Once upon a Christmas...
in a beautiful palace...
a king...
was reunited with his queen.
But before that happened...
In a land far, far away,
a place where dreams are made,
is where their story
first began.
There was a princess.
Uh, you"re calling me?
Can "t text. I"m getting ready
to go get a Christmas tree
with my mom.
You know how seriously she takes
these mother-daughter outings.
Oh, yeah.
So you can"t hang out
later then, right?
You"re making
this year"s ornament.
Exactly!
Hey, do you like those
blue earrings that I just got?
Oh, depends.
They clash with
your homecoming tiara.
So?
You"re totally wearing it
right now.
Well, it"s so pretty.
Okay, Queen Lily.
- Text you later.
- Okay, bye.
Oh, Mom!
This one reminds me of the trees
we used to get
when I was little.
Should we take it?
We don"t have
a tiny apartment anymore.
Why do we need a tiny tree?
I know, but it"s so cute.
And what if no one else buys it?
How about this? I"ll take
this one to the office,
and you pick out
one for the house.
Remember, the one you pick out,
you have to carry.
Mommy"s got a broken pinky.
Okay.
Lily, ready?
This is a Christmas ball
for when you were
obsessed with ballet.
This is the Christmas ball
from when we took
that awesome vacation in Mexico.
Oh, that was so much fun.
Yes!
When I was little,
I thought everybody made
memory ornaments.
No, just your overly
sentimental mom.
Taylor "s mom doesn"t have
any special ornaments.
They"re all just
gold and silver.
That sounds elegant.
And boring.
We have it good, don"t we?
The two of us?
Yeah, we do.
Why don"t we go paint
this year"s ornament?
Someone I know
did make honor roll.
Well, someone else is
building a million houses
in Hideaway Oaks.
It"s only six.
Five models.
It"s still really cool, Mom.
Aw, thanks.
- Let"s go.
- Okay.
Less poinsettia, more amaryllis.
Yes, ma"am.
And don"t overdo it
with the rosemary.
It"s starting to smell
like roast chicken in here.
Emile, Victor.
Ma"am.
Charles.
How are you feeling?
I"m fine, Rosa.
Prepared for our excursion
to California?
It"s not too soon, is it?
The queen has been gone
for almost a year now.
- Yes, but...
- And this meeting
with the American investors
is important.
The ski resort
they want to build
will create hundreds of jobs
and bring many tourists
to our little country.
Yes, of course.
I"m just worried about
your returning to Los Angeles
after all these years.
But your nostalgia for your
university days, we do...
It was 17 years ago.
You"re being silly.
Possibly.
Morning.
- Hey, Miss Brooks.
- Hi, Taylor.
Hey, Lils, don"t forget.
Tonight is mother-daughter
dinner night.
So I want you to decide
what you want to eat, okay?
Um, pizza.
We had pizza last week.
But, Mom, I love pizza.
No pizza.
Your Highness?
Yes, Lorena.
You"ve instructed the staff
to sort through
the queen"s private chambers.
We are securing her jewels
in the vault.
But I wondered if perhaps
there was something
you"d like to keep for yourself.
It was my mother"s.
I know.
Thank you, Lorena.
That will be all.
♪♪
My name is Marcus,
and I"m the manager here
at the luxury Seaside Hotel.
Welcome, Your Highness.
Please give us a moment.
Are you sure
you want to stay here?
I made a backup reservation
at the hotel
where Baron and
Baroness Rousseau have stayed.
Our potential business partners
own this hotel.
It seems only appropriate.
But the other hotel
is much more secluded.
It"s also 10 miles inland.
Have you really
been to Los Angeles
if you don"t stay at the beach?
Right? Everybody"s happy.
Marcus, we"re ready to check in.
You will have to keep especially
close tabs on him here.
Of course, ma"am.
And please instruct
that so-called manager
to be more discreet.
Right away.
Lorena!
- Hey.
- Good morning, Eva.
Check your email.
Looks like they
finished construction
on the first model home
at Hideaway Oaks.
It looks good.
Walls are going up
on floor plan number two,
but they wanted us to look
at kitchen design for three.
The microwave drawer?
Builders are getting feedback.
People don"t like it.
So they want us
to do another option
where they can just move it
to a regular microwave.
I get it.
We had a microwave
when Lily was little.
I microwaved everything.
- You guys, are you coming?
- To what?
The father-daughter ski trip.
It"s gonna be so much fun.
Um, I don"t know about skiing.
I"m such a klutz.
Well, maybe they have
a father-daughter
go to the lounge
for hot chocolate trip.
I am so sorry about that
father-daughter ski trip thing.
I was trying to get them
off topic.
No, it"s okay.
It"s not their fault.
Everybody else we know has
a dad to bring on a ski trip,
and I never even met mine.
Don"t even know his name.
Your mom still won"t
talk about it?
No. I mean, it makes her sad,
so I stopped asking.
Hey, at least
you don "t have Katie"s dad.
I mean, every school event,
he"s always on his phone,
threatening to fire
someone in his office.
Okay, true.
- Lorena.
- Your Highness.
May I borrow your tablet,
please?
Rosa"s not set up a secure
Wi-Fi network for my computer,
and I wanted
to look something up.
I can get you any information.
That"s fine. I can do it.
I may have mentioned
that I attended university here
in Los Angeles many years ago.
I used to take
these long reflective drives.
There"s one particular route
with my favorite ocean views.
Can"t seem to remember
the name of it.
That sounds very nice,
Your Highness.
Well, look at that
cute little thing.
How was Christmas tree shopping?
