Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

"A Royal Christmas" is a very good movie that works as a very good Christmas film as well. That's because it also is a comedy-romance, and one with a different twist. Many a film has been made in which the commoner American (usually) makes all sorts of mistakes and wreaks havoc in and on a royal household. Instead, this film has an American commoner who rises to the occasion and foils the witty attempts of the royal head of household. Thus, "A Royal Christmas" is much more than another tale of princess meets prince charming. The film has a very good cast that bring the comedy off just right. The love interests are Emily Taylor (played by Lacey Chabert) and Leo James (aka, Prince Leopold, played by Stephen Hagan). Emily comes close to being too sugary at times, but fortunately, the timing in the screenplay creates switches at the appropriate moments to contain the syrup. Leo, on the other hand, starts a little cool in the first scenes, but then seems to get into his role with conviviality. There's a handful of supporting cast with smaller roles who do a lot to give life to the plot. But two other major leads stand out and guide the film to its successful finish. Jane Seymour is sparking as Isador, Queen of Cordinia, and Leo's mother. She has a match planned for him in childhood friend and sweetheart, Natasha, Duchess of Warren (played very well by Katherine Flynn). And, she loathes the thought of Leo marrying Emily, a commoner. Her conniving to make it all unbearable for Emily mostly backfires when Emily makes friends with the royal household staff, and takes a quick day-long lesson in royal behavior from Victor, the chief butler. Simon Dutton plays Victor wonderfully. He's the one staff person who isn't intimidated by the queen, while always maintaining his proper place (of course). Naturally, there's a happy ending in this film. There are more details and some small subplots within that add nice touches and enhance it as a Christmas movie. While it isn't loaded with laughter, the many foiled plots and scenarios just bring smiles and chuckles. As a chick flick, this would probably be rated tops. As a very good comedy-romance and Christmas film, it rates eight stars from me. It's a very entertaining movie that the whole family should enjoy.

I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too…I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field." – Elizabeth I, Speech to the Troops at Tilbury. "When I'm dead that boy will ruin himself within 12 months" – George V on his son, who became Edward VIII. Edward abdicated in the first year of his reign to marry divorcée Wallis Simpson. "Nothing that can be said can begin to take away the anguish and the pain of these moments. Grief is the price we pay for love." – Elizabeth II in a message to the USA after 9/11. "I don't care what kind it is, just get me a beer!" – Prince Philip, after being offered wine in Rome in 2000Royalty through the ages have been attributed with coining many quotes; in battle and even in their own court. Here is our list of the top 15 quotes from members of the Royal Family, past and present. "I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too…I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field." – Elizabeth I, Speech to the Troops at Tilbury. "When I'm dead that boy will ruin himself within 12 months" – George V on his son, who became Edward VIII. Edward abdicated in the first year of his reign to marry divorcée Wallis Simpson. "Nothing that can be said can begin to take away the anguish and the pain of these moments. Grief is the price we pay for love." – Elizabeth II in a message to the USA after 9/11. "I don't care what kind it is, just get me a beer!" – Prince Philip, after being offered wine in Rome in 2000."I'm glad we've been bombed. It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face." – The Queen Mother in 1940 after Buckingham Palace had been bombed. "I go from a corruptible to an incorruptible crown, where no disturbance can be, no disturbance in the world." – Charles I on the scaffold just before his execution in 1649. "It was with some emotion…that I beheld Albert—who is beautiful." – Victoria, on meeting Prince Albert, her future husband at the time. "I may be uninspiring, but I'll be damned if I'm an alien!" – George V after hearing that HG Wells called his court 'alien and uninspiring'. "My father was frightened of his mother; I was frightened of my father, and I am damned well going to see to it that my children are frightened of me." – George V on discipline of his children. "I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great Imperial family to which we all belong." – Elizabeth II, 21st birthday speech, committing herself to her then future role as Sovereign of the United Kingdom. "I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something else, I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations." – Elizabeth II, 1957 Christmas Broadcast to the nation. "All these questions about do you want to be king? It's not a question of wanting to be, it's something I was born into and it's my duty, wanting is not the right word. But those stories about me not wanting to be king are all wrong." – Prince William, 21st birthday interview with the Press Association. "You are a pest, by the very nature of that camera in your hand." – Princess Anne. "I really hope I can make a difference, even in the smallest way. I am looking forward to helping as much as I can." – The Duchess of Cambridge post-engagement interview. "To be a king and wear a crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it than it is pleasant to them that bear it... ...And though you have had, and may have, many princes more mighty and wise sitting on this seat, yet you never had, nor shall have, any who will be more careful and loving." Both quotes from Elizabeth I's 'Golden Speech', the last speech she gave to Parliament in 1601, 16 months before her death.

A Royal Christmas is a glossy piece of holiday fluff. It's Christmas and who doesn't like a well put together, seasonal movie. Well to start with, some of the critics don't. But we always look for that next classic Christmas movie to go along with Miracle on Thirty-Fourth St., Alistair Sims' or George C. Scott's Scrooge, The Bishop's Wife, Christmas in Connecticut, The Holly and the Ivy and a few more recent ones that come close to being in the classics range like Home Alone or The Santa Clause. Of course, the great ones don't come along every year. As for this one, I really did take to the leading characters and actors in the movie, with longtime movie stalwart Jayne Seymour as the Queen, adding icing and some icy behaviour to this Christmas cake of a movie. She was impressive in her role as the mother from hell combined with her other role as an elegant and charming Queen of a fantasy land that reminds us of Monaco or Liechtenstein. Lacey Chabert, as the fun-loving seamstress/designer, is a girl with talent and personality who charms the Queen's son and the palace staff (if not the guards) and Stephen Hagan as Leopold James, the Prince Charming who certainly filled the bill as the tall, well-tailored prince madly in love with the girl of his dreams. Katharine Flynn as the wannabe bride, the Duchess of Warren, was the only weak link in an otherwise fine cast. The young couple in love are polar opposites in background and personality but a perfect example of two young people in love, in a fairy tale world of course. The music, the sets, and the upstairs-downstairs characters and everything about the movie were smartly arranged. The supporting cast was great, from Simon Dutton as the butler (watch for a surprise!) to the family of the commoner in love with her prince. Of course, it was all in the Hallmark tradition of giving us something Christmassy to wallow in for the holidays. See it and just let yourself enjoy the treat.

I liked this despite myself, it was just so horribly addictive even though you knew exactly what was going to happen about 5 minutes in, right down to the little orphan girl and the Queens first love. This has a fairy tale (Cinderella or Pretty Woman) like quality to it which I guess we all secretly covet or at least Hallmark thinks we do.Here a prince posing as a common (college student) must reveal the truth about his royal lineage to his girlfriend -a seamstress from Philadelphia- who then must try to impress Leopold's mother, Queen Isadora when the couple travel to the castle (in the made up land of Cordinia) to spend the holidays with his family.I did enjoy Stephen Hagon who played the Prince, just a nice guy and his love interest (Lacy Chabert) was okay too, a bit too perky maybe. Jane Seymour was actually very good here, she gave me several laughs with her sneering, cold, bitchiness.There are some fun 'Upstairs Downstairs' or 'Downton Abby' moments as "Emily" bonds with the castle staff and I suppose this couple is meant to resemble William and Kate to further pull us into the fantasy. Regardless, I enjoyed this is a very simple sort of way. 12/16/14