First ever Royal has posed for the cover of Playboy

For the first time in history, a Royal has posed for the cover of the Playboy Magazine.

As unpacked in UNILAD's Playboy Stripped Back series, the infamous outlet is often branded with controversy.

Of course, many will argue that its founder, Hugh Hefner, is not around to defend himself, but that hasn't stopped the accusations flying in over the last few years.

Whether you believe it or not, the last thing you'd expect to see is a royal on the front page of Playboy amid all the talk.

However, that is exactly what has happened as German Princess Xenia Florence Gabriela Sophie has posed for the cover of the infamous magazine.

The Princess of Saxony stars in the March 2024 issue of Playboy, becoming the first-ever person of Royal lineage to appear in Playboy.

One photo included in the issue sees the 37-year-old cloaked in a white bed sheet over one shoulder, while another on Instagram sees the Royal rocking a bathing suit pulled under her chest.

The Princess told Playboy that she believes her ancestors, including her great-great-great-grandfather Frederick Augustus III, the last King of Saxony, 'would have definitely approved' of her surprising move.

She went on to tell the German version of the publication that she wanted the world to know 'every woman is beautiful the way she is'.

"You don't have to conform to trends or have surgery on your body just to please someone. I have stretch marks, and I'm proud to show them," Xenia added.

The princess elaborated further on the reasoning behind wanting to star in the Playboy Magazine in an interview with Fox News Digital.

She said: "I think it’s the right time. I feel totally great. It’s... the first and last time I get naked, Playboy exclusive material, but it was such an experience.

"I just got some makeup [done] in my kimono, and then I was naked for two days," she continued. "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."

Xenia received approval from her mother when deciding to do Playboy - something that proved key in the Princess' decision.

"That was the key, and I felt it. So, everyone was fine with it," she said. "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'."