Best Royalty-Themed Hallmark Movies, According To IMDb

When movie lovers want to sit back and enjoy warm, fuzzy feelings, few destinations are better than the Hallmark Channel. Indeed, the network that churns out mawkish guilty-pleasure delights has all but cornered the market on sentimental romance movies, with a particular bent towards the royal lifestyle of kings, queens, princes, princesses, and the like.

With some exceptions, the most beloved royal-themed Hallmark movies tend to take place around the holidays, with the magic of Christmastime often playing a key role in each story. Fans looking for the absolute cream of the crop are in the right place, as IMDb voters have singled out the reigning royals.

10 Once Upon A Prince (2018) - 6.3

In one of the few non-holiday-themed Hallmark movies to make the grade, Once Upon a Prince follows Nate (Jonathan Keltz), a royal prince who visits America and falls in love at first sight with Susanna (Megan Park), a non-noble. When his traditional mother disapproves, Nate must follow his heart or hew to his bloodline in order to find happiness.

Despite the tried-and-true formula, most IMDb users agree the film has an above-average story, a cuter couple than most Hallmark movies, and more heart and soul than the network is used to eliciting.

9 A Princess For Christmas (2011) - 6.3

When the holidays hit, a young American woman named Jules (Katie McGrath) is summoned by a long-lost relative to enjoy a stay at a gaudy European castle with her niece and nephew. Jules reluctantly accepts and soon falls head-over-heels in love with the dashing Ashton (Sam Heughan), Prince of Castlebury.

Although it's another often-used Hallmark storyline of royal-meets-commoner love, IMDb users feel A Princess for Christmas is a bit sweeter and more charming than the normal Hallmark fare, with Heughan giving a more convincing turn than most leading men on the channel.

8 A Royal Queens Christmas (2021) - 6.4

The newest Hallmark movie to make the cut, A Royal Queens Christmas, connotes royalty as well as Queens, New York where the story is set. Megan Park stars as Dee Dee, a New Yorker who meets and falls for Colin (Julian Morris), a down-home prince who joins her in a Christmas show for children.

While some IMDb users have noted the film is a Hallmark retread of Coming to America, others have claimed it's the best Hallmark movie of 2021, with the performances and chemistry among the romantic leads standing out more than most.

7 A Winter Princess (2019) - 6.4

A Winter Princess finds a young royal heir named Carly (Natalie Hall) keeping her true identity shrouded as she organizes the Snowden Peaks Snow Ball event. However, when her twin brother, Prince Gustav arrives, he threatens to expose her identity and ruin her newfound romance with a charming gent named Jesse (Chris McNally).

While uneven and slightly predictable, the overwhelming sentiment on IMDb is that the scenery is great, the cast elevates the material, and the message is more uplifting than typical Hallmark fare.

6 Christmas At The Palace (2018) - 6.4

When King Alexander (Andrew Cooper) of San Senova fails to live up to his father's namesake, he organizes a major gala to honor the founding of his nation. To do so, he hires a bubbly ex ice-skater named Katie (Merritt Patterson) to choreograph a dazzling Christmas show on ice. In no time at all, they fall in love and live happily ever after.

While some feel the film is a middling Hallmark affair that doesn't forge new ground, others on IMDb claim the movie is a sweet, unforgettably charming, and underrated Hallmark Christmas movie, with the ornate Romanian castle and Patterson's performance standing out the most.

5 A Royal Winter (2017) - 6.4

Merritt Patterson also stars in A Royal Winter, in which she plays an American named Maggie who hastily takes a European vacation and meets a rakish gentleman who is really a crown prince in hiding. As Prince Adrian (Jack Donnelly) is set to be named King, his mother greatly disapproves of him striking up a romance with a common tourist.

Essentially a remake of A Royal Christmas, the movie has been praised on IMDb for being genuine and more credible than most Hallmark movies and having more twists than expected. Despite a somewhat disappointing ending, it is very enjoyable overall.

4 Royal Matchmaker (2018) - 6.5

Royal Matchmaker concerns King Edward (Simon Dutton), who is desperate to find his princely son Sebastian (Will Kemp) a suitable mate. As such, the king hires a professional matchmaker in New York named Kate (Bethany Joy Lenz) to find his ideal bride. Of course, Kate and Sebastian realize they were looking for each other all along.

Aside from the radiant Lenz in the lead, IMDb voters really enjoyed the matchmaking premise of the story, which brings the passe royal conventions into the dating mores of the 21st-century. At just 84 minutes, the film flies by at a delightfully brisk pace as well.

3 A Royal Christmas (2014) - 6.5

In one of her best Hallmark movies, Lacey Chabert headlines A Royal Christmas, playing a down-to-earth seamstress in Philadelphia named Emily. She meets and falls for a charismatic gent named Leopold (Stephen Hagen) during the holidays, an incognito prince who proposes marriage. Meanwhile, Leo's mother Queen Isadora (Jane Seymour) arranges for him to marry a more suitable noble.

The classic tale of star-crossed lovers is as tried and true as they come, with Chabert long reigning as one of Hallmark's most compelling leading ladies.

2 Crown For Christmas (2015) - 6.9

The Wonder Years alum Danica McKellar is the primary draw of Crown for Christmas, a genuinely amusing and far more original royal Hallmark movie than most. McKellar plays Allie, a maid fired from her fancy New York City hotel who agrees to serve as a governess for a bratty young European royal named Theodora (Ellie Botterill). Along the way, she may or may not fall for Isadora's kingly father Max (Rupert Penry-Jones).

With rousing support for the royal film as one of Hallmark's very best, IMDb fans would like to see a sequel based on the engaging story and electric chemistry between Danica and Rupert. Full of heart, magic, and family fun, it's one of the best Winter-themed Hallmark movies to date.

1 One Royal Holiday (2020) - 7.1

Per IMDb, the best royal-themed Hallmark movie to date is One Royal Holiday. The story finds Anna (Laura Osnes) doing a kindness to a mother and son stuck in a harsh winter storm. Inviting them back to celebrate Christmas with her family, Anna soon learns that Gabriela (Victoria Clark) and James (Aaron Tveit) hail from a noble bloodline.

More of a comedic family film than a schmaltzy Hallmark romance, the movie resonates with all ages and does a good job of sidestepping cliches. To wit, many IMDb users feel the movie has one of the most satisfying and uplifting endings of any Hallmark movie.

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