A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby is an American Christmas romance-comedy written by Nathan Atkins and distributed by Netflix. It is the third movie in the A Christmas Prince trilogy, marking Netflix's first complete trilogy and following the 2017 movie A Christmas Prince and the 2018 instalment A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding.

As the third installment, the movie follows familiar characters Queen Amber and King Richard as they adjust to pregnancy and the birth of their child.

Summary
"Christmas brings the ultimate gift to Aldovia: a royal baby. But first, Queen Amber must save her family and kingdom by unwrapping a monarchy mystery."

- Netflix Synopsis

Plot
It has been nearly a year since the marriage between Queen Amber and King Richard, and the two are expecting their first child. Amber has returned to her blog, and posts updates about royal life and how it has transformed her life — from the honeymoon, the royal parties, and royal work including the Aldovian initiative. Amber enjoys a welcome embrace from the Aldovian people, and it seems she is generally well liked. King Richard has updated the succession line, meaning that females can now rightfully assume the throne, a move welcomed by his wife, who believes it will bring Aldovia into the present.

Amber welcomes Melissa to the palace, assuming she is visiting for the baby shower, however it is quickly revealed that Simon has invited her as the two are possible love-interests. Amber struggles with this notion, as she and her husband do not trust Simon after his previous antics. However, the two are satisfied that he will behave in hopes of attaining an official position in the monarchy. Amber receives a call from her father, and she is happy to know he is able to stay from the baby shower right up until the birth of the child. Amber meets with Dr. Magoro not long after, who reveals that everything is great, but Amber should get as much rest as possible.

Amber and Richard seem to clash upon the idea that they have been raised differently, therefore expect different things for their children. Whereas Richard wants his child to go to private school and be chaperoned everywhere, Amber wants the child to have a more relaxed, normal life, attending public schools and riding public transport, wherever possible in Aldovia, given there is no railway.

Ahed of proceedings to meet with the King and Queen of Penglia, Mrs. Averill and Mr. Little ask for attention to refresh the reason for the meetings: the renewal of the centennial treaty, a truce between Aldovia and Penglia. Mr. Little reminds those present of the peace-keeping agreement dating back to 1419, however it seems that Amber has studied up on her history and is aware of the treaty. Amber is excited at the prospect of being the first Queen to sign the treaty, however Ms. Averill warns her to be cautious, as despite Aldovia plunging into the twenty-first century, Penglia is still a traditional nation — Mrs. Averill warns her of Queen Ming, nonetheless.

Queen Ming and King Tai arrive to the palace on December 21st by royal envoy and are given a royal welcome. Amber seems instantly weary of Queen Ming, but formal proceedings go ahead as normal, and the two are welcomed to the royal palace. The crowd is shocked when Amber welcomes the two to the palace instead of Richard, however things seem to go smoothly from thereon. A royal dinner ensues, with music, wine and food, where Tom and Princess Emily grow closer. Simon is happy to catch-up with Lynn, the advisor to King Tai and Queen Ming. In a conversation between Queen Ming and Queen Amber, Amber takes offence when Ming mentions Richard marrying outside of his social class. She quickly changes the conversation over to talking about Queen Ming's children, to which she has three, Harry, Amanda and Vivienne. Queen Ming takes offence when Amber suggests that the two add their signatures to the treaty, not believing that the treaty should be modernised. After the dinner, when night falls, a concealed figure enters the room where the treaty is being kept.

The following day, snowfall is high in Aldovia, and Queen Ming worries that this could spell disaster for returning home; Lynn reveals that all planes have been grounded and the country is at a stand still. Lynn also reveals that the ceremony will go on as planned, and Queen Ming tells Lynn to find them a way home immediately after, given their children are expecting them.

As treaty signing proceedings are about to ensue, Richard and Amber are made aware that Panglia has rejected either Queen signing the treaty. Richard tells Amber to hang on, as things will be over shortly after. Queen Helena, the Queen Mother, proceeds over the signing, welcoming everyone and giving a brief history. However, when Mr. Little opens the box to get out the treaty, everyone is shocked to find it is missing. Mrs. Averill worries that if the events aren't rectified, all palace staff will end up in the dungeon. The royals quickly realise that if nobody can leave the palace, then the treaty — and the person who stole it — must still be among them in the palace. Richard asks Simon to keep everyone occupied whilst they try to find the treaty and clean up the misunderstanding — he opts to play an Aldovian game.

Richard and Amber believe that Simon and Lynn could perhaps be responsible for the missing treaty, owing to a glance witnessed between the two when news of the missing treaty broke. Amber tells Richard that she wouldn't put it past Simon given his previous actions against the throne. Meanwhile, Simon keeps the other's occupied playing the game, and it seems Lynn and Simon are growing closer, much to Melissa's dismay, who leaves the game promptly to get air.

Amber questions Melissa and Simon when they attempt to leave the palace for a walk. She dismisses Simon, wanting to speak with Melissa alone. She questions what is going on between the two, and Melissa tells her that the two care deeply about one another, and that Simon is a good guy, despite Amber's reserves.