It was okay.
The holidays are hard for her.
She really feels the absence
of her father that much more.
I know you do more on your own
than most two-parent families.
- Lily"s a lucky girl.
- Thank you.
- Sir, we can drive you.
- It"s our job, Your Highness.
The driving is the fun part.
I"m rarely afforded
the opportunity at home.
Some of my fondest memories
from my days at university
are tooling around town in
a sports car much like this one.
Tooling around, sir?
You"ll follow close behind,
gentlemen.
Nothing to worry about.
I can tell
Ambassador Rosa myself,
if that"s your concern.
Of course not, Your Highness.
Well, then let"s go see
the Pacific, shall we?
How do I look?
- Nice. Why?
- I had this late lunch date.
- With who?
- Girl, I don"t know.
It was set up by one of those
executive matchmaking companies.
I hate these horrible dates.
They would be
a lot more tolerable
if you would just join me.
I"m not going on a horrible
double date with you.
No, thanks.
Besides, I"m not looking
for anything serious right now.
When have you ever looked
for anything serious?
Lily"s my number one priority.
Is it possible that you like
to keep things casual
because no one will ever
be good enough for her?
♪ Go, Santa, go ♪
♪ Go, Santa, go ♪
♪ Go, Santa, go ♪
How do people tolerate
such disorganization?
♪ Go, Santa, go ♪
♪ Come on, Santa ♪
Let"s see you rock and roll ♪
♪ Maybe it"s Christmastime ♪
♪ And everybody"s
full of Christmas cheer ♪
♪ Maybe it"s Christmastime ♪
♪ But it"s getting so hot,
getting so hot ♪
Allison Brooks here.
Oh, hi, Caroline.
Let me look that up for you.
♪ Go, Santa, go ♪
♪ Go, Santa, go ♪
♪ Go, Santa, go ♪
♪ Go, Santa, go ♪
♪ Come on, Santa
Let"s see you rocking ♪
♪ Come on, Santa ♪
♪ Let"s see you
rock and roll ♪
♪ Whoo ♪
Allison.
Charles?
Hello.
How are you?
How am I?
What are you doing here?
I"m here on business, actually.
Well, you"re obviously not
looking for an architect.
No, of course not.
I"m in Los Angeles
meeting with investors.
It"s just state business.
Because you"re a prince.
Well, technically,
I am the king now.
You knew.
Of course I knew.
You didn"t tell me, but I knew.
Allison.
You"ve lied to me
from the first time we"ve met.
Charles Prince. Clever.
- Allison.
- Yeah, I"m Allison,
and you"re
Charles Von Buskarn...
Charles Gustav
Henry Alexander III
of the House of Vinters,
Baltania, yes.
You"re a public figure.
Yes, I am.
I apologize, Allison,
for not being able to tell you.
I wanted to, I planned to,
but the timing,
it never seemed right.
And my parents,
they only allowed me
to attend university in America
if I promised to keep
my identity a secret.
They saw it as a matter
of national security.
I"ve come all this way.
I would so appreciate
a few moments of your time.
Can I... What do people say?
Buy you a cup of coffee? Yes?
You drank tea.
I remember that.
It made you so refined.
But of course you were refined.
You were royalty.
I do still prefer tea, yes.
You"ve done quite well
for yourself.
But then I always knew
you would.
Yeah, I have done quite well.
I"m proud of myself.
As you should be.
But it was hard.
I must confess.
I did look you up
over the years.
I see that you have a child.
You saw that I have a child?
How did you see that?
Well, I don"t want to seem
like a royal stalker,
but I thought of you many times,
and I have resources
at my disposal.
I don"t believe you.
I always knew you would make
a good mother, even back then.
Are you kidding me?
Well, I"m simply trying
to compliment you.
Compliment me?
About motherhood?
Allison, isn"t it I
who should be upset?
"Isn"t it I?" No!
It"s me that should be upset!
You unceremoniously ended
our relationship in a letter.
It was barely a letter.
It was a note.
Perhaps 12 words.
I wrote you letters for months,
and you never replied.
What letters?
I never got any letters.
You know, I can"t do this.
Allison, please,
there"s so much more to say.
There"s nothing left to say!
If we call the ambassador,
we"ll be fired on the spot.
Local law enforcement?
They"ll create a scandal.
I"ll call Lorena.
Yes, hello?
Lorena, it"s Victor.
Do you by chance know anything
about the king"s plans
for today?
He simply said
he wanted to take a drive.
Is he not on a drive?
That"s all he said?
Yes.
That"s all he said.
Lorena.
But he did an online search
using my computer.
And?
He looked up an architectural
firm in the city.
Happy winter break.
No school for two weeks.
Oh, hey, Lily,
can I have my lip gloss back?
Yeah, which one?
The sparkly one
or the glossy one?
How much of my makeup
have you borrowed?
- Here you go.
- Thanks.
- Bye.
- Bye.
- Emile.
- Your Highness.
Victor.
Mom, hey, did you just see
that guy outside?
Hi, how are you? How was school?
How was everything?
It"s good.
Are you hungry? I"m hungry.
Let"s go get pizza.
But you said we couldn"t
have pizza tonight
"cause we just had it last week.
No, no, let"s get pizza.
I love pizza. Let"s get pizza.
Okay. It"s only 3:30.
Right. Do you have
any homework?
I just have some independent
reading for Honors English.
Okay, do that.
Okay.
Wait! Where are you going?
To do my reading in the park.
Okay, I"ll walk you.
Spinach and pepperoni?
Yeah.
Oh, how cute!
