Now fast forward to more recent times. If you look closely at the face of another princess, also a commoner who marries a crown prince - Princess Masako of Japan - her face too has taken on a sunken appearance. Although in her case her husband loves and supports her, her face also lacks the look of a Queen. Will she eventually become Empress of Japan? If face-reading techniques are anything to go by, it seems not. JENNIFER TOO takes a detailed look at the faces of some of the more prominent of today’s commoners who became crown princesses to see who among them will or will not become Queen.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

Of the handful of commoner women who in recent years won the heart of Crown Princes and went on to marry them to become Crown Princesses, one stands out prominently. This is no other than the stunning Mary Donaldson who has become Princess Mary of Denmark. Here is a woman who has an almost perfect Face with several features that mark her out to be someone incredibly special.

To start with, Princess Mary has a perfect egg-shaped face which according to Chinese face reading techniques is the ultimate face shape to have. An egg-shape face for a woman indicates she is certain to marry well - either to someone very wealthy or someone who comes from a ruling family. In olden days when the eunuchs of emperors looked throughout the kingdom for potential brides for the Emperor, they would look for women with egg-shaped faces, flawless complexions, small rosebud lips and bright, sparkling eyes.

If you look closely at Mary Donaldson’s face, you can see she has all these features. Her nose can be described as aristocratic; it is neither too big nor too small, and has a delicate look without appearing thin. It has flesh but is not excessively fleshy, and her nostrils are also discreet. Most importantly, her nose is straight, well-balanced and slightly tilted upwards – a mark of someone who is or who will become aristocratic. It is likely that Mary’s body also reveals some special marks, for she was born several continents from the home of her Prince Charming, the dashing Prince Frederick of Denmark.

Mary’s background is as far removed from that of Prince Frederick as is possible, yet against all odds, they met, fell in love and got married. Prince Frederick is not just any Prince. He is heir to the throne of Denmark and the Royal House of Denmark is reputed to be one of the wealthiest in Europe. Its fortune they say surpasses that of Queen Elizabeth of England.

What is lucky about Mary’s cheeks is that they indicate not just wealth and more than enough to eat, but also success, a life of luxury and great popularity. She also seems to know how to put just enough colour on her cheeks, thereby ensuring continuous good fortune and a happy marriage.

Mary keeps her hair long and silky and this complements her overall look. There is perfect symmetry and balance to her face and the Chinese always stress this when they speak of appearances bringing a good destiny. Finally, if you look at Mary’s chin, it is slightly pointed and also tilted slightly upwards; these are two important signs of power in old age. Women with this kind of chin are well favoured among the lady dowagers of China as they are said to bring excellent fortunes to their husbands.

Mary’s chin rounds up a very lucky and special face. It suggests that Princess Mary will ascend the throne of Denmark. She will have more than one son and will become more popular as she matures.

Princesses Masako of Japan

In Japan, we meet Crown Princess Masako, 41, whose face is a striking example of a woman who could find her later years getting increasingly difficult. Princess Masako is the wife of the future emperor. She was a successful diplomat with a promising career when she married the Japanese Crown Prince. Reports suggest she had her misgivings and hesitated several months before agreeing to the marriage. Prince Naruhito, the Crown Prince, persevered, reportedly phoning her night after night during their eight-month courtship.

Educated at Oxford and Harvard, she took the royal role reluctantly. It was as if she suspected she might not ably handle the stress of being Royal. She has since been proven right.

Look at her face. There are many tell-tale signs of imbalance in the middling years (from the eyes down to the mouth). Her complexion is sallow despite use of make-up. Her eyes are shadowed and taper downwards. They also look swollen and sunken. Masako’s cheeks look very depressed as if the flesh were sagging. There is no colour on her face. Instead, there is only an air of unhappiness.

Her face is tight and full of tension. Her teeth are uneven. Her nose, although straight and indicative of wealth, seems too large for her face. And her smile is forced. It is the face of someone suffering, and more unhappiness gets etched on her face, the longer she will endure her unhappiness.

From her face we can see that her “middle” years, which should have been her happiest (between 30 to 45 years), are turning out to be her most stressful. Reports suggest she is under a lot of pressure to produce a son and heir, and at one stage had a breakdown during which her in-laws the Emperor and Empress were said to be distinctly unimpressed.

Today, Masako is still not fully recovered from her severe mental collapse and is seen only rarely in public. Her husband, Prince Naruhito, often photographed with their three-year-old daughter Aiko, is strongly and publicly supportive. When they married, Masako was a talented and multilingual career woman who had lived and worked abroad. One can say she was then a thoroughly modern Japanese. After eight stifling years of marriage, she has lost her vibrancy. No longer allowed to articulate herself in public, she has become a demure, soft-spoken shadow, walking three steps behind her husband. The change is reflected on her face and body. Will she eventually ascend the throne as Empress? We will have to compare her face with that of a rival princess, her sister-in-law, another commoner who also married a prince – Naruhito’s brother Prince Akarshino.

Princess Kiko of Japan

These days, Princess Masako is overshadowed by Princess Kiko, who gave birth to a baby boy in September, thereby ensuring the survival of the Japanese imperial line of male succession for another generation. The response to this has been electrifying. Millions issued congratulations and celebrated for weeks.

