King (Cinderella)

The King is a supporting character in Disney's 1950 animated feature film, Cinderella. He is the father of Prince Charming and the ruler of a far away kingdom. The King grew lonely as his son grew older and gained independence. This loneliness manifested in a longing for a family, preferably with grandchildren. As a means of coercing his son into marrying, the King assembles a royal ball in hopes that one eligible maiden will catch the prince's heart.

## Personality

The King has a passionate temper but is also a romantic who strongly believes in love at first sight. When the Prince was young, he and his father were very close, but they ultimately grew apart as the Prince got older. As the king himself was getting older and will obviously eventually pass away, he really wants to see his son get married and have kids before that time comes―however, from what the King explains to the Grand Duke, it's for much more than just wanting an heir (which, in itself, is fairly valid for wanting his son to have children). As the King explains to the Grand Duke, he misses the sound of kids running around the castle and, overall, he really just wants to be a grandfather (while sleeping later on in the film, he's shown dreaming of spending time with a grandson and a granddaughter). At the same time, the King also wants his son to be genuinely happy with whomever he marries and has children with. He provides comedy for the three films. His Queen, who passed away before the events in *Cinderella*, is never seen. It is revealed that he loved his wife very much, which probably led to his romantic side.

His temper was shown several times to be next-to-unreasonable in his mission to get his son to marry, and he threatened the Grand Duke a few times to "encourage" him to follow his orders. He reacted explosively when he heard Cinderella escaped, as he accused the Duke of treason and tried to kill him with his sword, and only becoming placated when he learned his son would marry the girl who fits the Glass Slipper.

The King would unknowingly become an inspiring influence upon Anastasia, whose mother was manipulating things so she would be the one to marry Prince Charming and not Cinderella. He taught her about love, using his love with his departed wife as an example, and even gifting her with the seashell his wife once gave him. When Anastasia chose not to marry someone who didn't love her and apologized, she tried to return the seashell, feeling that she didn't deserve it, but the King showed surprising forgiveness by telling her to keep it because everyone deserves love.

In the Disney Princess]] comics by Joe Books, it is revealed that the King finds his job to be overbearing, as he dramatically confesses his dislike for council meetings to Cinderella at one point-- particularly due to the fact that he finds discussions of civil events and community reformations to be tedious.

## Physical appearance

The King is a portly figure with fair skin, gray hair, and bushy eyebrows. In his initial appearance, he wears a navy blue colored suit with gold buttons, matching epaulets and a single stripe on the sleeves. When he is angry, his face turns entirely red, which (according to the Duke) is due to problems with blood pressure. During the ball and throughout the sequels, he wore a cream-colored suit with the same gold features. While in bed, the King wears a white long-sleeved nightgown with a purple matching hat.

## Role in the series

The King is a member of The Universal High Council who reprises his role in the film.