‘THE RELUCTANT ROYAL’: FAVORITE LEADING MAN PLAYS A WOULD-BE ROYAL
The second in Hallmark’s 2025 new trio of royal flicks, The Reluctant Royal isn’t just cute, it’s also cutely memorable.
The Reluctant Royal (2025) Film Review
Hard work and being good at what he does are two things Johnny (Andrew Walker) does well. What he doesn’t excel at is relationships. He’s a normal blue collar worker who has humble but important goals. Not on that goal list is being heir to a title. But this is precisely what he gets when the very European Prudence (Emilie de Ravin) walks into his local hangout.
With her, she brings news that the father Johnny has never known is actually a duke, and as such, Johnny has a unique role to step into…
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‘THE RELUCTANT ROYAL’: FAVORITE LEADING MAN PLAYS A WOULD-BE ROYAL. #EmiliedeRavin, #AndrewWalker star in #TheReluctantRoyal, a #Hallmark rom-com! #Romance #RomCom Share on X
Given that Andrew Walker stars in the lead role, The Reluctant Royal is likely a title that will do well for Hallmark. An actor who has had a long standing relationship with the network (dating back to 2012 when he starred in A Bride for Christmas), Walker headlines many of their titles. From romance to mystery, in this he returns to the former genre as a humble American mechanic who has some rather prestigious ancestry. The story is good fun as a result and we follow him from this reveal to the choices he makes about this new life.
What I like best about this is seeing Emilie de Ravin in something new. It’s been a while since seeing her in anything, but this isn’t the first time she plays in a royal like role since many of us may know her from Once Upon a Time (the former ABC show). She’s good in this, her first role with the network, and I do enjoy Andrew and her together. The whole English banter meet cute is quite fun as well.
Like last week’s The Royal We, this film feels very sweet and leans into the cheerful rom-coms we love, so that alone is a plus for The Reluctant Royal. This one borrows from What a Girl Wants, and just has fun with the royal trope and romcom things (the ball scene is sweet), which is precisely what we want. So happily no one is complaining.
Stream, at publication, next day on Hallmark+ or Peacock
Photos: Hallmark Media
Content: this one is the standard TV-G rating, and it stays within those bounds. In other words, any content this has is the same as you’ll find in any other Hallmark romance flick.
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