I don't think royal jobs are a good idea with romance.
Mostly because I think anyone who wants to marry a royal--and isn't Kate Middleton--is an idiot.
But also because being royal is both more demanding and less demanding than a regular 9-5 job. That is, it imposes more demands in terms of continual "on-stage" performances before the public but...
It isn't exactly like operating on someone or answering the phone or stacking fruit or faxing updated reports. It isn't even like making financial decisions regarding the stock market and hoping they don't flop. Or putting forward an advertising campaign and hoping it doesn't sizzle.
It involves both more nitpicky audience attention and less "yes, you will actually answer for this particular decision" demands. Royals do answer for things in the court of public opinion. That still isn't the same as the insurance adjuster who forgot to send an important document to the law firm so lost the law firm the case--and got fired.
In addition, the royal "job" entails accepting certain assumptions--such as, yes, you have to answer those dumb questions and look good on camera and pretend not to be tired and annoyed and not beg off because you really don't care about that particular cause. Yes, you have to listen to lectures about not making the crown look bad...
In other words, the characters have to accept a whole bunch of things that most romances fight AGAINST.
Most romance royalty books, in my opinion, try to have their cake and eat it and hate it and extol it all at the same time. Royal life is demanding! But the people love me! And I will do whatever they need! Except I must do what is right for me! I do have to go to meetings! But I will always make time for you!
Yeah, right.
- The Royal Tutor, which is about the royal tutor instilling discipline into the young princes
- Titan's Bride in which the prince's consort is from another planet
- Selfish Mr. Mermaid, in which the prince mostly lives in the human world and only goes home when he has to
- The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter, in which the noble's job is mostly to keep his accountant boyfriend from overworking
- Barbarities, in which the main characters' jobs are to stay alive during Renaissance-type infighting between royalty, the Church, and other parties
Generally, speaking, it's best if the royals actually have a specific problem to address.
