Crest of the Royal Family (王家の紋章) is a shōjo manga by Chieko Hosokawa. It has run in the monthly magazine Princess since 1976. In 1991, it received the 36th Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo. As of 2015, the collected volumes had sold 40 million copies in Japan, making it the fourth best-selling shōjo manga ever. With 68 volumes (as of January 2023), it is one of the longest-running manga series of all time. The manga has been adapted into 2 anime drama CD's released in 1990 by Pony Canyon (reprinted in 2004) and an anime OVA produced by Toei Animation. It was adapted into a stage musical in 2016.

Story

The main character, Carol, is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed American teenager from a wealthy family who has an interest in Egyptology and is studying in Cairo. When her mentor discovers the tomb of a young pharaoh, a curse is put on the excavation team and Carol. The curse sends her back in time to ancient Egypt, where she becomes embroiled in the affairs of Egypt and other ancient countries such as Assyria and Babylonia. Carol meets Memphis, a handsome young pharaoh whose tomb she excavated in modern times. Despite his headstrong, at first violent nature, they fall deeply in love. This angers Memphis's half-sister, the Priestess Isis, who has longed to marry him. Carol, due to her exotic looks and curious ability to tell the future, becomes a major player in ancient history.

Characters

Main characters

Supporting characters

Modern Days

Ancient World

Kingdom of Egypt

Kingdom of the Hittites

Empire of Assyria

Empire of Babylonia

Kingdom of Minoa

Other factions

Influence

In Vietnam

In May of 2024, Kim Đồng Publishing House announced the plan to publish a remastered version of Ōke no Monshō under the name "Dấu ấn hoàng gia." Originally published in Vietnam from 1990 to 2000 as "Nữ hoàng Ai Cập" (The Egyptian Queen), it was a childhood nostalgia for many Vietnamese. However, Kim Đồng was forced to delay the publication due to an inappropriate post made by their cover designer. The result was the change of artist used by Kim Đồng and an apology from the designer.