Ange le Carré

* Uniform
* Spy 1
* Spy 2

**Ange le Carré** is the main protagonist in *Princess Principal*. She is a spy working for Control as a part of Team White Pigeon. Ange attends Queen's Mayfaire Academy as part of her cover.

## Etymology

"Ange" means "angel" in French. Although not mentioned in any supplementary material, the last name of Ange's alias, le Carré, is commonly associated with John le Carré, the pen name of British author David John Moore Cornwell. Cornwell was a writer best known for his espionage novels and had worked for British Security Service MI5 and British Secret Intelligence Service MI6. He was notorious for lying about the origin of his pseudonym: throughout his years he gave differing explanations in interviews.  This is something Ange has in common with him, both of them having a knack for lying.

## Development

When deciding on Ange's personality, the writers of *Princess Principal* wanted her to be able to adapt to various covers, as they thought a talented spy would be able to do.  It was then that head writer Ichirō Ōkouchi proposed for Ange to be "a girl who lies," as he thought it would make for an interesting character within a spy series.

     Ōkouchi also added Ange's talk about the Black Lizard Planet to the script of episode 1, but according to Director Masaki Tachibana, why Ōkouchi went for this remains unknown to the other staff members.  *Black Lizard* (黒蜥蜴, Kurotokage) is also the title of a detective novel by famous Japanese novelist Edogawa Ranpo. The story follows a famous detective trying to catch a female thief by the name Black Lizard. No supplementary *Princess Principal* works make mention of this novel, however.

Ōkouchi has said that he thought of Ange and Princess as a pair from the start of developing *Princess Principal*, since the writers had already been working with the concept of Operation: Changeling as a plot point early on.  For the shared backstory of the two girls, the writers were inspired by the book *The Prince and the Pauper* by Mark Twain, published in 1881.  Ange's situation also bears resemblance to a character named Lelouch from one of Ōkouchi's previous works, *Code Geass*. Both characters are secret heirs to the throne who hide under imaginary personalities and are involved in a conspiracy to change the political situation in their country.

Ange's character design itself was made by Kouhaku Kuroboshi. The design was translated to anime format by Yukie Akiya. Early versions of Ange's design include her with a few changes. She had orange instead of grey-blue eyes. The tights she wears in her civilian outfit were orange instead of purple. Furthermore, she wore gloves in her school uniform, and had a unicorn insignia on her shoulder.  On her final design, Kuroboshi commented that he "designed her hair this way with her history in mind. The braided part of her hair represents her royal heritage, while the ruffles and leather also express the contrast in her life."

## Personality

Ange displays many characteristics typically befitting of a spy. She has a tough exterior and has become adept at lying because of the nature of her work and goals. Ange can also be ruthless if needed, being prepared to kill others if her jobs requires her to do so. Furthermore, she is analytical and has displayed great memory capacity. For instance, she has memorised the information on all students at Queen's Mayfaire Academy.

Notable about Ange's character is her proficiency in code-switching. She often adopts different personalities for her covers in order to accommodate Team White Pigeon's mission at hand. For her cover at Queen's Mayfaire Academy for instance, she adopted the personality of a shy and clumsy girl, later explaining to Dorothy that "everything is easier when people underestimate you." However, later in episode 6 at the Little Lambs Laundry, Ange went with an opposite approach: she pretended to be a rough delinquent who wants to be left alone. The standoffish nature of this cover made it easier for her to conduct the investigation that Team White Pigeon was tasked with at the time.

Ange occasionally shows a slightly more playful side of herself when she teases the other members of her team by mixing truths with outrageous lies in their interactions. A typical example of this is when she calls herself a native from the Black Lizard Planet. According to director Masaki Tachibana, this signals and emphasises Ange's lies to the other characters.  Similarly, he said, when she wants to deflect a comment or wants to separate herself from her past, she might also put something in the perspective of the Black Lizard Planet.  Why exactly Ange specifically refers to the Black Lizard Planet is currently unknown both on both a meta and show-level.

