Peladon of Peladon Peladon of Peladon ( PROSE : " Legacy " ) was the king of Peladon in the 39th century , when it was admitted to the Galactic Federation . He met and befriended the Third Doctor and Jo Grant in the final stages of establishing ties to the Federation . Biography . Peladon was the son of King Kellian and the human Ellua , Princess of Europa . His father gave him the name " Peladon of Peladon " because it seemed to have " great flair and flourish " , and would impressively announce his son on other worlds . ( PROSE : " Legacy " ) As a child , Peladon ' s grandfather told him about the legend of the Prisoner of Peladon . ( AUDIO : " The Prisoner of Peladon " ) When his father died , the boy king refused to take the throne , but the royal advisors Torbis and Hepesh convinced him to , and his mother allowed it . Peladon wanted his planet to join the Federation , but Hepesh conspired against him , eventually taking the King hostage . Peladon was rescued by the Third Doctor and Jo Grant , whom he had fallen for , even proposing marriage to her , though she declined . ( TV : " The Curse of Peladon " ) Five years after Peladon joined the Federation , Peladon opened Peladon to refugee Martians from the New Martian Republic , after the royal family on New Mars were overthrown and executed by Grand Marshall Raxlyr . Peladon invited the elder Martian , Lord Vaarnak , to be spokesman . A Martian ship had been sabotaged , crashing near the citadel . While rushing to find survivors , Peladon found a recently - arrived Third Doctor aiding them . The Doctor only intended a short visit , but King Peladon insisted the Doctor to stay to offer his counsel . Back inside the citadel , the Doctor discovered Lord Vaarnak had been murdered . The morning after the Doctor saw a light from the citadel ' s tallest tower blink , Peladon investigated the light , feeling concern over the legend of the Prisoner of Peladon . He found the Doctor had also investigated the tower , and told him about the legend that lay behind the double doors with four locks . The Doctor realised Lord Axlaar was the murderer of Lord Vaarnak , whom had done so because his family had been dishonoured when Vaarnak didn ' t align with Grand Marshall Raxlyr . Vaarnak was also involved with the kidnapping of Martian orphans to find the missing princess , Lixgaar . The Doctor realised that the four hands to operate the four locks to the Prisoner of Peladon ' s prison could have been operated by a lone hexapod , rather than two people in tandem — Alpha Centauri . He also figured out that Centauri , having access to the royal collection of relics , would have known where to find the keys and hid the Princess away . Lord Axlaar had initially intended to find the Princess with subterfuge , but upon being found out threatened to summon reinforcements . The Doctor took King Peladon , Lord Axlaar and Axlaar ' s accomplice , Sslurn , to the chamber of the Prisoner . There , the Doctor knocked at the chamber doors , which Centauri opened from inside . The Doctor called for Princess Lixgaar within the chamber , whom Axlaar threatened with his sonic disruptor . The Doctor attacked Axlaar in the chest ; the blast of the disruptor hitting Sslurn . Axlaar took aim again at the princess , swatting the Doctor aside , and King Peladon threw himself at him in a blind rage . After this , Axlaar fell from the window . The Doctor tried explaining to Peladon that the death of Axlaar wasn ' t his fault , only for Peladon to chastise the Doctor for treating him like a child , treating the situation like a game and refusing to explain anything . The next day , Peladon returned the Martian girls Axlaar had kidnapped in the search for the princess to their families . The Doctor informed Peladon that Izlyr arranged a peacekeeping ship to take the princess to Io . The Doctor quietly left in the TARDIS while Peladon spoke with Centauri . ( AUDIO : " The Prisoner of Peladon " ) Peladon later married and had a daughter , Thalira . He told her stories of his time as king . He died while she was still young . ( TV : " The Monster of Peladon " )