Mrs. Averill reveals to Queen Helena that the treaty is nowhere to be found, therefore can assume it is not located anywhere obvious. Queen Helena worries with this news, as law states that if the treaty is not renewed then Aldovia and Panglia return to war. Princess Emily interjects, mocking that it would be interesting, as neither nation has a standing army. Things become more worrying when Emily notices a clause in the law: if Aldovia doesn't sign the treaty, then a curse will be placed on Amber and Richard's first child. Queen Helena dismisses this, however, remarking that sorcery fell out of practice centuries ago.

Amber believes that Sahil could perhaps be responsible for the missing treaty and enlists Richard's help to investigate. Richard lures him away on premise of nursery design, whilst Amber searches his room. She finds nothing worthy of mentioning, but is interrupted by Sahil's partner, Andrew. Amber has no choice but to reveal to Andrew that they suspect Sahil, however Andrew puts the doubts to rest. Emily reveals the curse to Amber and Richard, which worries Amber, but not Richard, who believes it to be nonsense.

Amber struggles to sleep that night, owing to nightmares over Emily's revelation. She wakes Richard, and the two read the lore about the curse, however Richard falls asleep, and Amber worries that the two will never get answers. Over the next couple of days, Amber and Richard engage in therapy with Dr. Magoro.

Queen Ming still struggles being stuck in Aldovia as she misses her children, however King Tai doesn't mind too much, and seems to be appreciative of the Christmas spirit in the palace. Queen Ming wishes to return home, however King Tai reminds her that the kingdoms will return to war if they do not sign — he makes it quite clear this would be a legal war, however, given that there are no armies to fight. Lynn witnesses this, and offers insight that the Aldovian's could’ve orchestrated this purposely. Queen Ming and King Tai receive an invite to the royal baby shower that is set to occur the same day.

At the shower, which is delightfully decorated, Aldovia and Penglia celebrate their truce, despite not having officially signed the treaty. Queen Ming offers Amber a baby hat she has made herself, whilst King Tai offers a song. Queen Ming and Amber talk again about the ruling, and Amber reveals that she believes Ming should take a more active role in the ruling of Penglia. Lynn asks for an update on the search of the treaty, and Mrs. Averill reveals that they remain certain it is still in the palace, but a police dog has been ordered to search for the treaty. Simon and Lynn leave the party, which fuels suspicions when Melissa notices.

Melissa follows Lynn and Simon, questioning what is going on between the two. Little does she know, he is planning to propose to her, however she breaks of the relationship and goes to show Amber and Richard what she has found: a financial report showing Aldovia's debt to Penglia. They realise that if the treaty is broken, the Aldovian debt would be due immediately, which provide's evidence that Simon and Lynn are planning against the throne. Not wanting to throw suspicions, Melissa returns to Simon, acting as though things are fine between the two.

The dog fails to locate the treaty, causing Amber to faint at the Aldovian Christmas markets. Dr. Magoro suggests rest, and alerts that she is on her way. Amber still worries about the treaty and the “curse”. Despite the treaty remaining unsigned, the Penglian's arrange their transport. Amber and Richard decide the only thing to do is expose Simon and Lynn, however Amber worries that Simon and Lynn are not to blame. She goes into labour before anything can be done, however. When Magoro gets stuck in a snow bank, Queen Ming decides to stay and coach her through it, cancelling their flights back to Penglia.

Whilst locked in the dungeon, Queen Helena and Princess Emily attempt to escape. They fail, and Emily falls backwards after dropping her walking aid. She hits her back on a stone slab, which breaks, revealing the location of the treaty. Queen Helena opts to pick the lick with her hair clip, and is successful, allowing them to return to the palace with the treaty. With this, Amber reveals that she knows who stole the treaty. She accuses Mr. Little of stealing the treaty, to which he admits. He cites a blood-oath to his family to break the treaty between the two nations, and Queen Helena orders Mr. Little to be taken away. Simon asks Melissa to marry him, and she accepts, despite her earlier accusations. Queen Ming remarks that the Queen's will sign the treaty too, much to Amber's delight.

Main Cast

 * Rose McIver as Queen Amber
 * Ben Lamb as King Richard
 * Alice Krige as Queen Helena
 * Honor Kneafsey as Princess Emily
 * Sarah Douglas as Mrs. Averill
 * Richard Ashton as Mr. Little
 * Theo Devaney as Count Simon

Supporting Characters

 * Tahirah Sharif as Melissa
 * Joel McVeagh as Andy
 * Diana Vladu as Reporter 1
 * Daniela Pirnac as Reporter 4
 * Madra Ihegborow as Dr. Magoro
 * MJ Lee as Suzanne
 * Crystal Yu as Lynn
 * Kevin Shen as King Tai of Penglia
 * Momo Yeung as Queen Ming of Penglia
 * Daniel Fathers as Rudy Moore
 * Billy Angel as Tom Quill