Ange has been shown to let down her guard around Princess, revealing a softer and more vulnerable personality underneath. Ange occasionally also shows a more caring side to others as well, such as making sure Amy Anderson's operation was paid for in episode 1 even if Ange's employer Control did not require Ange to involve herself in the matter.

## History

### Pre-Season 1

 *This section is incomplete. You can help improve this article by expanding it.*
     Ange was born in Albion somewhere in the 19th century in London, around 17 years before the start of season 1. She was born as a part of the royal family of Albion and was given the birth name Charlotte. Growing up, she often felt isolated and detached from the palace life imposed on her—the study of etiquette, languages, dances, and everything else that was required of her as a princess.

When she was seven years old, Ange decided to escape from her royal life and visited the imperial gardens of the royal castle. She later mentioned that she had wanted to go "disappear forever" into the deep well there. However, during the trip to the well, she encountered a peasant girl who looked remarkably like her. This other girl introduced herself as "Ange" (known throughout *Princess Principal* as Princess Charlotte). The two girls became quick friends and spent their time together, playing games and pranks on their guardians and switching roles through their similar appearances.

One day, the two friends decided to switch places for a day so that the princess could see the outside world. However, on that day there was an uprising from the people against the royal family of Albion, later dubbed the London Revolution. Citizens took to the castle en masse, firing cannons and burning buildings.

One day, the two friends decided to switch places for a day so that the princess could see the outside world. However, on that day there was an uprising from the people against the royal family of Albion, later dubbed the London Revolution. Citizens took to the castle en masse, firing cannons and burning buildings. The princess in civilian wear hurried back to the castle where she met the peasant girl dressed as the princess again. The princess promised her that she would become queen and tear down the walls that came between them so they could be together, before the two girls were separated in the chaos of the revolution.

The revolution divided Albion into the Kingdom of Albion and the Commonwealth through the London Wall. The two girls were now trapped on opposite sides in their reversed roles without being able to reach one another, as it is highly difficult to cross the London Wall. Ange (previously named Charlotte) began her life in the Commonwealth, and Charlotte (previously named Ange) took over as a princess of the Kingdom of Albion.

After an unspecified amount of time, Ange came upon an orphanage where she met Dorothy and was subsequently taken in at The Farm, a spy training facility run by spy organisation Control. Ange worked her hardest in the program to be sent across the wall as a spy, always gaining the highest marks in class. She started working in the field as a spy after the program and proposed Operation: Changeling to those in charge at Control: Ange was to "switch places" (unbeknownst to Control, Ange would simply be taking back her original spot as the nation's princess) with Princess Charlotte so the Commonwealth would have a spy in the royal family. Control approved of Ange's proposed plan and sent her across the London Wall to start the mission.

*Read more/less*
### Season 1

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To get close to Princess Charlotte for Operation: Changeling, Control enlisted Ange at Queen's Mayfaire Academy, the school that Princess Charlotte attends. It is here that Ange met up with Dorothy again, who Control had picked as Ange's mission partner. Together, the two spies investigated the princess and were planning on approaching her during a ball. However, at this ball, they were handed new urgent orders by Control which took priority. Ange ended up approaching Princess and secretly handed her a note explaining her situation. However, Princess ended up using this information to her advantage and threatened to expose Ange and Dorothy if Control did not comply with her demands: Princess wanted Control to help her become queen. In the end, Control was left with no choice but to comply, and Princess ended up aligning herself with the Commonwealth spies.

In the morning, Ange and Princess met up on the roof of Queen's Mayfaire Academy. It was here where Ange revealed that she never intended to go through with Operation: Changeling; she became a spy so she could get sent across the wall and reunite with Princess. Ange told Princess that she had a route planned out for them to run away to Casablanca together. However, Princess Charlotte refused Ange's offer. She told Ange that she wanted to make the promise that Ange made to her when they were children come true: Princess wants to become queen and tear down the walls that separate them. This is why Princess initiated the alignment with the Commonwealth. Ange was visibly shaken by this turn of events but ended up promising to help Princess reach her goals.

