Crown for Christmas

6.9/10 · 6,377 ratings20151h 26mChristmasWeirdness 6/10Bingo card

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The premise

After getting fired from her job as a maid at a ritzy New York City hotel, Allie reluctantly accepts a temporary gig as the governess to a young girl who is part of a powerful family in Europe that lives in a castle.

How unusual is it?

More than most. Royalty pushes it well past the usual Hallmark template — the strangest 18% of everything we've logged.

Who’s in it

Behind the camera

Show

Wait, what?

The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

  • The King of a European nation hiring a maid he met for five seconds in a hotel hallway to raise his daughter
  • A royal dinner conversation revolving around the 'three-second rule' for dropped food
  • The Princess using a fake snake to prank the governess
  • The King claiming New Yorkers are 'impervious to pain'

Every trope, all in one place

Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 32 to find more movies that do the same thing.

Why we’d put this one on

Pure castle-Christmas wish fulfillment, and Danica McKellar sells it. After getting fired from a fancy New York hotel, her down-to-earth Brooklyn maid Allie ends up as governess to a lonely little princess in a European palace, where the widowed king naturally starts to notice her. Rupert Penry-Jones plays the king. The royal-dinner debate about the three-second rule for dropped food is exactly the kind of silly grace note that makes these go down easy. At a weirdness of 6 it is mostly cozy, with snow, gowns, and a grumpy princess who needs a friend. Press play.

How it all plays out

Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.

Full story (spoilers)
Allie Evans is a struggling artist working as a maid in a high-end New York City hotel alongside her sister to support their younger brother. After a series of mishaps, including a collision with a VIP guest who turns out to be King Maximillian of Winshire, Allie and her sister are fired by the hotel's rigid management. However, the King's butler, Fergus, is impressed by Allie's integrity when she returns a lost watch and offers her a temporary position as a governess for the King’s daughter, Princess Theodora, in the fictional European nation of Winshire. Upon arrival at the castle, Allie discovers that Theodora is a 'handful' who has driven away numerous previous governesses with elaborate pranks. Allie wins the girl over not with protocol, but with snowball fights, DIY Christmas ornaments, and genuine empathy for the loss of her mother. As Allie and King Max spend time together, including a late-night horse ride, they bond over their shared experiences of losing parents and the pressures of family duty. The central conflict arises from Chancellor Riggs, who insists that Max marry Lady Celia to secure the nation's future. Celia, who views Theodora as a nuisance to be sent to boarding school, becomes threatened by Allie's influence. During the Christmas Eve gala, Theodora steals her mother's engagement ring to prevent her father from proposing to Celia. When the ring is discovered missing, Celia accuses Allie of theft. Allie, wanting to protect Theodora from the consequences of her actions, prepares to leave the castle. However, Theodora confesses the truth to her father. Realizing he cannot live a life of cold duty, Max calls off the engagement to Celia at the ball, dismisses the Chancellor's rigid demands, and stops Allie as she is leaving. He confesses his love, declaring that the throne can survive a girl from Brooklyn, and the film ends with the new 'family' celebrating Christmas together.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    Allie and her sister are fired from their hotel maid jobs in NYC just before Christmas.

  2. Inciting Incident

    Fergus the butler recruits Allie to travel to Winshire to be a governess for Princess Theodora.

  3. Midpoint

    Allie successfully bonds with Theodora and begins a secret romantic friendship with King Max during a late-night horse ride.

  4. Rising Action

    Lady Celia arrives and plans to send Theodora to boarding school, prompting Theodora to steal the royal engagement ring.

  5. Climax

    Allie is accused of theft and prepares to leave; Max calls off his engagement to Celia at the royal ball.

  6. Resolution

    Max confesses his love to Allie and they celebrate Christmas as a family.

32 tropes in one movie

We counted 32 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

The backstory

Crown for Christmas is a 2015 American made-for-television romantic comedy film starring Danica McKellar and Rupert Penry-Jones. The film premiered on Hallmark Channel on November 27, 2015, as part of their Countdown to Christmas seasonal programming block.
From Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

How it stacks up

Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

Rating 6.9 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.9567

Higher-rated than 87% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog Crown for Christmas belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

Lines worth quoting

The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

  • “Childhood is a short season. If you try and make her grow up too fast, she just might do it.”
    — Allie EvansAllie defending Theodora's behavior to the King.
  • “It turns out I couldn't marry someone I didn't love. It survived a thousand years. It can survive a girl from Brooklyn.”
    — King MaximillianMax explaining why he called off the royal engagement.
  • “I'm more likely to marry Santa Claus than your father.”
    — Allie EvansAllie reassuring Theodora that she isn't there to marry the King.

Meet the characters

Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

  • Allie Evans

    Lead

    Maid / Governess / Artist

    ResilientKindUnconventionalArtistic
  • King Maximillian III

    Love interest

    King of Winshire

    Employer and romantic interest

    WidowedDuty-boundReservedKind-hearted
  • Chancellor Riggs

    Antagonist

    Royal Advisor

    Adversary

    TraditionalistManipulativeStuffy
  • Lady Celia

    Antagonist

    Noblewoman

    Romantic rival

    ArrogantColdSocial climber
  • Princess Theodora

    Supporting

    Princess

    Charge/Student

    MischievousLonelyClever

Questions people ask about Crown for Christmas

Where can I watch Crown for Christmas?

Crown for Christmas is available via fuboTV, Philo, and Hallmark+ Amazon Channel. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

How long is Crown for Christmas?

Crown for Christmas runs about 1 hour and 26 minutes, and was released in 2015.

Is Crown for Christmas a Christmas movie?

Yes. Crown for Christmas is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.

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Talking Hallmark

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Data and sources

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Sources:IMDbTMDBWikipedia