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A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding continues the story we have followed in the movie that Netflix released at the same time last year, now giving more emphasis to the drama than to simply being a light comedy for this Christmas period. Not that the new film has become sad or tense – far from it. It brings back all the magic involved in the first feature but now dealing with the consequences of the main characters’ choices (watch here).

While in the project released in 2017 we watched a New York journalist who was sent to a small Eastern European kingdom to cover the coronation of a new king and that ended up falling in love with him, here we have the conflict between this modern young woman and the traditions of a place where there is very little modernity, especially regarding customs. Now forming a couple with the king – becoming the queen of the place – she must decide whether to give up her life to enter this fairy tale or not. It is a difficult choice, but she will have some help choosing the best path.

A harsher tale

In the story of A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding, we have the return of Amber, the American journalist, after almost a year of the first meeting with the now-king of Aldóvia. Already wearing an engagement ring in her hand, it is time to officiate the ceremony, and also to stay within the whole protocol that involves this marriage. For King Richard, this is very common, since he is accustomed to all this pomp. But for Amber, everything is new, and she really likes her freedom and privacy. Although dazzled by the castle’s environment where she’ll live after marriage, she begins to be pressured to fit within the traditions of the kingdom, and her struggle is to know if she’ll stay with her great love and fit into this situation or if she’ll leave and maintain her freedom.

It is noted here that there is still much of the enchantment and festive mood of the first film, released in 2017, especially regarding the palace settings, which are actually very beautiful. But in the story things got a bit harsher. Amber’s dilemma is quite pertinent, for upon entering the monarchy, she must abdicate the life she always led with independence. Everyone knows that royal ways are tough – the UK, for example, at the last royal marriages has still retained many of the traditions, even if trying to modernize itself. So, it’s easy to connect with the character’s problem, which is split between two completely opposite paths, and needs to make a decision – that could bring a great deal of sadness.

Charismatic couple

Luckily, the actors who play the main pair deliver. Amber is played by Rose McIver, who may not have a well-known face – her main film role so far was as a supporting actress in Peter Jackson’s “The Lovely Bones” in 2009 but has a fairly solid career in TV, with roles in “Masters of Sex”, “iZombie”, “Power Rangers: RPM” and especially as Tinker Bell’s voice in “Once Upon a Time”. Here she is sure to pass on Amber’s insecurity in following a path full of protocols and traditions, contrary to what her life as a journalist in New York provides.

On the other hand, King Richard is played with great pomp by Ben Lamb, an actor who has a relatively short career but who already has roles in productions such as in the movie “Divergent” in 2014 and “Now You See Me 2 “, from 2016. In his performance he conveys the insecurity between maintaining the customs of his country or surrendering himself to his great love. These things could only be transmitted by two actors who had chemistry, and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding, in that sense, was lucky: the couple is quite charismatic.

Finally, it is worth to say that the film, despite having all this existential question, is very funny, having good comedy moments. It’s the kind of movie to watch at this time of year, and that’s a tradition among film addicts – the kind of custom no one can break.

You may also like Rajma Chawal, The Tribe, The Christmas Chronicles, The Princess Switch, The Holiday Calendar and Angela’s Christmas.

Trailer and additional information about A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding Netflix

Synopsis 1: Last year, she found her prince. This year, she’s marrying a king. But what if she’s not cut out to be queen?

Synopsis 2: A year after helping Richard secure the crown, Amber returns to Aldovia to plan their wedding. But her simple tastes clash with royal protocol.

Age rating: Everyone;

Release year: 2018.