The Prince & Me

The Prince and Me
Directed by	Martha Coolidge
Starring	Julia Stiles Luke Mably Ben Miller Miranda Richardson James Fox Alberta Watson John Bourgeois Zachary Knighton
Release date	2004
Running time	106 min.
Country	United States / Czech Republic
Language	English

The Prince and Me is a 2004 motion picture, directed by Martha Coolidge, and starring Julia Stiles, Luke Mably, and Ben Miller, with Miranda Richardson, James Fox, and Alberta Watson. The film features a cameo by Eddie Irvine, a retired Formula 1 driver.

The film was followed by a straight-to-DVD sequel, The Prince and Me 2: The Royal Wedding (2006), starring Mably and Kam Heskin.

Plot

When Crown Prince Edvard of Denmark (Mably) travels incognito to the United States to study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he meets a female college student, Paige (Stiles) who is serving drinks in a bar. "Eddie" just wants to meet wild chicks and mistakes Paige for one. Things get off to a shaky start between the two, as Paige not only writes off Eddie as a lazy, spoiled rich kid but also turns down his invitation to a dorm party. After Paige teaches Eddie how to do his laundry and Eddie tutors Paige about Shakespeare, the two begin to develop feelings for each other. Paige invites Eddie to her family's farm in Manitowoc, Wisconsin for Thanksgiving and though Paige tries to deny her feelings for Eddie, she has fallen for him and they end up kissing in the barn.

After returning to school, Eddie and Paige continue their romance while they study for final exams. A Danish paparazzo, who has been secretly following Prince Edvard, takes photos of the prince and his "college girlfriend" as they are about to make love in the library stacks. As a result, Eddie's true identity is revealed. Paige, upset about this turn of events, as well as the fact that the photos will be published in Danish newspapers, breaks up with Eddie.

The prince returns to Denmark upon receiving news of his father's illness. Paige, who has found that she truly loves him and can't leave him, travels to Denmark and attempts to find him. Though Edvard and Paige are joyfully reunited, Edvard's mother, the Queen, disapproves of their relationship because Paige is a commoner. Edvard's father however tells Edvard to marry Paige if he loves her. Prince Edvard proposes to Paige and she accepts. The prince's twelve-year-old sister Arabella is delighted as she had always wanted a sister.

Paige's life turns into a whirlwind of activity, as Paige is prepared for life as the future Queen of Denmark. When Paige discovers that she must give up her dreams of traveling the world and attending medical school, she decides to break off the engagement and returns to college. Edvard, though upset about losing Paige, accepts her decision. He fulfills his responsibilities to his family and his country, and assumes the throne as the King of Denmark.

Paige goes on to graduate from college and, while celebrating with her family, sees Edvard waiting for her. Edvard proposes to her again, saying that he will wait for her to complete her medical studies and fulfill her dreams. Paige hesitates, saying that Denmark is not ready for a queen like her. Edvard responds that Denmark must be ready since he is ready. They kiss just before the end credits.

Cast

• Julia Stiles — Paige Morgan
• Luke Mably — Eddie/Prince Edvard
• Ben Miller — Soren
• Miranda Richardson — Queen Rosalind
• James Fox — King Haraald
• Alberta Watson — Amy Morgan
• John Bourgeois — Ben Morgan
• Zachary Knighton — John Morgan
• Stephen O'Reilly — Mike Morgan
• Elisabeth Waterston — Beth Curtis
• Eliza Bennett — Princess Arabella
• Devin Ratray — Scotty
• Clare Preuss — Stacey
• Yaani King — Amanda
• Eddie Irvine — Himself
• Angelo Tsarouchas — Stu
• Jacques Tourangeau — Professor Amiel
• Stephen Singer — Professor Begler

• Joanne Baron — Marguerite
• Sarah Manninen — Krista
• Tony Munch — Keith Kopetsky
• John Nelles — Race Announcer (as John E. Nelles)
• Claus Bue — Lutheran Archbishop
• James McGowan — Photographer
• Jean Pearson — Photographer
• Dagmar Blahova — Lady in Waiting (as Dasha Blahova)
• Henrik Jandorf — Prime Minister
• Niels Anders Thorn — Thomas Anderson
• Jesper Asholt — Cab Driver
• Andrea Veresova — Eddie's Girlfriend
• Winter Ave Zoli — Eddie's Girlfriend
• Jennifer Roberts Smith — John's Wife
• Zdenek Maryska — Corporation Negotiator
• Vladimir Kulhavy — Union Negotiator
• Garth Hewitt — Desperate Dan
• Patricia Netzer — Royal Palace Maid (Brigget)

Reception

Critics gave the film mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes rated it 27% (rotten). Metacritic reported the movie had an average score of 47 out of 100, based on 31 reviews. The Christian Science Monitor's David Sterritt gave good review, stating that the movie was "quite appealing, thanks to good-humored acting and to Martha Coolidge's quiet directing style." Meanwhile, Manohla Dargis of The Los Angeles Times criticised the movie, calling it "a blandly diverting, chastely conceived and grammatically challenged fairy tale" The USA Today commented that The Prince and Me was overall "well-meaning, cute, sweet" but that the film could have been improved with "a bit more quirkiness and a little less formula."

Trivia

• Coincidentally, the film was released the same year in which the real-life Crown Prince of Denmark, Prince Frederik married Mary Donaldson, an Australian commoner.

• Another coincidence is that Mary did not know that Frederik was a prince when they first met, which was in a bar during the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

• The opening Copenhagen scene was in fact made in the Jewish Quarter of Prague with tower of Jewish Town Hall clearly visible in the background.

• The University of Toronto was where the actual filming was done rather than the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

• York University was where the bar scene was filmed. The bar at York University is named The Underground.

• The name, Harald, is not the name of the Danish king (Denmark actually has a queen, not a king), but it is the name of the king of neighbouring Norway.

Discrepancies between the movie and reality

• Though the plot is revolving around the Danish royal family, very little information provided in the film seems to be factual, and places such as Folketinget and Amalienborg look nothing like they do in reality.
• Denmark does not currently have a King. Denmark is ruled by Queen Margrethe II, and her husband is the French-born Prince Consort of Denmark.
• As opposed to what the plot claims, Denmark did not have a parliament in the 13th century.
• The film depicts the Royal Family as having a substantial political influence. In reality, Denmark is a constitutional monarchy where the Queen and the Royal Family are above party politics. Instead, the role of the monarchy is mainly to represent Denmark abroad while serving as a unifying institution at home. However, the Queen does have a constitutional role in appointing the Prime Minister of Denmark and members of the Cabinet, as well as giving royal assent to bills passed by Parliament.
• The names of Danish crown princes, and hence kings, have by tradition alternated between Frederik and Christian ever since the 15th century.

External links

• The Prince and Me at IMDb
• The Prince and Me - official website