Surprise! A Christmas Prince 3 Made Up Another Country

A Christmas Prince is back! For the third time! With the same cast still willing to participate! How does this movie do it?

This time around, viewers will travel to Aldovia for A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby, which, obviously, is about Queen Amber (née Amber) and King Richard (née A Christmas Prince) welcoming a child. But, the movie also features some new characters. King Tai and Queen Ming of Penglia join the Christmas Prince world as a fellow royal couple who must sign a treaty with Amber and Richard. If it's not signed in time, a curse will fall on Amber and Richard’s child. Yep, you read that right.

As we all (hopefully) already know, Aldovia is not a real country, however much its royal antics resemble those of the U.K., so, it’s no surprise that Tai (Kevin Shen) and Ming (Momo Yeung) are not from a real place, either. They are instead from the absolutely-not-a-real country of Penglia.

The film doesn't tell us much, other than the fact that “the Penglians are quite traditional” and that they’re very well dressed. It's possible that Penglia could be based (ridiculously loosely) on Chinese traditions, though it should be noted that the whole scroll issue in the film (and its attached threat of a curse) makes it quite obvious we're not dealing with a real anything. If you're desperate to find a connection, the names Tai and Ming have Chinese roots. (It should be noted, however, that these names are used in other cultures and languages, too.) Queen Ming is shown wearing a dress with a mandarin collar and the actress who plays her, Yeung, was born in Hong Kong. And, lastly, there is a city in China called Penglai, which is… a similar word. 

That's all to say that comparing this very fake country to any real one is a stretch. And while it’s possible some inspiration was taken from China when it comes to King Tai, Queen Ming, and Penglia, the couple themselves are unlikely to be based on real people. For starters, if this China theory holds even a little water, at the end of the day, China does not have a monarchy.

Also, basing characters on real people is not actually A Christmas Prince’s deal. But what about the Harry & Meghan stuff, you say?

Sure, Amber (Rose McIver) and Richard’s (Ben Lamb) story has, in a very general sense, followed that of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but these characters are actually nothing like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, other than the fact that Amber is American. Richard is a real stick in the mud, who seems much less lively than Harry, and Amber is a journalist, who, for some reason, doesn’t have an issue suggesting a centuries old treaty is “modernised" even though she's only been in this country for, like, two years.

Meghan and Harry’s general life milestones do correspond with the movie, though. The first movie, about Amber and Richard getting together, came out around the time Harry and Meghan’s engagement was announced. The second one, A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding, was released during the same year the Duke and Duchess married. And this third movie, about a royal baby, follows the real royals welcoming their son, Archie, earlier this year. 

This is all to say, you can go into A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby with your mind totally free from the restraints of reality. There are no real countries (except for America, I guess), but there are ancient curses, a stolen treaty, and Amber’s doubts about whether she’s “ready to be a queen and a mom.” As if that even matters when your baby might be cursed!