### *Crown Handler*

#### Chapter 1

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#### Chapter 2

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#### Chapter 3

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## Abilities

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* **Artistic Skill** - Ange has artistic skills. She displays this in episode 9, where she can be seen painting.
* **C-Ball Using** - Ange is skilled with her C-Ball.
* **Driving** - Ange is able to drive a car.
* **Gun Handling** - Ange is shown handling her revolver several times in the series, and she always hits what she is aiming for.
* **Lockpicking** - Ange is shown lockpicking in episode 3 and 4.
* **Monorail Steering** - Ange is seen steering a monorail in *Crown Handler* Chapter 3.

## Relationships

### Relatives

#### Unnamed Parents

Ange's biological parents (members of the royal family) are not shown throughout *Princess Principal*. Not much is currently known about them, though in *Crown Handler* Chapter 1, Bishop says that Ange's eyes are the spitting image of her mother's.

It has been stated and implied on multiple occasions that Ange's parents are deceased. In episode 1 of season 1, Ange told Eric Anderson that her parents were killed during the London Revolution, making her an orphan. However, she later revealed to Eric that a lot of the things she had had said were in fact lies, making it unclear whether this statement of hers about her parents is to be taken at face value.

Later in the *Crown Handler* movies, it is shown that Princess Charlotte (Ange's substitute) is the fourth in line to the throne, but none of the people in line before her are her (supposed) parents. Furthermore, in *Crown Handler* Chapter 2 when Ange and Charlotte are talking one-on-one, Charlotte tells her, "*I just can't leave Mary alone. She lost her family, too. She was ostracized in the royal family and has been shouldering the burden all alone. It's just like you were back then.*" This confirms that Ange had already lost her parents before trading places with Charlotte, which in turn confirms that her parents had already died prior to the London Revolution.

#### Queen

The queen is Ange's grandmother by blood. The queen is seemingly unaware of the fact that the current Princess Charlotte is a doubleganger of the original. She has not spoken to Ange in over ten years, and their precise relationship is currently unknown.

Currently, Ange is working with the Commonwealth to overturn the monarchy ruled by the Queen.

#### Duke of Normandy

 *This section is incomplete. You can help improve this article by expanding it.*
### Team White Pigeon

#### Princess Charlotte

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Princess is Ange's close childhood friend. They met before the London Revolution and accidentally switched places with each other during it. Before the revolution, they spent a large amount of time together playing. Ange had taught Princess how to read and write and play the piano. Despite the reversed circumstances they found themselves in, their reunion was heartfelt and the two continue to be close friends. Both of them are working towards the goal of unifying the country so that they can return to each other's side, and strengthen the bond between them.

It has been shown that after the reunion between the two, Ange seems incapable of lying to the Princess and is unable to refuse her demands. Other members of Team White Pigeon have also pointed out how Ange seems to have a soft spot for the princess, yet are unable to pinpoint exactly why, since they are not aware of their shared history.

When questioned in an interview about whether the girls had any romantic feelings for each other, director Masaki Tachibana said, "For that, I say we leave that up to [the viewer's] imagination. For Ange, she definitely feels friendship and strong feelings of trust. But we didn't interpret it as romantic when we were writing [the series]. However, to split everything into black and white… that's simply no fun. So, I leave that up to [the viewer's] imaginations."  Some staff members, such as animation director Eri Kojima, do ship Ange and Charlotte, as can be seen from their personal fanart.

Ange and Princess do not share the same birthday.  In episode 3, Beatrice raised the question whether Ange and Princess Charlotte are sisters, which Ange dismissed.

#### Dorothy

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Dorothy is Ange's friend and colleague. She has a good relationship with Ange, going as far as to having minor silly banters and understanding some of Ange's hidden intentions. In return, Ange sometimes teases Dorothy back.

Dorothy has mentioned not being able to "shake Ange off since the orphanage," implying that they had met at an orphanage before attending The Farm. They reunited in Queen's Mayfaire Academy as operatives for Operation: Changeling.