Japan is divided into opposing camps of royal watchers: Team Kiko versus Team Masako. It is an unusual development. The Japanese Imperial family is the oldest royal line in the world, but it is also the most tightly controlled. Members of the Royal family cannot have last names, cannot own personal wealth, cannot have opinions and are assumed to have no personal lives.

Today Masako and Kiko are living symbols of the pressure confronting Japanese women – to be modern or traditional. Princess Kiko is cheerful where Masako is miserable. Kiko is relaxed and the role of princess sits easily on her. The drumbeat of praise for Kiko continues unabated, while Masako has become an object of pity. This, sadly, is reflected on her face.

Let us take a look at the face of Princess Kiko. She can do no wrong these days. Since giving birth to the heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne, she has been extolled as a model wife, a paragon of motherhood and a national symbol of courage. She has an auspicious oval face and her cheeks are well balanced.

Her eyes are bright and sharp and they are a lucky almond shape with a slight upward tilt. Her forehead is clear and her nose is straight and symmetrical. Her lips are small and her chin is rounded. Overall, Princess Kiko’s face is well proportioned with straight brows and a straight nose. There is a symmetry here that implies good fortune.

It is indeed the kind of face that suggests continued upward mobility. The more you look at her face, the more you will be struck by its sheer clarity and symmetry. There are also no aimless or distracting lines on her face. Her entire face is smooth and unblemished. She could well become Empress.

Letizia Ortiz of Spain

Married to the Spanish Crown Prince Felipe in the summer of 2004, Letizia was formerly a TV journalist. She has since given birth to a girl Lenore and is reportedly expecting a second child in May next year.

Her face reflects her fortune indeed. It has plenty of yang energy and her cheeks are prominent. She has a straight nose that is also slightly tilted upwards.

Her eyes are bright and balanced and she has a prominent forehead. Her cheeks are full indicating she brings good luck to her husband. Her face shows wealth and happiness into old age. She is likely to continue having good fortune. If Prince Felipe, her husband, ascends the Spanish throne, so too will she, for hers is a face that continues to be loved by her spouse
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Mette Marit of Norway

When the Crown Prince of Norway, dashing Prince Haakon, announced he was dating Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby (an unwed mother with a four-year-old son) with a view to marrying her, the Norwegian press became abuzz with stories of the future Crown Princess’ past.

Mette Marit took the unusual step just days before her wedding to clear the slate at the start of the long path to her someday becoming Queen of Norway. She admitted to having used drugs and having led a ‘wild life’. Mette also confided she had worked as a part-time waitress before. Then with her Prince by her side, she appealed for the matter of her past to be firmly closed, and closed it has stayed since her marriage in August of 2001. She and her Prince have a daughter, Princess Ingrid Alexandra born in January 2004.

If you look at Princess Mette Marit’s face you can see courage and determination written all over it. She has a clear forehead and her eyes are well spaced apart. They appear bright with a hint of a smile. Most importantly, her cheeks are extremely auspicious as they are full without being fleshy. She has a straight nose with both sides well proportioned.

Like the other women who married crown princes, note she also has a pointed and slightly up-tilted chin, which indicates a life of wealth and luxury. Her entire face is balanced and well proportioned. This predicts she will have good fortune which gets better as she matures and there is every likelihood that should her husband ascend the throne that she will too.

Kate Middleton girlfriend of Prince William

Now we take a look at the girlfriend of Prince William, heir to the throne of Great Britain and eldest son of Princess Diana. The lovely Kate Middleton has a face that resembles that of Denmark’s Princess Mary. Kate’s face exhibits all the indications of the presence of a royal and princely boyfriend in her life. In fact, her face indicates plenty of good fortune. It is full without being fat and it has plenty of yang energy. Her face is brimming with good health and she has many features that indicate good fortune that reinforce each other. It is likely that not only will she marry a very noble and high born husband, she will also be much loved as well. The Chinese describe this kind of face as being not just filled with good fortune, but one that also attracts luck to those around her. To start with, Kate, like Mary, has a perfect egg-shaped face. Chinese face reading always describes women with this oval-shaped face as destined to having a good life filled to the brim with creature comforts. This kind of woman has many admirers throughout her life. When other indications also confirm it, they will enjoy great fame and success and they will be much loved.

Kate’s eyes are well balanced on both sides of the face. Her high forehead indicates a sensible intelligent mind while her nose indicates she is surrounded by great wealth and will live a life filled with luxuries. So whether or not she marries Prince William, she is destined to contract a brilliant marriage.

Kate’s cheeks are what bring her extreme good fortune. All through her middling years, she will enjoy good fortune and she will have many children. Her luck continues into her mature years.

Her chin is another good feature - it is pointed and slightly tilted upwards. This suggests she will continue to enjoy good fortune in her later years. It is also an indication she will hold a high positon in her old age.

If she does indeed marry Prince William, her face suggests she has the destiny to become Queen. From her face, it seems that if this is to happen, it will be sooner rather than later in her life. If she does marry Prince William, it will be the first time in Engish history that a future king has married a commoner who is not an aristocrat.