Madonna confesses as a romantic
Madonna wants to be "swept off her feet" by the "perfect" man.
The 53-year-old star - who has previously been married to Sean Penn and Guy Ritchie and is currently dating 24-year-old dancer Brahim Zaibat - believes women all have similar expectations about love, though she knows she is responsible for her own happiness.
She told Britain's Hello! magazine: "We women still want what we've always wanted. So much has changed for us over the last few decades, in that we have the opportunity for better education, for many different kinds of jobs, for being independent in ourselves.
"But we all still find ourselves wanting the same thing at the same time - to be swept off our feet by the perfect man.
"We all think that perfect love is going to change our lives immensely. And of course love does change your life. But what we also have to understand is that happiness lies in our own hands, not someone else's."
The Hung Up hitmaker - whose directorial debut, 'W.E' is released in January - insists no one has ever given up their "kingdom" for her but she wouldn't want anyone to make big sacrifices for her happiness.
She added: "No one's ever given up their kingdom for me yet. And to tell you the truth, I wouldn't want them to.
"When a man gives up his kingdom for you, then it's your job to make him feel like he's still a king for the rest of his life. That's a tall order."
tvnz.co.nz