I'm not sure why this particular genre of Christmas movies exists, but it does and I'm an unabashed fan. Over the past few years, I've watched at least a dozen holiday movies that feature a regular person (i.e. baker, science teacher, doctor, journalist, shopkeeper) who falls madly in love with a royal stranger during the month of December. Sometimes the object of their affection is secretly royal, sometimes not, but *spoiler alert* they always end up together in the end.
And I've watched them all so you don't have to.
You're welcome.
And girl, I get it. These movies look silly and they are, but I think one of the reasons they're so popular is because Americans are particularly obsessed with the idea of a commoner rising above their station. It aligns with that pioneering scrappiness we all share that originally drove us away from the monarchy all those years ago. And as a young girl, I definitely aspired to be like Princess Diana and I know a lot of other young women who are a product of the 1990s feel the same way. So these weird Christmas royalty movies are just another way of fantasizing the stereotypical "rags to riches" trope that even Mark Twain popularized with his novel,The Prince and the Pauper in 1881. As the wise King Solomon once said in the 900s B.C., "there's nothing new under the sun."
And so the same movie about the same concept exists in 20 slightly different permutations.
Most of these Royal Christmas films take place in some faraway Euro-nation whose name is just a few letters off from a real country that actually exists. I have to imagine that there are quite a few viewers out there who think they can actually visit Aldovia, Belgravia and Montenaro when quarantine ends. They're probably the same folks who have a thing against people from Agrabah. So if you can forgive the thin plots and predictable endings, you'll enjoy 90 minutes or so of sweeping snow-covered estates, festive party scenes and the hilarity of watching strangers share mistletoe in a pre-COVID era. It's basically awesome. And there's usually a weird family cousin villain who ends up in the dungeon and if we're reaaaally lucky, there will be a highlariously awkward coronation to top it all off. All in all, the snowy locales and guaranteed happy ending make for the perfect film to "watch" while you're writing Christmas cards or decorating cookies in the kitchen.
Here are 9 of the royalty-themed Christmas movies on Netflix summarized in 5 words or less:
A Christmas Prince (PG, 1h 32m) - Journalist falls for the prince.
A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding (PG, 1h 33m) - Journalist marries the prince.
A Christmas Prince: A Royal Baby (PG, 1h 25m) - Journalist has baby with prince.
A Princess for Christmas (PG, 1h 30m) - Antique skopkeeper falls for prince.
Christmas with a Prince (PG, 1h, 26m)- Pediatric oncologist falls for prince.
Christmas with a Prince: Becoming Royal (PG, 1h, 30m) - Pediatric oncologist marries the prince.
The Princess Switch (G, 1h 42m) - Baker switches lives with princess.
The Princess Switch: Switched Again (G, 1h 37m) - Baker switches again with princess.
A Knight for Christmas (TV-14, 1h 32m) - Science teacher falls for ancient knight.
There are many more films in addition to the royal cinematic gems I've shared above, but they're not currently available on Netflix. And let's be honest, I ain't gonna spend a precious $2.99 to see the same movie 9 more times.
Here are a few more royal-themed Christmas movies if you want to watch them all!
Once Upon A Holiday (Hallmark, 2015)
A Christmas In Royal Fashion (ION, 2018)
A Royal Christmas Ball (ION, 2017)
My Christmas Prince (Lifetime, 2017)
A Prince For Christmas (ION, 2015)
Crown For Christmas (Hallmark, 2015)
Once Upon A Holiday (Hallmark, 2015)
A Royal Winter (Hallmark, 2017)
A Royal New Year's Eve (Hallmark, 2017)
Christmas at the Palace (Hallmark, 2018)
A Royal Christmas (Hallmark, 2014)
So, go ahead and write your Christmas cards, bake all the cookies and watch some of my favorite holiday royalty in action. Let me know if I missed any of your favorites!