During the 2017 holiday season, we had two reasons to celebrate. First, Netflix debuted A Christmas Prince, their answer to the so-bad-they're-good annual Christmas offerings from Hallmark and Lifetime. Then, ten days after Amber (Rose McIver) and Prince Richard (Ben Lamb) fell into an unlikely royal romance on screen, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement after over a year of dating. That means that maybe the initial similarities were just a coincidence (both Amber and Meghan are Americans who fall in love with princes who once had party boy reputations). However, as Meghan and Harry's relationship progressed, the A Christmas Prince franchise was always one step behind, and the most recent installment, A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby, is practically a biopic.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Admittedly, not entirely. As far as we're aware, Meghan and Harry never faced an ancient curse, nor did Meghan's doctor — I assume — tell her the pain of giving birth was fake (????). However, The Royal Baby comes just seven months after Meghan gave birth to an Actual Royal Baby, and this isn't the only, uh, inspiration the franchise has gotten from all the headlines our modern royal couple has prompted.
Their love of Christmas.
In one of Prince Harry and Meghan's very early dates, they were spotted shopping for Christmas trees in London, just a few days before the first-ever photo of them was taken. A Christmas Prince, as the name implies, always takes place during the holidays, in a town called Aldovia that takes their festivities very seriously.
Their love of blogs.
Before she started breathing the same air as the Queen, Meghan had a lifestyle blog called The Tig. After leaving her job as a journalist, Queen Amber also runs a royal blog, cleverly titled "Amber's Blog," that she uses to update the world on behind-the-scenes looks at royal affairs.
They had to leave their old lives.
In April 2017, shortly before her engagement to Prince Harry, Meghan scrubbed all posts from The Tig and posted a goodbye note.
"After close to three beautiful years on this adventure with you, it's time to say goodbye to The Tig," it still reads on the site's landing page. "What began as a passion project (my little engine that could) evolved into an amazing community of inspiration, support, fun and frivolity."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Then, in early 2018, her social media disappeared, including both her personal Instagram and Twitter. It was later replaced with her and Prince Harry's joint Instagram, @sussexroyal.
Queen Amber similarly faced pushback for her online presence, and was told in A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding that her blog painted an unbecoming picture of the royals. Nevertheless, Amber's Blog persisted!
Their feminist values.
While Meghan gave up social media, she and Amber share an affinity for pushing back against traditions. In The Royal Baby, our protagonist insists women should be allowed to sign an ancient treaty, and Meghan has frequently preached feminism despite royal tradition of not being openly political.
Their Royal Weddings.
I mean, this one's pretty obvious, but after Meghan and Prince Harry wed in May 2018, Queen Amber and Prince Richard walked down the aisle that November. The specifics, however, were not that similar.
Their lavish baby showers.
One of the (many) unfair criticisms leveled against Meghan was that her New York City baby shower was over the top, but Queen Amber had a Netflix budget, so hers was likely even more so. Even though that it was thrown last minute and guests were snowed in so only family could attend, it had a freaking pool.
Their adoring fans.
After evacuating the palace so their search dog could sniff out the treaty, Amber heads into town where she's greeted by many adoring fans. Meghan similarly meets and greets members of the public during her royal visits, and her style has made her a pop culture icon.
Their public baby debut.
Shortly after their respective births, both Meghan and Amber debuted their baby via a public photo opp. Now we just need Prince Richard to reenact this video.