When it’s been a while since you watched anything on the Hallmark Channel, you may end up watching a few in a row. Such is true of A Royal Runaway Romance, one of the films I watched in a group of four or so. Because of this, naturally we have to talk about it.
A Royal Runaway Romance (2022) Hallmark TV Film Review
Grateful for her life, Princess Amelia (Philippa Northeast) still has a desire to experience some of life. This before she officially takes the crown her mother (Sarah-Jane Redmond) has so regally worn and ruled well all these years. When the man, Wes (Andre Anthony), commissioned to paint her portrait and they spend a great deal of time together, Amelia finds a spark. This leads her to want to know if there could be something. Distance lies between them as he’s an American living in Chicago. When she enlists the help of her uncle, an ambassador living in LA, she takes the small victory by making a visit to LA and being that much closer to Wes.
While staying with her uncle, she’s assigned a bodyguard to protect her which complicates her plans. How is a girl to get to Chicago to see Wes with her confession all while trying to keep her plans from her mother and frustratingly good bodyguard named Grady (Brant Daugherty)?
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When it comes to Hallmark films, one of my favorite tropes through the years has been the royal romance one. It began with A Princess for Christmas, which may not be the brightest as far as production but is all kinds of nostalgic charm and features a pre Outlander Sam Heughan, too! Since then, there’s been some cute royal romances and some that really fell flat in the aftermath. Really, I haven’t seen one that really sparkled the same. I do think this one is quite charming. It’s different from most this network has debuted. Despite using some of the same tropes, there’s still a fresh energy. Perhaps partially, again, by a new face.
Philippa isn’t a familiar Hallmark star. To be honest, I also didn’t expect to like Brant Daugherty when I read he’d co-star based on past roles. However he’s good in this. He plays the role well and like any good character, he has a bit of a backstory. The end plays too easily into the “love” declaration but any fairytale-esque romance does get a slight pass since it is part of the genre. Beyond this, everyone else is lovely too! I especially like the assistant, Camille. The girl has a great scene with the queen and I appreciate that the story allows both the perspective of a mother and the longing and duty of a daughter to be expressed.
If you like the network or prior TV royal rom-coms, you’re likely going to enjoy this, too. It’s one to remember.
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Content: If it bothers you, this one is, appropriately, rated TV-G however there is two or three references one character makes that informs the audience they like the same sex romantically. However the character isn’t currently in a relationship.
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