Wow. He sure is.
What?
We"re here a matter of hours,
and already you"re running off
like a reckless teenager
to see that woman.
Allison.
Her name is Allison.
She was very important to me
at one point in my life.
It"s only natural
I would want to reconnect.
We"ve discussed
this distraction.
It is not what
this visit was about.
It was for me.
She never did get all the
letters I sent to her back then.
How is that possible?
Don "t you think it"s time
to leave well enough alone?
I thought that tracking her down
for you a couple of years ago
would have satisfied
your curiosity.
She has moved on, Charles.
She has a child.
You, as a king and a widower,
should behave with propriety.
Isn"t that what my entire life
has been about?
Great privilege brings
great responsibility.
Yes, I have heard that before.
You need anything?
No.
I have a huge headache.
I"m gonna go upstairs
and take a nap.
Okay.
Feel better.
It was the craziest thing.
This fancy-looking guy
walks out of my mom"s office,
and then this big black SUV
with tinted windows...
I mean, like you couldn"t
see in it at all...
It pulls up, and then some other
guy in a suit comes out,
and he drives off
in another car,
like a super fancy sports car,
and then the fancy-looking guy
gets in the SUV,
and they just
drive off together.
Was he a celebrity?
Like is your mom designing
a house for a celebrity?
Or dating a celebrity?
Your mom totally has
a secret famous boyfriend.
Those guys are definitely
his bodyguards.
- You think?
- Send me the pictures.
My mom was definitely
acting weird.
She"s always been
super secretive about dating.
And she either doesn"t date
or if she does date,
she acts like she isn"t.
She thinks she"s protecting me
from something.
The fancy guy is from Europe.
Now he"s even fancier.
How do you know?
Doesn"t this look like the
same flag from your picture?
I think so.
Baltania.
- This is him!
- Who?
This is the guy who was
outside my mom"s office.
A king?
Taylor, do you remember
last year
when we were snooping
around my mom"s closet,
trying to find
my birthday present,
and we found
that box of old stuff
that my mom kept from college?
There was one photo
of her with some guy.
This guy!
Your mom knows a king?
Oh.
What?
King, huh?
Oh!
Yeah.
When and where, baby?
While you"re out
spotting celebs in Malibu,
keep your eyes peeled
for royalty.
That "s right. There"s
a little European nation
nestled into
the Carpathian Mountains.
Ooh, that sounds
almost medieval.
It"s called Baltania,
and their king is on a state
visit to Los Angeles right now.
King Charles of Baltania,
and yes, ladies,
he is very single.
Staying at the very posh
Seaside Hotel.
So if you run into him
at the bar,
ask him if you can
wear his crown.
Say it"s a Christmas wish.
I hear Baltania
has the best skiing ever.
Oh, really?
Your Highness.
We have to be there
in 10 minutes.
I"ve decided not to attend.
They"re expecting both of us.
I"m meeting the CEO tomorrow.
That"s what really matters.
The deal will get done.
We"ll have our resort.
I just don"t have
the patience to mingle
at social gatherings right now.
Is something wrong?
Well, you were right.
As you suspected,
I would be easily distracted
while being here.
And I am.
I can see I won"t be
changing your mind.
I"m more than confident that
you"ll represent both of us.
No, all of us.
All Baltanians,
with grace and intellect.
That"s such high praise.
How could I not agree?
Emile, Victor?
Your Highness?
Please be informed
I"ll be entertaining a guest
for lunch today.
That will be all.
Okay, Lils, I"m off to work.
It"s almost 11.
I know.
I"ve had a crazy morning.
It"s your first day
of winter break.
What are you gonna do?
Taylor and I
are gonna go rob a bank
and then maybe see a movie.
Okay, great. Have fun.
Mom?
Yeah?
You"re wearing one black shoe
and one brown shoe.
Thanks, kiddo.
- Love you.
- Love you.
Um...
Hello.
Am I in the right place?
May we help you?
Yeah. I"m looking
for Charlie Prince.
Your name?
Sam.
I was, you know, we met
when he was in college.
Okay.
Excuse me.
- Sam!
- My man.
- So good to see you.
- Good to see you.
This is, uh, quite a nice setup
you got here, my friend.
What have you been
doing these days?
Do you remember back in school
when I told you
I was expected to go into
the family business?
Mm-hmm.
Where have you been?
We need to talk.
Lily "s father"s not dead.
No.
We met at a Christmas party,
junior year in college.
Someone bumped into me,
and I fell into Santa"s lap.
He was dressed as Santa?
And he asked me
what my Christmas wish was.
And then you asked her
if she cared about
what your Christmas wish was.
Because it was my wish
that she would go out with me.
Smooth, brother.
He asked me to dance.
And the next thing I knew,
he was my boyfriend.
He wasn"t really my type of guy,
the rich European,
but we were really
happy together.
A year passed, and everything
with Charlie was great.
And I really loved him,
and he really loved me.
I thought we"d be
together forever.
It was the anniversary of
the night we met at that party.
The anniversary
of our first kiss,
our first dance,
our first everything.
And that was the night
that Lily was conceived.
Wow.
That was the reason you kicked
me out of our room that night?
I"m still not over it.
Then two days later,
we parted ways for winter break.
I went home, and I told Rosa.
Wait. That crazy aunt that
kept calling the dorm room,
checking up on you?
She wasn"t actually my aunt.
She was my au pair.
Au pair? What is that,
like a royal babysitter?
She was much more than that.
She practically raised me.
I told Rosa that I was in love
and that I wanted to stay
in America after graduation.
