Verdi's Princess is a reference to the title character of Giuseppe Verdi's 1871 opera, AIDA. AIDA is an enslaved Ethiopian princess who is forced to choose between her loyalty to her homeland and her love for an Egyptian military commander. The story is set in ancient Egypt and is based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette. The opera has become one of the most popular in the standard repertoire and is regularly performed around the world.