. Disney's princess site shows 13 of them, from Snow White to Raya, and the Disney+ guide gives the same 13. Elsa is on neither. All 13 are in the official list of Disney Princesses in order.
On paper, Elsa would qualify. Wikipedia's account of the franchise describes a typical member as the human lead of a theatrical animated film that starts its own series, royal by birth or by marriage. Elsa ticks every box.
The reason she stays out is commercial. Frozen became so successful on its own that Disney has no need to sell Elsa and Anna inside the princess line. The films even have their own Disney website, frozen.disney.com, separate from the princess site.
The closest the sisters came was a temporary campaign. Disney launched the Ultimate Princess Celebration on 27 April 2021, and Anna and Elsa were included in parts of it. According to Wikipedia, they were removed from that collection at the end of August 2022. Their status before and after was the same: Disney heroines, not official Disney Princesses.
Why so many people call her a princess
She starts out as one. Frozen introduces Elsa as the heir to her parents' throne, and its opening scenes show her as a little princess playing in the snow with Anna. That is the first Elsa a viewer meets.
She shows up next to the princesses. In Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), Anna and Elsa appear in the same scene as the Disney Princesses. At Disneyland Paris, the World Princess Week program in August 2022 included a royal parade with Anna and Elsa alongside the princesses. From a child's point of view, they are all part of one royal crowd.
Search answers mix it up. While researching this article on 13 October 2026, we saw an AI search tool claim that Elsa had been officially added to the franchise. Disney's own list says otherwise.
"Princess" has two meanings. In everyday speech, a princess is any royal girl in a fairy tale. The Disney Princess franchise is a named group with 13 members. The same mix-up happens with Sofia the First and Elena of Avalor; see Are Sofia and Elena Disney Princesses?
What to say when your child insists Elsa is a princess
You don't need to win the argument. A version for four- and five-year-olds: "Elsa was a princess when she was little. Then she grew up and became a queen. Disney has a special group called the Disney Princesses, and Elsa has her own group called Frozen."
Children of 6 to 8 may like the detail that Elsa is no longer queen at the end of Frozen II. You can turn it into a story game. Ask: "If you were Elsa, would you rather rule the castle or protect the forest? What would you do on your first day?" There is no wrong answer, and the question gets a child thinking about the choices characters make.
For Elsa on a tablet, our guide to Frozen games for kids compares the official apps by what a child actually does in each one.
FAQ
Is Elsa a queen or a princess?
Both, at different points. Elsa is a princess at the start of Frozen (2013) and is crowned Queen of Arendelle on her coronation day. She stays queen until the end of Frozen II (2019), when she gives the throne to Anna and moves to the Enchanted Forest as its protector.
Why isn't Elsa an official Disney Princess?
Disney runs Frozen as a separate franchise with its own products, stories and website, frozen.disney.com. Elsa fits the usual princess criteria, but Frozen's own success means Disney doesn't need to sell her inside the princess line. As of 13 October 2026, she is not on Disney's princess site or in the Disney+ guide.
Has Elsa ever been an official Disney Princess?
No. Disney included Anna and Elsa in parts of its Ultimate Princess Celebration, launched on 27 April 2021, and removed them from that collection at the end of August 2022. The sisters also appear beside the princesses in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). Neither event added them to the 13-member lineup.
Is Anna an official Disney Princess?
No. Anna is not among the 13 heroines on Disney's princess site or in the Disney+ guide revised on 11 September 2026. In the films she is a princess by birth, and she becomes Queen of Arendelle at the end of Frozen II, when Elsa hands her the throne.
Who rules Arendelle at the end of Frozen II?
Anna does. At the end of Frozen II (2019), Elsa gives up the throne and Anna becomes Queen of Arendelle. Elsa becomes the protector of the Enchanted Forest and the bridge between people and the spirits of nature, and she keeps visiting her sister in Arendelle.
Sources
- Disney Princess official site, character lineup: https://princess.disney.com/ (checked 13 October 2026)
- Disney+, "Disney Princess Movies," revised 11 September 2026: https://www.disneyplus.com/explore/articles/disney-princess-movies (checked 13 October 2026)
- Disney's Frozen site: https://frozen.disney.com/ (checked 13 October 2026)
- Wikipedia, "Disney Princess" (criteria, Ultimate Princess Celebration): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Princess (checked 13 October 2026)
- Wikipedia, "Ralph Breaks the Internet" (Anna and Elsa appear alongside the Disney Princesses): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Breaks_the_Internet (checked 13 October 2026)
- Wikipedia, "Frozen (2013 film)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_(2013_film) (checked 13 October 2026)
- Wikipedia, "Frozen 2" (setting three years later; ending): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_2 (checked 13 October 2026)
- Jennifer Lee, Frozen final shooting draft, Walt Disney Animation Studios, 2013, archived copy (ages on script pages 13 and 16): https://web.archive.org/web/20140401054119/http://waltdisneystudiosawards.com/downloads/frozen-screenplay.pdf (checked 13 October 2026)
- Mousesteps, "Disneyland Paris Announces World Princess Week 2022 Program," 18 August 2022: https://www.mousesteps.com/2022/08/18/disneyland-paris-announces-world-princess-week-2022-program/ (checked 13 October 2026)
For a calm way to talk about Elsa's story with your child, start with Elsa's page in our princess book.