A week later, after I get home
from winter break,
this very fussy, proper lady
shows up my house
with an accent,
and she tells me
that Charlie was a prince.
He was the heir
to some throne on Baltania,
and that he can
never be with a commoner.
- Rude.
- And she told me
that he was engaged
the whole time to this duchess.
It"s a soap opera.
Your life is a soap opera.
And then a few weeks later,
I got this.
"Dear Charlie, you lied to me.
I never want to see you again.
Allison."
And then, she made me write
Charlie a breakup letter.
What do you mean, she made you?
She insisted.
She wouldn"t leave my house
without it.
And at that point,
I didn"t care.
I didn"t want to see him anyway.
I was heartbroken.
I wrote Allison for months,
but she never replied.
After the winter break,
my parents informed me
that I would not be
returning to university
and that they had arranged
a proper marriage for me.
To whom?
A duchess. Paula.
Cared for her very much,
but we were never in love.
And I was always
thinking of Allison
and what I had lost.
A few weeks later,
I went to the drugstore
to get a test,
and there he was
on the cover of a tabloid.
Charles engaged to a duchess.
And after all these years,
why couldn"t you
tell Lily the truth?
What good could come of that?
He was a liar.
He cheated on me the whole time
with that duchess.
Okay, I know that that"s bad,
but I still don"t understand.
That woman from the palace
made it clear
that I wouldn"t
be welcome there.
So why would Lily?
And I didn"t want her
rejected by her father.
But if he had known,
maybe he would have wanted her.
But then her whole childhood
would be in the spotlight.
She would have had all
the pressures of being a royal.
I didn"t want that for her.
A few years back, I asked Rosa
to get me some information
on Allison.
Wow. Look at her.
Who"s the guy?
- We have to go.
- Where?
To the hotel.
You have to talk to him.
- No, Eva.
- No, Allison.
Your one true love,
your actual, literal
Prince Charming is here.
He traveled thousands of miles
to come see you.
What if you made
the wrong decision?
While you"re out
spotting celebs in Malibu,
keep your eyes
peeled for royalty.
That"s right,
there"s a little Eur...
Taylor, hey, I need to see you
like right now.
- Lily?
- Up here.
I thought you said
we were going somewhere.
What are you wearing?
I don"t know.
What are you supposed to wear
when you"re going to meet a king
who also happens
to be your father?
I just want to make
a good impression.
Okay, calm down.
Let"s figure something out.
Try something else.
We were really
overthinking this.
Definitely.
I have to see Allison.
I must explain what happened.
Do those bodyguards
ever let you leave?
It"s complicated.
- How complicated?
- What are you doing?
Okay, you ready?
He caught me off guard
last time.
I need to look my best.
Hi, this is Eva.
Hello, hi.
Is Allison Brooks there?
I"m sorry, she"s unavailable,
but this is her partner Eva.
Hi. I just bought some land.
I bought some land.
Okay, congratulations.
Well, thank you.
We need an architect fast.
Okay, well,
I"m actually on my way out,
so maybe you could call back.
It"s my dream home,
and your firm
is the only one I trust.
How about I just come up to
your office like right now?
Okay, um,
that is very flattering,
but like I just said,
I am actually on my way out.
I"m about to leave.
Ah, I"ll tell you what.
I"ll come over later.
Maybe the evening.
I can meet the team.
The team is gonna be
hosting a party later.
A party?
One we can crash?
Um, it"s actually
just a little mixer we do
for our vendors
and professional contracts
- and important clients, so...
- There you go.
I could potentially be
a very important client.
Okay, who is this
potential new client?
Sam. I"m a doctor.
Oh, okay, Sam.
Okay, how will we know
that it"s you?
Great. Look,
I"ll see you there. Bye.
Come on, let"s go.
That was weird.
Oh, that was very interesting.
Charlie, I"ve had a really
tough time lately.
Six months ago, I got a divorce.
Marriage was over
a long time before that.
- I"m sorry to hear that.
- Don"t be.
This is the most fun
I"m gonna have all year.
Let"s go, prince.
So are you gonna tell your dad
who you are?
No. Absolutely not.
My mom would freak out.
She"s been keeping this secret
from me my entire life.
I just wanna talk to him first.
- This is so crazy.
- I know.
It"s like the craziest.
I mean, Taylor,
what if my dad is a king?
Well, then your whole
princess obsession thing
would like totally make sense.
The car is like
a million miles away.
The valet was like 50 bucks.
Do you know how many hours
I have to babysit for 50 bucks?
Oh, hi, excuse me.
Good afternoon, ladies.
Welcome to the Seaside Hotel.
How may I serve you?
I am looking for someone
who"s staying here.
Mm-hmm. The guest"s name?
Um, King Charles?
We shouldn"t be
doing this. This is crazy.
Yes, we should.
The past is just the past.
No, the past is
at the Seaside Hotel.
- Sir.
- Just walking my friend out.
- Happy to accompany you, sir.
- Won"t be necessary, thank you.
Them boys big.
You gonna be able to duck
the men in black tonight?
- The men in black?
- Yeah.
Yes, I will take care of it.
Good luck with that.
So you"re a doctor?
A good doctor.
If I remember correctly,
you flunked out of biochemistry
your third year.
I repeated it, and I got
an A-minus, thank you very much.
- A-minus?
- I"ll talk your ear off
if you wanna know about
structure and functions
of carbohydrates, lipids.
- No thank you.
- I didn"t think so.
Thank you for your help, Sam.
Good to see you again,
old friend.
Just like old times.
