So grab your tiara and avoid the SPOILERS!
Emily (Lacey Chabert) works as a seamstress at her father’s shop while working on her own fashion line. She has a great support group in her father, Bud (Mitchell Mullen); roommate, Toni (Katrina Nare); and boyriend Leo (Stephen Hagan). As Christmas approaches, Leo has to make a confession: he’s the prince of a small European principality. And he’s needed home for Christmas. Emily agrees to go with him.
So they go to Cordinia and Emily meets Leo’s mother, Queen Isadora (Jane Seymour). She is not thrilled to meet Emily and makes it well known. Her faithful butler, Victor (Simon Dutton), does his best to help Emily adjust to life in Cordinia. But it seems she can’t do anything right.
Isadora soon makes it clear that she wants Leo to get back together with his former flame Natasha (Katherine Flynn), a duchess. She feels they are better matched. Emily is, naturally, disheartened. So Leo takes her into town to go exploring. There, she encounters a young orphan named Poppy (Alice O’Mahoney). She is selling wreathes to raise money for the orphanage. Leo agrees to buy them all. Poppy and the sisters are ecstatic.
That night, Emily experiences her first state dinner. And she gets to meet Natasha, who seems to be perfect for the throne. Isadora then introduces the Baroness of Kent, Galina (Kate Loustau), and congratulates her on her new children’s book. Emily asks if the Baroness’ children inspired her and everyone goes quiet. The baroness is unable to have children. Emily feels ready to crawl into a hole somewhere.
Leo surprises her the next morning with coffee. Emily is not complaining and they have some sweet moments together before Isadora pulls her son away. And brings Natasha along for the ride. Emily is left behind and spends some time with the servants, including Olivia (Diana Dumitrescu) and Will (Vlad Ianus). She helps them decorate their tree before running into Galina again. Emily apologizes for the night before but Galina doesn’t mind. She understands as she was once in Emily’s shoes. Emily has a friend in the upper circle now and the two go shopping in town.
Meanwhile, Isadora and Leo argue about Emily in their limo as they drive through town. She wants him to return to Cordinia, marry Natasha and to be what she expects of him. He wants to live his own life and be with Emily because he loves her. Isadora is like “There is no room for love when you’re royal.” As they drive through, they find Emily and Galina helping to sew scarves for the orphans to sell since Leo bought all their wreaths. Poppy gives a scarf to the Queen as Leo and Emily share smiles through the window.
Later, Leo informs Emily that there will be a ball for Christmas. Isadora gives her a dress to wear, saying she can alter it. Emily asks Victor to help her get ready for the ball. He instructs her on everything she needs to know: how to greet nobles, how to eat the finger foods, how to dance the waltz, etc. And she still has time to make her dress. Which even manages to impress Isadora.
At the ball, Leo is surprised at how well Emily is handling it. Galina also reveals that she and her husband are considering adopting Poppy, who they brought to the ball. All is going well, but Natasha keeps trying to get between Emily and Leo. And Isadora encourages it. So Emily escapes to the kitchens with the servants. There, she teaches them how to make a hoagie. Isadora finds them and fires Will and Olivia. Emily pleads for her to change her mind, accepting the blame. Isadora is glad she does but then uses it to drive home that Emily doesn’t belong there. Emily believes it and slips out of the ball. Victor is thisclose to throttling the queen.
Leo is closer. He goes up to Emily’s room and proposes. But she turns him down, saying being royal is bigger than their love. So she heads back to Philadelphia, leaving a heartbroken and angry Leo behind. Isadora starts to realize what she’s done. Especially once Victor gives her a “What the Hell, Queen?” speech. It forces Isadora to rethink everything.
So she has a long talk with Leo. Turns out that once upon a time, Isadora was in love with a commoner. But her parents convinced her to marry Leo’s father and they eventually had a happy marriage. But she knew what Leo was feeling. And she knew what he had to give up. She didn’t want this for him…In all honesty, just watch the scene in The Princess Diaries II where Julie Andrews gives Anne Hathaway pretty much the same speech.
Anyway, who was Isadora’s commoner lover? Why, Victor, of course! No one’s surprised, right? Thought not.
Emily’s back in Philadelphia, working on her line. Her father and Toni try to cheer her up, but she’s pretty down. Until Toni spots someone outside the show—Leo. Emily goes out to him and he proposes…again. She’s hesitant to respond because of his mother. Isadora assures her it’s okay and so, on the third proposal, Emily accepts.
The next Christmas, Emily and Leo marry in the little chapel on the palace grounds. As they share their first kiss as husband and wife, snow begins to fall—something that usually doesn’t happen in Cordinia. It’s a miracle!
So that was “A Royal Christmas.” Was it as good as “A Princess for Christmas?” Eh, not really. Was it predictable? Yes. But it was still enjoyable in its own right. Chabert and Hagan have an easy chemistry—it’s easy to believe Emily and Leo are in love. Seymour is perfect as Isadora. She just exudes a regal manner.
Overall, I gave this movie a few watches and I’ll probably give it a few more watches next Countdown to Christmas.
Until then, I hope you had a happy holidays!
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