The diverse resumes of royals before they married into monarchies

From journalists to marketing executives, some of the world's most regal royals had colourful and ambitious careers before finding love with a prince or princess. <p>Here, we take a closer look at the lives of royals before they married into monarchies.
<h2>Queen Letizia of Spain</h2> Born: Letizia Ortiz <p>Royal love: King Felipe VI of Spain</p> <p>Spain's queen was once a highly respected journalist. Her dedication to news even took her to the frontlines of the Iraq war. And while she is no longer a reporter, she credits the job for introducing her to the love of her life. Letizia was reportedly introduced to Felipe by one of her colleagues. </p> Photo: © Getty Images
<h2>Princess Mary of Denmark</h2> Born: Mary Donaldson <p>Royal love: Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark</p> <p>Mary, who was born and raised in Australia, received a degree in commerce and law at the University of Tasmania before completing a graduate degree in advertising. She climbed the ranks within the advertising community before that fateful day in 2000 when she bumped into Prince Frederik and her life changed forever. </p> Photo: © Getty Images
<h2> Sophie, Countess of Wessex</h2> Born: Sophie Rhys-Jones <p>Royal love: Prince Edward</p> <p>Before she became a countess, Sophie started a successful career in public relations at London's Capital Radio. From there she went on to work in different firms before opening her own, RJH Public Relations, in 1996. A short three years later she married into the British Royal Family. </p> Photo: © Getty Images
<h2>Queen Mathilde of Belgium</h2> Born: Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz <p>Royal love: King Philippe of Belgium</p> <p>Before marrying her prince charming in 1999, Mathilde received a degree in speech therapy from Belgium's Institut libre Marie Haps. She went on to open her own practice in the early 1990s before royal life came calling. </p> Photo: © Getty Images
<h2>The Duchess of Cambridge</h2> Born: Kate Middleton <p>Royal love: Prince William</p> <p>These days Kate's world consists of being a loving mother to two children while managing a busy work calendar as a senior member of Britain's Royal Family. But back in the day the English beauty had normal 9 to 5 jobs. After working for her parents' hugely successful party supply company, Kate became an accessories buyer with the British clothing chain Jigsaw. The public attention that came with being the girlfriend of Britain's future king became too great for Kate and in 2006 she quit her job. </p> Photo: © Getty Images
<h2>Prince Daniel of Sweden</h2> Born: Olof Daniel Westling <p>Royal love: Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden</p> <p>In his high school years, the future prince worked at retirement residences during his summer breaks before moving into sports leadership. He developed a love for fitness which led to the opening of his own gym, Balance, in 2006. Even though he became a senior member of Sweden's royal family upon his marriage to Victoria in 2010, Daniel has continued his education in a variety of subjects, including physiology, physical activity and health.</p> Photo: © Getty Images
<h2> Queen Máxima of the Netherlands</h2> Born: Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti <p>Royal love: King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands</p> <p>Born in Argentina, the stunning royal enjoyed a variety of careers in economics and education before meeting her husband in 1999. </p> Photo: © Getty Images
<h2> Autumn Phillips</h2> Born: Autumn Kelly <p>Royal love: Peter Phillips</p> <p>The Montreal native was living a quiet life in Canada before catching the eye of the Queen's eldest grandson, Philip, who was in Montreal to attend the 2003 Canadian Grand Prix. The mother of two attended McGill University and dabbled in acting before starting a career in management consulting. </p> Photo: © Getty Images
<h2>Princess Marie of Denmark</h2> Born: Marie Cavallier <p>Royal love: Prince Joachim of Denmark</p> <p>Born in Paris and raised in Switzerland, Marie studied all over the world including Babson College in Massachusetts and Marymount Manhattan College in New York. During her college years she worked in the public relations department at Estée Lauder. After graduating she returned to Europe where she worked for a variety of marketing firms in France and Switzerland. </p> Photo: © Getty Images
<h2>Princess Sofia of Sweden</h2> Born: Sofia Hellqvist <p>Royal love: Prince Carl Philip of Sweden</p> <p>Sofia came from a very humble upbringing before catching the eye of Sweden's handsome Prince Carl Philip in 2010. She dabbled in modelling and reality television before moving to New York to study accounting while working part-time as a yoga instructor. </p> Photo: © Getty Images
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