Okay, I know. I"m not asking you
to escort me to his room.
- Could you just call him?
- I"m sorry, miss.
There are special circumstances.
He"s traveling
with a very scary lady,
and she has lots of rules.
I"m looking forward
to seeing her tonight.
- Yeah, I see that.
- It"s you!
Yes, young lady?
I, um...
I need to talk to you.
You look familiar.
Have we met?
What is your name?
Uh, Lily.
Lily?
And you said you needed
to speak to me.
Yes.
Because...
I am...
I was hired by
Oceanside University
to take a survey
of foreign students.
Oh, of course.
Yeah, they just...
they wanna know
what everyone"s up to.
Well, I"m sure they do.
Are there certain questions
that you would like to ask me?
What did you grow up to be?
I mean your job.
What"s your job?
Do you have any kids?
Who was your girlfriend
in college?
Well, it"s all
very interesting questions.
We"ve been discussing
security at this hotel.
Your Highness, young lady.
This meeting has
to end immediately.
- Meeting?
- Rosa.
I have to insist.
Who is this lady?
Let"s go.
She"s just a teenage girl.
In one of her moods.
Mm-hmm.
- Who was that lady?
- Do you think she knows?
- Knows what?
- About you.
And she doesn"t want
your dad to know because maybe...
No, no, no, that can"t be.
I mean, I don"t know.
Well, what do we do now?
I guess go home
and talk to my mom.
Think she"ll finally
tell you the truth now?
She has to.
While you"re doing
your little royal rendezvous,
I might just check in here
for a little staycation.
Good afternoon, ladies.
Welcome to the Seaside Hotel.
How may we serve you?
We"d like to speak
to one of your guests.
His name is Charles.
I"m sorry, ma"am. That"s not
something I can help you with.
Can you just tell him
Allison"s here?
I can"t confirm or deny that
there"s anybody by that name
staying at the hotel.
Oh, please, come on.
Don"t be so coy.
What she means is that
we know he"s here.
It"s been all over the press.
Please just tell him I"m here.
I can"t comment on that.
Seriously?
It"s my job to protect
our very important guests
when they visit us.
Which, again, I can neither
confirm or deny.
Come on, Allison, let"s go.
Are we allowed to eat
at the restaurant?
We did drive
all the way out here.
Oh, of course. Our restaurant
received five stars.
I highly recommend
the surf and turf.
Can you confirm or deny
that the food is delicious?
- What are you doing?
- I don"t like him.
And he is not gonna stop us.
We"re getting you up there.
Where? We don"t even know
what floor he"s on.
Oh, come on, girl,
it"s the penthouse.
It"s always the penthouse
for guys like that.
Guys like that.
Like you hang out
with a lot of royalty.
Maybe we can find
the laundry room
and sneak you up there
in one of those carts.
All right, that"s it.
We"re leaving.
Why, Allison?
We came here on a mission.
Our mission has failed.
Plus we have a Christmas party
in three hours.
Let"s go.
Do you want to explain to me
what that was about?
Why you felt the need to
protect me from that young girl?
You"re a public figure,
Charles, a widower.
The tabloids will print anything
they can to sell papers.
I have not been confident about
the security at this hotel.
What if the paparazzi find you?
What if a photograph
of that young woman and you
gets misconstrued?
I think you"re being
a little dramatic.
It "s possible I"m being
a tad overprotective,
but it"s been my job
to protect you
for most of your life.
And I"m not going to stop now.
I have to go.
I have to go deal
with the lawyers.
There"s a lot of paperwork
to go through.
Will you be okay?
Well, you"re the one
that"s going through
hundreds of pages of documents.
The question is,
will you be all right?
Huh.
He looks like me.
Don"t you think
he looked like me?
I think so.
- Lily?
- Your mom"s home. Ask her.
Hey, Mom!
I"m heading back out.
I have my work event.
Can you put the groceries away?
And please don"t eat
all the chocolate chips.
I need them to bake with later.
Okay.
There"s money in the drawer
if you want to order dinner.
Love you. See you tonight.
We get to order food.
Mmm!
Oh, come on!
Look at the replay!
Everything all right, sir?
It"s just this game.
It"s infuriating.
He"s clearly holding.
That"s pass interference,
not an interception.
I know. It"s unacceptable.
Are you kidding me
with that call?
I"ve always enjoyed sharing
my love of American football
- with you, Emile.
- Me too, sir.
Open your eyes, ref!
Strike a light, mate!
Do your job!
He"s got no glasses.
What a bludger.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Whoa! You escaped.
Let"s do this thing!
That was quite a coup,
you two winning
the Hideaway Oaks bid.
Every firm in the city
was vying for that.
Well, we"re very proud.
You guys should tour the models
and tell us what you think.
I think we"re jealous.
So you think our new
potential buyer will show?
You"re so bad.
He sounded cute.
Oh, there"s Allison.
Whoa. Is that her
business partner?
Sorry.
This is all about you, my man.
You ready?
I"ve only been waiting for
the better part of two decades
to speak to her again.
I"m ready.
What are you doing here?
My apologies for continuously
ambushing you this week.
Wait, this is him?
Sam Wakowski?
From college?
Allison, it"s great to see you.
You look great.
Wait, so you"re Sam?
- Eva?
- Yeah.
Okay, hi.
Hi. So I can assume that you
didn"t buy any land recently.
No, I didn"t.
I want to.
Maybe something up in the hills,
secluded, with a nice view.
Allison, I know that you somehow
discovered my true identity
when we were at university
together.
Somehow? Yes.
I know I hurt you.
