That was the plan at least until Leo got a call from home that made him alter the plans. The call also meant he had to come clean to Emily about something rather important about his life. He asks her to dinner in a very fancy restaurant, and halfway through his confession Emily jumps to the conclusion that Leo is actually married already, but it's nothing like that... The secret is that Leo is actually a prince. Prince and heir to the throne of Cordenia, a small European country Emily had never even heard about before.
Leo promised his mother he would keep his identity a secret while he was in the United States. It was a condition of his permission to study abroad in the States, and when things started going right between himself and Emily, he was afraid to tell her the truth. Now, however, the time has come and he wants her to come with him to Cordenia, to be by his side at the traditional Christmas Ball. That's when the adventure begins...
Another typical common-girl-becomes-a-princess story, A Royal Christmas starts with Emily trying and failing to fit in into the palace life. She doesn't know which forks to use, doesn't know how to ride horses, and seems more at ease among the staff than among the Royals and their fancy guests. It doesn't help that the queen instantly dislikes her boy's girlfriend and goes out of her way to make her feel like a fifth wheel in the castle.
Leopold also has a quarrel with his mother. She is trying to force him into a path of tradition and duty, he is trying to be himself and bring some of that, some of what he picked up abroad to the crown. She wants him to marry Natasha, a suitable girl who's been in and out of the castle since she was a child. Leopold is not in love with Natasha. In fact, he seems pretty into this American girl he brought home for Christmas, much to his mum's disapproval.
Leo isn't exactly a reluctant prince. He is in peace with his role in his family and his country, it's just, he wishes to bring some changes along when he ascends the throne. He intends to begin with his choice of wife.
Even Natasha, the evil suitor who's more height-appropriate and better suited to the prince than the heroine, isn't all evil, at least there is one moment when she questions the queen on the wisdom of their plan to break up Leo and Emily, given the way the prince looks at her.
I like that the movie has a "tour of the castle", which I haven't seen in many other Christmas Royal movies. The prince shows Emily the weapons room (a pretty cool space with armors and swords) and the ballroom, where the Christmas ball is supposed to take place. Actually, the weapons room is the place where she finds herself late at night, looking for the kitchen, and ends up fencing against invisible enemies, just for fun.
Another cool thing is that Emily doesn't sit around complaining that she doesn't fit in, neither does she expects the rules to change to suit her. Instead, she takes matters into her own hands and asks Victor, the lead butler for help in learning everything she needs to learn to behave properly at the ball. Victor stands in the distance, watching his pupil nail every single curtsy and glove removal, positively glowing with pride. It's fun to watch. Much more so than Emily and Leo's futile attempts to get a reaction out of the castle's feathered hat guards.
In a way, the movie is more about the queen than it is about the couple because in the end, it is the Queen that discovers the "true magic of Christmas", by helping her son and Emily to find their way back to each other.
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