The two crests on a Prinplup's head bear a certain resemblance to a gaseous planet's rings, and a far more striking one to the pink rings said to surround the legendary Cresselia. Some have likened these rings to a prince's court –as vassals metaphorically orbit around their sovereigns, so do rings orbit the Prinplup. Yet despite their pretensions of royalty, Prinplup can rarely claim an entourage. Like their prior form of Piplup, they are autocrats in the literal sense – rulers of themselves – but can rarely claim any actual subjects.
Although the Prinplup themselves think of them as crowns, in practice the crests on their head more resemble chains, for they restrict their ability to turn their head far more than most similar pokemon. Much has been made of Prinplup's always looking forward as a symbol of avoiding regret, but in reality the Prinplup have little choice in the matter. Despite their enormous pride, it is easy to consider them a degenerate bird, for they lack both the power of flight and the dexterity of their aerial relatives.
Yet while the flightless wings have an obvious purpose, analogous to those of fins or flippers, there is no obvious explanation for the crests on their head. Were they capable of using techniques reliant on the head in battle, the metallic crests would undoubtedly make those attacks more painful, but Prinplup rely instead on their beak, claws, and water attacks to fight. Perhaps they are literal chains like a Granbull's – from heaven, from Cresselia, or from space – and a Prinplup's pretensions of royalty are simply an act of defiance. Or perhaps they are adornments made to represent the fact that every prince is as constrained as his subjects by tradition and by the popular will, lest he be overthrown.