I have no intention
of doing that to you.
I simply would like
to apologize.
- Charlie-
- And I am well aware
that you are in a relationship,
that you have a child.
I would not want to interfere
with your happiness.
What do you know about my child?
I needed to see that you had
moved on with your life.
I still thought about you.
Why do you have pictures
of my neighbors?
Your neighbors?
Hey, Charles, over here!
Your Highness, who"s the lady?
- Ready for a new queen?
- What"s your name, honey?
I"m so sorry about this.
I think I have a place
where we could go.
Just in case,
we asked that Sam"s car
be left up front
for a quick getaway.
That was smart.
What if it"s like my destiny?
I mean, I was homecoming queen.
Okay, you"re obsessing.
Let"s just watch
TV or something.
You know, get your mind
off things
until we can talk to your mom.
Okay, okay, fine.
Okay.
♪♪
When we told you last week
to keep your eyes peeled
for royalty,
we weren"t kidding.
King Charles of Baltania
said he was in town
on state business.
But it looks like things
got a bit personal.
So who is the mystery lady?
My mom?
I don"t know who she is,
but for her sake,
let"s hope
the glass slipper fits.
Let me get this straight.
You haven"t heard from him
in 17 years.
- No.
- Thank you.
He calls you out of the blue
and tells you he"s a king.
Mm-mm. He"s a king?
And days later, you are like
crashing a party to help him?
That"s what friends do.
Okay, either you"re
a really serious friend,
or you"re a really
serious romantic.
I can"t be both?
And speaking of romance,
aren"t you the least bit curious
what they"re up to?
Yeah.
Yes.
Wait.
God, that looks like...
Oh, it is.
That "s Allison"s phone.
You think she dropped it
as they were rushing off
for some privacy?
I hope so.
I always did think
those two belonged together.
Though if they have,
they"ve taken my car.
Now what?
You know, I could always
give you a ride.
Can I take you out for dinner
as a thank you?
Yeah, you can.
Leg-go.
In this season of giving,
your donation can save
a child in need.
Thank you.
Welcome to The Evening News.
Our top story tonight:
Has a local woman become
a real-life Cinderella?
We"ve got exclusive video.
Your Highness, who"s the lady?
- Ready for a new queen?
- What"s your name, honey?
Lorena! Emile, Victor!
Okay.
So where are we?
I designed this place.
Actually, Eva and I did.
It"s the first model of five,
which will be a development
of 60 houses.
I always knew
you"d be a great success.
So if you ever decide
to buy that land...
Uh-huh?
Here"s your secluded
with a view.
Mmm.
Honestly, it just
occurred to me tonight.
It"s not about where you"re at.
It "s who you" re with.
I completely agree.
This is the most fun I"ve had
in a long time.
It"s official for me.
This is the best
first accidental date
I"ve ever been on in my life.
Yeah.
Can I have a second?
I hope so.
Have we been up half the night?
Whoa! Wow.
Okay, I tell you what.
If you promise me
there"ll be a second,
I"ll let you
take me home right now.
Oh, okay.
You"ll let me take you home.
You"re gonna let me do that.
You got the car.
- Okay.
- Yeah?
And this time I"ll drive.
You"re gonna drive too?
If I can get my car back
from Charlie, I"m driving.
What do you think
those two are up to?
Hopefully making up
for 17 years of lost time.
Let"s go.
Now that we have a moment,
could we clear something up?
The man in the photo
is not your husband?
No. I"ve never been married,
unlike you.
It"s not every day
you see something like that
in the 21st century.
Well, maybe the 21st century,
but my family has been
observing the same customs
since the 12th century.
So you knew the entire time
we were dating
that you were gonna go home
and marry someone else?
No, of course not.
- But you were engaged.
- Engaged?
- I saw it in the tabloids.
- The tabloids?
Why would you believe
that rubbish?
You knew that you
would never marry me.
That is absolutely untrue.
All I thought about
was our future together.
You moved on quickly.
I was not allowed
to return to university.
My parents made it quite clear
that my obligation
was with family and country.
My parents informed me
of the arrangement
after you broke up with me.
I tried to live
a different kind of life,
but I was left heartbroken.
My parents disappointed me.
So I decided
to accept my royal fate.
Arranged marriage is
not uncommon among royals.
I grew to care for my wife.
But to have felt love with you,
to have felt that connection...
Charlie, I didn"t
break up with you.
You broke up with me.
I didn"t.
You sent someone
to do it for you.
Who?
Rosa something.
No! I...
She told me who you really were,
that you could never be
married to a commoner,
that your parents would
disown you, dethrone you.
Is that not true?
I don"t know.
Honestly, I...
I was never given the chance
to discuss it.
Rosa made that decision for me.
She was really the only
mother figure I ever knew.
I was lucky to see my parents
once a week growing up.
She thought she was looking out
for my best interests,
not that that is an excuse
for the way she manipulated
and deceived both of us.
Allison, I lied to you.
Now, I felt I had to.
It"s still not an excuse.
It was a betrayal,
and I"m deeply sorry.
I would have done anything
to find my way back to you
if I"d known
you still cared for me.
Charlie, there"s something
I have to tell you.
I"m not married,
but I do have a child.
Oh, that is wonderful.
Her name is Lily.
She"s 17.
Wow.
It seems you moved on
quite easily yourself.
No, Charlie, I didn"t.
That night before
you left to go home,
we made Lily.
Allison.
Are you saying
we have a daughter?
I-I don"t know what to say.
Wait. Lily?
Does she have beautiful
big eyes and your smile?
Yeah, how would you know that?
