Cornelia li Britannia (コーネリア・リ・ブリタニア)

Background

Date of Birth January 13, 1990 a.t.b. (Capricorn)

Cornelia li Britannia (コーネリア・リ・ブリタニア, Kōneria RI Buritania), is the second princess of the Britannian Imperial Family and is Lelouch's half-sister. She serves as one of the main antagonists during the first season but later becomes a neutral character during the second.

Cornelia displays an incredibly cold-blooded exterior, dismissing anyone she feels is opposing Britannia. She constantly refuses to accept change. Nonetheless, she deeply cares for the lives of her soldiers, especially her Knight Guilford.

At the beginning of the series, Cornelia had an unrivaled sense of patriotism as she took pride in her epithet as Britannia's "Goddess of Victory." However, after the Black Rebellion, she changed her views about her nation and would go as far as to betray it for the people she loves.

While initially one who would sacrifice as many lives needed to achieve needed goals, Cornelia later shows signs of change. She takes more value in human life, and that status quo isn't worth everything.

This loss of the three siblings seems to be the source of her distrust toward foreigners and Honorary Britannians, even though she finds out during the Black Rebellion that Clovis' murderer is Britannian. She pilots a customized Gloucester Knightmare Frame and has her circle of devoted officers. After Clovis's death, Cornelia becomes the new Governor-General of Area 11.

As a child, she appeared to have doted upon her younger sister Euphemia; thus, Euphemia is Cornelia's only known weak spot.

After entering Area 11, Cornelia continues her hunt for Zero. She destroys several rebel strongholds but finds no clues to his whereabouts.

Cornelia sets a trap for Zero at the Saitama Ghetto by simulating the conditions in Shinjuku Ghetto. She thinks that Zero took the bait due to a combination of her superior tactics and the resistance cell's different motivations. However, when she believed that she cornered him, Zero, who is C.C. who donned Lelouch's Zero costumes, reveals "himself" to the Britannian Army, distracting Cornelia from her plans. Finally, Cornelia allows Zero to escape, believing that he already has an escape route since "he" revealed "himself."

Following Euphemia's death, Cornelia was brokenhearted to the point that she locks herself up in Euphemia's room during her mourning period. Then, picking herself up, she vows to take down Zero during the Black Knights' first open attack on Tokyo.

She almost succeeds, outmaneuvering and repeatedly scoring hits on Zero's supposedly superior Gawain unit, before Darlton, under the influence of Lelouch's Geass, disables her Gloucester and wounds her. Lelouch initially plans to use her hostage to force the opposing Britannian military to surrender but is thwarted by Jeremiah Gottwald.

Instead, Lelouch reveals his identity to Cornelia, who realizes that, since Lelouch is alive, Zero's actions were motivated entirely for the sake of Nunnally. However, she cannot accept that Clovis and Euphemia had to die as a result. Before Cornelia can argue with Lelouch, he uses his Geass to interrogate her about the day his mother, Marianne, was killed.

After obtaining valuable information about her mother's death, Lelouch flees soon afterward to save Nunnally. The injured Cornelia summons Suzaku to her side. She told him her encounter with Zero and his identity but forgot due to Geass's effect and requests him to clear Euphemia's dishonored name, "Massacre Princess." As a possible indication of a change in her attitude of distrusting Honorary Britannians, she grants him the officially recognized noble title of a knight in name and status.