"Crown for Christmas" is similar to some other Christmas romance films about royalty and common folk. As in all of these, an American single woman meets up with a prince or heir to the throne in some fictional country. He is usually either incognito or the heroine doesn't recognize him as royalty. In this story, it comes about in a doubly unusual way. She bumps into him as she works as a maid in an upscale New York hotel. She then gets fired for having spoken to a hotel guest, but then is hired by the royal assistant and manager of the royal hero. She will be the new governess for the princess. And, how that happens is even another nice twist.
While the outcome is a foregone conclusion in a movie like this, the plot is made very interesting by the princess and the relationship that develops between her and the governess - and most of the castle staff. And, of course, there has to be a culprit in a film such as this. But this story instead of one dastardly person, presents three people of varying negative aspects and associated degrees of dislike. There's the young woman the prince's father had intended him to marry. She would be the usual villain all by herself, but this film is spiced up by a chancellor of the kingdom who tries to steer the proper marriage and life of the new king, and the house manager.
Now the names of these bad eggs are Lady Celia, Chancellor Riggs, and Miss Wick. The good guys of the staff who take to the heroine right away are Fergus the butler-valet-secretary-manager for the king, Mrs. Claiborne the castle cook, and most of the rest of the castle staff. Oh, yes, Ellie Botterill is very good as Princess Theodora, who goes through governesses one after another. Her problem is the lack of attention and parenting by her father. Rupert Penry-Jones plays King Max, and while he shows all of the proper royal comportment, with just enough common heart, his degree of royal stuffiness makes it difficult to see and believe there is much chemistry between him and the heroine. That's Allie, played by Danica McKellar. She is the right person for the princess and the two, in time, bring the king and the whole place back to life.
I think that Allie is overdone a couple of times But, otherwise, this is a different enough story with some mostly very good supporting cast - including, and especially the "bad" people. Most people won't be bored but should enjoy this movie.