A young lady came by the hotel
earlier today.
She said she was doing a survey
for Oceanside University.
She asked me about
my college girlfriend.
I thought it was quite odd.
I can"t believe
she figured it out.
I can"t believe I was
face-to-face with my own child,
and I allowed myself
to be dragged off.
Oh, Allison, she"s beautiful.
And clearly smart.
And determined.
You must be so proud.
I understand
why you didn"t tell me.
And I"m sorry
that I didn"t fight for us.
Me too.
Hi, honey.
You lied to me.
- Lily...
- I know everything, Mom.
About my dad.
You lied to me
for my entire life.
- I was protecting you.
- From my own father?
I"m going to see him.
Lily, wait.
You can"t tell me
what to do anymore, Mom.
Lily.
What are you doing here?
Lily, I hope you
believe that if I had known...
I know.
I realize that
I"m a stranger right now,
but I do hope that we
can become acquainted.
I want to know
everything I"ve missed.
Everything? Wow.
I mean, that"s kind of a lot.
I don"t even know
where to start.
Why don"t you show him
your baby book?
Wait. No, I have a better idea.
The tree.
Every year, Mom and I
make a memory ornament.
Memory ornament?
For Lily"s first Christmas,
I painted an ornament,
and then every year after that,
I made another one.
Mom picked the best thing
that happened each year,
and she made an ornament for it.
This one is when
she first learned how to walk.
She was only one.
What about this one?
The year I lost my first tooth.
And this one?
Something to do with cooking?
That was the year that
Lily turned in her baby blanket
for a whisk.
And she wouldn"t
sleep without it.
I was three.
What did I know?
Well, I"m sure
it was a very cuddly
and comforting metal whisk.
And this?
That"s when she was six.
She had this princess-themed
birthday party,
and she wouldn"t take off
her dress for three months.
I had to wash it
while she was sleeping.
I wanted to be a princess.
I feel as if I"m witnessing
your childhood
through these ornaments,
seeing all the years
that I missed with you.
Mom, I think
we might have to make
another memory ornament
for this year.
I don"t think
me making honor roll
was the most important
thing that happened.
I think you"re right.
But I"m still proud of you.
As am I.
Have you thought
about university yet?
A little.
Oxford is only a short flight
from Baltania.
My cookies. Will you help me
clear up the table?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Are you two not clear
on your responsibilities?
You"re supposed to keep
His Highness safe
and in your sights!
He was very determined,
Ambassador.
It"s him!
Answer it, but don"t let on.
- Your Highness?
- Lorena.
I was hoping
you could do me a favor.
There"s a velvet bag
in the top drawer of my dresser.
Can you find a way
to bring it to me discreetly?
The ambassador does not
need to know about this.
Of course, Your Highness.
- Where are you?
- I"ll send you the address.
You do this every year?
Bake hundreds of cookies
for your clients?
Yeah, it"s a personal touch,
and the clients really like it.
And Lily always helps me.
I "m sorry I" ve missed it.
It"s a wonderful
family tradition.
- Hey!
- Mmm.
You"re a very good baker.
Who"s that?
I believe that would be
for me, actually.
Lorena, thank you.
Would you like to come in?
She would.
We all would, Your Highness.
Allison, if you don"t mind,
I think it would be beneficial
if I made some introductions.
I remember her.
So do I.
I"m sure you remember
Allison, Rosa.
She informed me
that you two have met.
And this is Lily,
the girl you pulled away
from me earlier today.
She"s my daughter.
Your Highness,
I-I didn"t know that.
But in my defense,
I had to protect you.
Your family would never
have approved of that.
And our Constitution
doesn"t allow a commoner
to become a princess.
I"m not common.
I was referring to...
And I mean, sure, yeah,
I"ve always dreamed
of being a princess,
but the bigger dream,
the better dream
was getting to know my dad.
Lily and Allison
will be welcome at the palace
whenever they want to visit.
And I will be here
whenever they will have me.
Like maybe even for
this father-daughter ski trip
coming up at my school?
Baltania is known
for its ski resorts, Lily.
I"m quite good on the slopes.
I"m in.
I hope you will
accept this, Rosa.
I would be disappointed
to lose you,
with all you"ve done
for me and Baltania.
Understood, Your Highness.
This belonged to
your grandmother, the queen.
I hope you will accept this gift
from our family.
Your family.
Wow!
Allison, you left your phone.
- Hello.
- Allison!
What are you guys doing here?
Looking for you.
It"s really great to see you
again, you know?
- Are you two together?
- I...
- We went to dinner.
- Yeah.
But, you know,
a brother can dream again.
Lily, I convinced my mom
to help me check...
It"s him.
Your dad, the king.
I have an idea.
I hope you all have
valid passports.
That kind of puts this
homecoming crown to shame, huh?
You think?
Excuse me, uh,
may I speak with you, Lily?
Uh...
I"ll just...
Oh, um...
I was homecoming queen.
Homecoming queen?
Yeah, it"s this thing that
we do in American high schools.
We have this big dance,
and everybody votes on the king
and the queen of the dance.
- It"s silly.
- Wait.
Even before you met Charles,
you were royalty?
I guess so.
The woman who wore this necklace
was a strong,
confident, elegant woman.
She would have loved to have
had a granddaughter.
I hope that one day
your father and I
will tell you all about her.
I would love that.
Oh, and I suppose
we can find you
something more regal than this.
I"m so sorry I lied to you.
I was trying to protect you.
I know, Mom, I get it.
I mean, this is pretty crazy.
