system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Bambi] Why is Bambi's father called "The Great Prince of the Forest" and not "King" or "Emperor"?

Also, Bambi himself is called "The Young Prince" by a couple of other characters.

I always thought it was because the forest where Bambi and his family live is a principality (like Monaco, and formerly India), not a kingdom (like the United-Kingdom of Great-Britain and Northern Ireland, and formerly Korea).
gpt
From Tvtropes.org:

“Because in the novel they're roe-deer. Prince is an individual term for roe-deer in the books. The Kings are the red deer (and most roe-deer are terrified of them, on account of them being so large and fierce). Disney turned Bambi & Co. into white-tailed deer, but didn't bother to change the hierarchy.
In the Disney version, the Kings are elk.”