#### Beatrice

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Beatrice is Ange's friend and teammate. Since Beatrice is Princess' assistant, Ange and Beatrice first met in the ball where Ange and Princess reunited. After finding out through the Princess that Ange and Dorothy were spies, Beatrice and Ange had a rocky relationship. Beatrice did not trust Ange nor Dorothy, which was only amplified when she saw Ange's close physical resemblance to the Princess, which made her worry that the spies were planning on replacing Princess.

In episode three, Ange showed Beatrice that she was willing to sacrifice herself in order to indirectly guarantee that Princess would not become a suspect to the kingdom. This made Beatrice soften up to Ange. After saving the spy from being caught by using her voice box machine, they became friends to a point Beatrice trusts Princess' safety to Ange.

#### Chise Todo

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Chise is Ange's friend and teammate. Both of the two girls are the muscles of the team, seeing as they take on most of the action whilst the rest infiltrate. In episode five, the first one to meet Chise was Ange. Ange also learnt from Chise that Jubei Todo was Chise's father.

### Queen's Mayfaire Academy

#### Lily Gaveston

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### Control

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#### Winston (Bishop)

 *This section is incomplete. You can help improve this article by expanding it.*
#### Zelda

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Zelda is Ange's enemy. Zelda was originally intended to be Ange's missionpartner, though Ange was not briefed about this. This led Ange to believe her loyalty was being tested by Control. During Episode 12, it was seen that Zelda also has her hands on a Cavorite Ball, just like Ange.

#### Eleanor (Prefect)

 *This section is incomplete. You can help improve this article by expanding it.*
### Side Characters

#### Eric Anderson

Eric Anderson was a supposed defector to the commonwealth who Ange and the rest of Team White Pigeon were supposed to help. The team initially rescued Eric and hid him at their school. Throughout Eric's hideout, Ange was the primary member of the team to interact with Eric, bringing him his food and occasionally keeping him company.

Ange was also the one who saw through Eric's lie of wanting to defect. This information was furthered to Control. Ange ended up taking Eric to a park at night, where she made him sign a death insurance. She then revealed that most of the personal information she had told him about was a lie before shooting him in the chest multiple times, marking the end of his life. After this she dumped his body into the Thames to ensure that the insurance company would pay, and used this money to pay for his sister Amy Anderson's operation. This gesture shows that Ange was not completely indifferent to Eric and his sister.

#### Amy Anderson

Ange le Carré went to Queen Elfrida Infirmary together with Beatrice to investigate Amy. As a cover, Ange pretended to be a nurse. Amy reacted hostile to them and wanted them to leave. Ange realized that Eric was not truly planning on defecting due to the calluses on Amy's feet. It was then that she decided to get a death insurance on Amy's behalf for Eric. When Ange had eventually killed Eric, she used the money from the insurance company to pay for Amy's operation. Ange also left Eric's glasses on Amy's table.

### *Game of Mission*

#### Monica Golding

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## Quotes

 — **Ange le Carré**, *Crown Handler* Chapter 1

## References

1. ↑  *"Princess Principal Clear file"*. Released Dec 6, 2018. (Archive.)
2. ↑  *"Why did David Cornwell choose “Le Carré” as his nom de plume?"*. Louise. Glossophilia.org. Released January 10, 2021. Retrieved 20th of May, 2022. (Archive.)
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4  *Princess Principal Premium Box Set Secret Files Volume 1*. Published by MVM. Released March 18th 2019.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6  *"Interview: Princess Principal Director Masaki Tachibana"*. Rai Kelly. Anime News Network. Released December 14th 2017. Retrieved May 20th 2022. (Archive.)
5. ↑  *Princess Principal Picture Drama Episode 3*. 3Hz, Actas. Released September 27, 2017 to 23 February 2018.
6. ↑  Full context: In *Princess Principal* Picture Drama episode 2 Ange congratulates Princess Charlotte, saying that it was the original Ange's birthday. Princess then corrects her, saying it is their birthday (since Ange has now taken her place). If the two girls shared the same birthday, the distinction would not have to have been made in the first place.