Yeah. If it"s too crazy,
you know you can
say something, right?
And your father"s gonna be
here for you no matter what.
You get to decide if this
is the life you want, okay?
Okay.
Lily.
Miss Lily, Miss Taylor,
allow me to introduce
your escorts for this evening,
- Thomas and Jonas.
- Milady.
You cannot attend a ball
without proper dance partners.
I can see you in her.
Charles...
I"m truly sorry.
I"m sorry that I took away
your chance at fatherhood.
If I had only known.
But honestly, I don"t know
what I would have done.
It would have been
a terrible scandal,
and the Constitution
is very clear
in regards to non-royals
joining the monarchy.
But then again, with the queen
unable to carry a child...
I"ve always wished for you
to have a family of your own.
I never meant to take
that away from you.
But you got your wish, Rosa.
I do have a family of my own.
It"s not too late for me
to know my daughter.
And you don"t have to worry
about me anymore.
Not as my caregiver
or my ambassador.
- Of course I...
- I"m grateful to you.
You"ve spent you entire
adult life in this place
by my side
in one capacity or another.
You"ve always had
my best interests at heart.
But it is no longer
your job to protect me.
I am a grown man.
This country"s king.
A father.
And maybe one day...
a husband again.
Go to her, Charles.
Is that tiara better
than the one you wore
as homecoming queen?
Well, I mean,
it is a bit of a demotion...
You know, queen to princess...
But since these
are real diamonds,
I guess I"ll take it.
You look lovely.
May I borrow your mother
for a moment?
I will go ask the band
if they can play something
we can dance to.
I want to thank you for coming.
You probably
don"t remember this,
but I"ve been waiting
to travel to Europe
ever since college.
And is that
the only reason you came?
No.
I always wondered
if you"d come back to me,
until you made
one big horrible mistake.
And now it"s finally happening.
Allison,
I never stopped loving you.
I know that we live
in different countries,
and we lead
very different lives.
I want to start over
where we left off.
I didn"t fight for you
back then.
I"m not going to make
the same mistake again.
I"ll do whatever it takes
to be a part of your life
and Lily"s.
Good.
"Cause neither one of us
have any plans
of letting you go.
So first I crash
your work Christmas party,
now a royal ball.
You gonna be disappointed
when our next date
is dinner and a movie?
That sounds absolutely perfect.
Thank you, dear guests,
for joining us
at the annual
Baltanian Christmas ball.
The royal family of Baltania,
my ancestors,
going back several centuries,
have held this ball
each Christmas
as a celebration
of the passing year.
But this year is very different.
Many of you have heard the rumor
that Baltania
has a long-lost princess.
But this is not
entirely correct.
I do have a daughter.
A beautiful daughter.
Lily.
In a life of great privilege,
meeting her has been
my most cherished experience.
Our Constitution does not allow
for her to be your princess.
But I am hoping
to convince all of you...
That means you too, Lily...
To change your minds.
In the meantime,
there is a tradition
at our Christmas ball
that has long been ignored.
The father-daughter dance.
I was an only child,
as was my father
and his before him.
So it has been generations
since we"ve upheld this custom.
I am very proud to invite
my daughter to the dance floor
to renew it today.
Please help me
welcome to our country,
if she would allow me
to call her this,
if you would allow me
to call her this...
Your Royal Highness
Lily Abigail Brooks, the first,
of the House of Vinters,
Baltania.
Whoo!
Everybody"s watching.
Just follow my lead.
Okay, Dad.
He"s right.
She"s quite lovely.
Thank you.
And if you"ll allow me to say,
I underestimated you
and Charles" love for you
in so many ways.
If I could go back in time...
Would it be rude of me
to cut out?
No, of course not.
Mom, come on.
I stole your date.
Now it"s your turn.
♪♪
♪ You can"t imagine ♪
♪ How good it feels
to hold you ♪
♪ Right here in my arms ♪
♪ At this holiday season ♪
♪ I like to make a wish ♪
♪ Upon a sh**ting star ♪
♪ And ask for just one dance ♪
♪ When I have you near me ♪
♪ I never want to let you go ♪
♪ Just one dance ♪
♪ I"m living
a dream come true ♪
♪ As long as I am
here with you ♪
♪ Here with you ♪
♪ Here with you ♪
♪ Just one dance with you ♪
And yes,
they lived happily ever after.
The end.
♪ The years go by so quickly ♪
♪ I try to take a moment
to let it all inside ♪
♪ Though I know
I can"t stop time ♪
♪ And I know
that things will change ♪
♪ If you give me
half a chance ♪
♪ I know together
this life is better ♪
♪ And in our hearts,
we"ll always stay ♪
♪ In this ♪
♪ Just one dance ♪
♪ When I have you near me ♪
♪ I never want to let you go ♪
♪ Just one dance ♪
♪ I"m holding you
here in my arms ♪
♪ Forever, forever ♪
♪ Just one dance ♪
♪ I"m living
a dream come true ♪
♪ As long as I am
here with you ♪
♪ Here with you ♪
♪ Here with you ♪
♪ Just one dance with you ♪
♪ In this ♪
♪ Just one dance ♪
♪ When I have you near me ♪
♪ I never want to let you go ♪
♪ Just one dance ♪
♪ I"m holding you
here in my arms ♪
♪ Forever, forever ♪
♪ Just one dance ♪
♪ I"m living
a dream come true ♪
♪ As long as I am
here with you ♪
♪ Here with you ♪
♪ Here with you ♪
♪ Just one dance with you ♪
A Royal Christmas Ball (2017)
Moderator: Maskath3