King Richard (A Christmas Prince)

King Richard II is the reigning King of Aldovia, the husband of Queen Amber, and the father of their newborn daughter, Elleri Claire Charlton. King Richard's rule is tough, owing to his absolute lack of care for his subjects and their livelihoods, and his multiple failed attempts to launch his New Aldovia Initiative.

Richard has a complicated relationship with his cousin, Count Simon, who sabotages him on many occasions, as Richard is not fit for the throne, as would be revealed in the second and third movies. Following the events in the third film, he eventually grants Simon the title of Duke, whilst keeping him close in the palace. He is portrayed by Ben Lamb.

A Christmas Prince
The real villain of the movie.

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding
It has been a year since Richard proposed to Amber, and the two are still happily engaged. Amber is still new to royal traditions, and travels to Aldovia to stay with Richard whilst they plan the wedding. Richard is heavily distracted, however, with attempting to figure out a way to successfully implement the New Aldovia initiative; he is dealing with a monarchy haemorrhaging money with no real solution in sight. With unemployment rising, Richard's mother, Queen Helena, brings in Lord Leopold to help.

Richard begins to grow distant from Amber, who finds royal life increasingly difficult. A scandalous photograph of Amber at a bar puts her marriage to Richard in jeopardy, especially when it comes to Mrs. Averill's attention. Richard fails to defend her when she is confronted, which upsets Amber, who storms off in anger. Richard later confides in his little sister, Emily, that he feels he is failing in his relationship with Amber.

Richard and Amber eventually reconcile, and it is revealed that his initiative was failing due to none other than Lord Leopold, who is arrested swiftly by the crown. With this, the wedding ensues and Richard — in an official public address — promises the Aldovian workers a Christmas bonus.

A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby
A little under a year after their marriage, King Richard is expecting the birth of a child with Queen Amber. The birth, however, falls on the year in which Aldovia must renew its peace treaty with neighbouring Penglia. When King Tai and Queen Ming arrive from Penglia, it is clear that tensions exist between the two nations. However, these are initially remedied.

Things become stressful for Richard when the peace treaty goes missing, leading to further tensions, especially between the monarchy and Queen Ming. When Emily reads that a curse shall be bestown upon the newborn if the treaty is not signed before Christmas, Richard dismisses the ordeal as a myth, but is unable to convince his wife of the same thing. Richard, and the rest of the palace, suspect Simon and Lynn of stealing the treaty in order to return the two nations back to war — a theory that becomes more apparent when they find out that Simon has been investigating the debt Aldovia owes Penglia.

Richard commands that the palace be searched, and orders in the assistance of specially-trained dogs to locate the treaty, but they are unable to do so. During his wife’s baby shower, Richard takes a break from his hectic duties and asks King Tai for help in building a crib for his unborn child. The two build the crib, but it instantly falls apart again, and the two laugh. When Dr. Magoro crashes her car in heavy snowfall just as Amber is about to give birth, Richard straddles a horse to fetch her. The treaty is eventually found thanks to Amber connecting the dots, and both nations sign it, celebrating another century of peace. Richard apologises to Simon for ever accusing him of stealing the treaty, despite his prior convictions. Following the birth of their child, Richard's initiative begins to flourish.

Appearances

 * A Christmas Prince
 * A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding
 * A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby
 * The Princess Switch: Switched Again (cameo)

Trivia
Richard is arguably the real villain of the series, due to his complete lack of care for his country and subjects.