A Royal Queens Christmas

6/10 - the royal Christmas movies are always a bit of extra fun when it comes to holiday TV movies and while this does not do anything to reinvent the wheel, it is still quite enjoyable.

Like many Hallmark romances, this one is about a man and woman who come from different circumstances. They could hardly be further apart than a New York bakery worker and a British prince being groomed for succession.

Julian Morris' portrayal of Prince Colin is the best part of the film. He feels genuinely regal yet very likable. One could understand that any woman might fall for his rugged good looks, his affable personality, and his musical talents. His attraction to DeeDee (Megan Park) is a little harder to explain. We are to believe that the prince has little access to women of quality, perhaps due to his parents' well-meaning control of his life. Fortunately, he is attended by Whitbey (acted by Tony Nappo, who makes the most of his part), who is charged with overseeing the prince's activities, but cuts him some slack.

The acting is good, but the story---after some energy in the first part---bogs down in the mechanics of their obstacles.

Though not one of Hallmark's best, 'A Royal Queens Christmas' is a sweet love story nonetheless. The movie draws on a very popular plot device: deception and mistaken identity. Here, they use the classic 'incognito royals': the royal (almost always a prince) pretends to be a 'commoner' and ends up falling in love with one of them, they find out, they break-up, they make-up and live happily ever after. The story here is your classic version of this. That is, it is quite ordinary and predictable as far as plots go. Still, the movie does have a feeling of warmth and charm to it that I suspect many will enjoy. The story follows Dee Dee (played by Megan Park), a single woman who is currently working at her cousin's bakery after completing her service in the military while she figures out what her next career move will be. While delivering some baked goods, she runs into Colin (played by Julian Morris) in a hotel lobby, crushing the pastries she was supposed to deliver. To make up for the mess, Colin offers to step in for her dad as the pianist for the local children's choir, which she is directing, and who are rehearsing for the local community Christmas show. Little does she know that Collin is the Crowned Prince of Exeter. And so, our story begins as we watch the two spend time together exploring the city and rehearsing for the Christmas concert while at the same time discovering the feelings they have for each other. For the first 30 minutes or so, the story is quite engaging. I found myself pulled in by the narrative. However, this breaks down about halfway through as a result of some clunky scenes and dialogue, which by this point, is rather dull. The writers could have done a better job of developing Dee Dee's backstory. This comes up briefly in the scenes with her mother but lacks depth. Instead, much of the writers' energy is spent on the Crowned Prince's backstory, an easier story to write, I suspect. The acting, overall, is pretty good. Park had a decent performance, I thought. As others have pointed out, the consistency of her New York accent is an issue at times. Morris's performance is the best part of the movie. It is believable, convincing. He has a regal, yet pleasant and friendly vibe to his portrayal of the Crowned Prince, which I found appealing to watch on-screen. The chemistry between the two is not bad (though not great either). Simply put: it is good enough. I thought Dee Dee's parents were fun to watch (played by Tony Nappo and Ramona Milano). I enjoyed the loveable Italian-American family vibe in this one. There is also some nice piano playing in a couple of scenes along with some fairytale-like Christmas scenery and decorations. There is plenty of Christmas spirit and festive cheer. All in all, it is a decent Hallmark Christmas movie that provides, at times, some sweet holiday entertainment. Fans of Hallmark's royal Christmas movies will no doubt enjoy.

A royal Prince is to be married but ends up in Queens. Sound familiar. Yep it's Coming to America without mcdowalls and Samuel l jackson. The difference is there's not best friend and no James Earl Jones.

As all these films have basically the same script the chemistry between the leads makes or breaks the enjoyment and here it was good Megan definitely gives of a girl next door vibe and every European prince should be a genuine British actor. Loved when the grandma said she'd googled who he was as this is always the hole in the plot of these films.