Netflix lovers, this is the day you've been waiting for. The highly anticipated third installment in the Christmas Prince franchise, aptly titled A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby, is here. And it's, well, everything you'd expect. It picks up right after the second film: If you'll recall, Queen Amber (Rose McIver) and Prince Richard (Ben Lamb) of Aldovia are now married and expecting their first child. But there's trouble on the horizon (dun, dun, duuuun): A king and queen from Penglia, a neighboring country, arrive in late December to sign a treaty between the two nations, and things go awry when said treaty goes missing. The royals learn they must sign it by midnight on Christmas Eve, or a curse will be placed on Aldovia's heir, i.e., Amber and Richard's baby. Yes, this movie crosses over to the supernatural with talk of spells and witches and magic. Don't ask me how we got here. This is a holiday movie about a fake royal family. In a fake country.
You'll have to watch the movie for yourself to figure out what happens with the treaty and baby. I don't want to give too much away. Instead, what I'll focus on are all the parallels between Queen Amber and Prince Richard and two real-life royals: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. References to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex—not to mention their son, baby Archie—are all over this movie.
To be clear, this isn't a movie based on the Sussexes or anything. It's purely fiction, though McIver did tell Glamour last year the cast and crew watched Markle while working on the franchise's second movie (A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding).
"We definitely talked about her," she said. "It's not the same storyline or anything. It was more just a nod to and a recognition that it was very timely at the moment to be making a story about a woman who's going to be in the royal family who maybe challenges some of the norms."
The same can be said about A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby. There's nothing specifically in the movie about Markle and Prince Harry, but some of its themes and storylines align with what we've heard in the press about their baby prep. Here are the biggest standouts from the movie:
Queen Amber and Prince Richard opted not to learn the sex of their baby. Much like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly did. “Meghan came up to me and asked me how old I was and where I went to school. I could see her bump and I asked if she was having a boy or a girl and she said, ‘We don’t know whether it’s a boy or girl. We are keeping it as a surprise,’" a young girl told People magazine in January 2019.
They want their baby to have a "normal life." "I went to public school. I played with neighborhood kids," Amber tells Richard on a carriage ride, the implication being she wants their child to have the same. Richard agrees, though he says they'll have to find a "new definition of 'normal.'" This sounds a lot like the stance Markle and Prince Harry took on their child, who doesn't have a royal title.
"When I think about Harry and the man I've written about—this is a man who, as a young boy, resented being a prince, resented the weighted burden that came with his title," royals expert Katie Nicholl told Glamour earlier this year. "I think it's very unlikely he's going to want a title for his child. I think lord or lady is probably more than good enough for the Sussexes. I think more important than the title is the ability to raise a child with a rounded view of the world—with a normal childhood, as much as they can possibly give him or her."
Penglia's queen, named Ming, has a son. And guess what that son's name is. Harry. It's only mentioned once, and subtly, but we see what Netflix did there.
Queen Amber considers hypo-birthing for the delivery of her baby. Which Meghan Markle was reportedly considering, as well.
And she does yoga to stay relaxed while pregnant. The Duchess of Sussex is a famous yogi. (Her mom, Doria Ragland, is an instructor.)
Queen Amber has a baby shower. As did Meghan Markle, even though it was against British royal tradition.
Prince Richard's announcement of the birth. He's the one who goes out and tells their extended family about Amber's delivery, much like Prince Harry did with the press after Markle gave birth.
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A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby is now streaming on Netflix.
Christopher Rosa is the staff entertainment writer at Glamour. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrosa92.
