A princess from Germany exchanged her tiara for a bedsheet, wearing little else. Xenia Florence Gabriela Sophie Iris, the Princess of Saxony, has made history by becoming the first aristocrat to be featured in Playboy. At 37 years old, she graces the cover of Playboy Germany's March 2024 edition. And she looks stunning.
The captivating photos showcase the topless royal donning sheer white undergarments, leaving little to the imagination. Her decision is motivated by a desire to convey the message that "every woman is beautiful just the way she is." According to People magazine, Germany hasn't had an active royal family or monarch since the end of World War I.
Royal Goes Topless
"I think it's the right time," Xenia told Fox News Digital. "I feel totally great. It's ... the first and last time I get naked, Playboy exclusive material, but it was such an experience," the New York Post reported.
"I just ... got some makeup [done] in my kimono, and then I was naked for two days," she said. "I felt so comfortable around the team. ... I always wanted to be a pop star like Britney Spears, but I never dreamed of being in the press all over the world ... as a natural woman."
People magazine reported that Germany has been without an active royal family or monarch since the end of World War I. Nevertheless, the nation retains various noble houses that once governed several German states.
According to the publication, Xenia's lineage includes her great-great-grandfather, Friedrich August III, who served as the last king of Saxony.
As reported by the U.K.'s Independent, Xenia acquired her title as a descendant of the German House of Wettin.
"I asked my mom before I did it," Xenia said about posing for Playboy. "Her opinion was important to me. She said, 'You know what girl? If you feel it, then do it.' That was the key, and I felt it. So, everyone was fine with it. I even got a message ... from one of my cousins whom I haven't spoken to in 20 years. He said, 'Wow, congratulations! You did a great job by breaking this wall.' I was like, 'Wow, even my own family is on my side.'
"It changed because, 10 years ago, it was just the men in my family who had the power," Xenia explained.
"You had to do what they said and it was a struggle. But then I decided to make my own way, my own path. Now, I'm happier than ever."
Xenia said that the aim of her bold photo shoot was to convey the message that all bodies are beautiful just as they are, serving as a positive and empowering example for women.
"I've had all these thoughts in my mind about getting bigger breasts," she admitted. "But then I was like, 'No, I'm a mom. I have [stretch] marks. I'm skinny, but that's OK. It's OK to have little boobs.' That was my decision. ... I'm proud to have a working body. I really don't care about the size. We tell the boys that size doesn't matter. Well, our sizes also don't matter."
Beauty With Brains
In one of the photos in the March issue of German Playboy, Xenia in a bold pose, drapes a white sheet across one half of her body, leaving the other side completely bare. In another photo, she sheds the coverup entirely, posing topless by a luxurious pool while wearing a sheer white skirt with waist-high slits.
In a third photo, Xenia is seen wearing a white bodysuit with the crotch unsnapped. She pulls it down to reveal her chest in this daring image.
"You don't have to conform to trends or have surgery on your body just to please someone," she told the magazine. "I have stretch marks and I'm proud to show them," she told the magazine.
The reality TV personality, currently featured on "B:Real – Real Celebrities, Real Life," shared with the magazine that she has to "fight against prejudices all day long", both due to her ancestry and her body.
"In some reality TV shows, I was the only one who didn't have anything done to her body," she shared, adding that "other women, some of whom had had a lot of surgery, said something like that I wasn't any competition for them because I didn't have any curves and wasn't feminine."
Acknowledging the impact of "horrible" comments, the star of "Undercover Princesses" revealed that the negativity almost led her to succumb to the pressure of undergoing plastic surgery, even though she ultimately chose not to do so.
Her mother, Iris of Saxony, is the daughter of Prince Timo (1923-1983), a member of the House. Timo's father, Xenia's great-grandfather, was Prince Ernst Heinrich, married to Archduchess Luise of Austria and the son of Frederick August III, the last King of Saxony.
Frederick voluntarily abdicated in 1918 following Germany's defeat in World War I after a brief 14-year reign, famously remarking, 'Oh, well, I suppose I'd better.'
Despite criticism questioning Xenia's connection to the crown, she has embraced her royal heritage and gained recognition on global shows.
In 2016, she participated in an Israeli production featuring celebrity couples sharing an intimate space surrounded by cameras. She later appeared on dance shows, the German version of I'm a Celebrity! in 2021, and played a role in the local soap B:REAL last year.
However, fame has posed challenges for the princess, who says her royal title as a hindrance in finding her Prince Charming.
In a 2010 interview with B.Z., Xenia said, "I've actually been single since I was born. After a short time, everyone turned out to be bad guys."
Despite being the daughter of a farmer and a hairdresser, she expressed frustration with intrusive questions about her royal status, such as "Where is your crown, your castle, your dress..." The outlet concluded that she simply wanted to be a normal girl.
