A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding Lacks Fairy Tale Magic
A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding may not live up to the royal wedding of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle earlier this year nor does it quite match the adorable cheese of its predecessor but it is a nice addition to the holiday movie line-up this year.
Rose McIver and Ben Lamb return as Amber, American blogger and soon to be queen of Aldovia, and King Richard, the new king of Aldovia, as they prepare for their upcoming nuptials. The film picks up a year after Amber helped King Richard take his rightful throne as they fell in love during the process. McIver and Lamb are a nice pair to see back together but they seem to walk through the motions of their characters in this iteration instead of leaning into the hokiness as they did in the first film.
The overall plot of the film is predictable, as any good Hallmark or Lifetime holiday flick should be. Amber is struggling with becoming queen and potentially losing who she is, add in a distracted fiance, a meddling royal courtier, and an unknown economic issue no one seems too concerned about and you’ve got your flick. But what makes this film fall short of its original is the lack of magic. There isn’t a moment where one thinks, “Oh wow” which is a shame as Netflix was able to achieve that with The Princess Switch and The Holiday Calendar.
Where this royal wedding succeeds is with the secondary characters, most notably Honor Kneafsey. Her arc, while small, is enjoyable and the budding romance between her and the young man in her play is delightful to watch. Kneafsey is a charmer on screen and a definite stand out. Theo Devaney returns as smarmy cousin, Simon, and he thrives, once again, at being a daft social-climber aimed at rejoining the royal family.
If you’re looking for a charming royal wedding maybe re-watch Prince William, Duke of Cambridge’s wedding to Catherine Middleton or Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle. The fairy tale magic is in abundance in both cases. If you’re looking for a way to spend a few hours to avoid the cold weather turn on Netflix’s A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding. It doesn’t quite live up to the first film but it’s a holiday way to spend the day.
Grade: C+