The Prince And Me

Ah, the perils of being a young 21st-century woman. There you are, concentrating hard on your studies at the University of Wisconsin, determined to become a doctor and help the needy, when along comes a hunky European man to sweep you off your feet. And darn it – he turns out to be Edward, Crown Prince of Denmark (a Prince William-esque Mably). Life just isn’t fair, is it?
As directed by Martha Coolidge (Rambling Rose), this Cinderella-style romance gets a feminist twist – young Paige (Stiles) doesn’t need rescuing, nor does she particularly dream of being smothered in riches and jewels – but deep down it has a slushy, sentimental heart as an incognito ‘Eddie’ escapes his princely duties and playboy lifestyle for a year at an American college, finds true love there with Paige (who is initially miffed that he didn’t tell her who he really was but sensibly gets used to the idea of having a princely boyfriend) and in the process grows from boy to man. Grown-ups may find it a bit too unbelievable (come on, how many girls would really be annoyed to discover their amour is a prince?) and cutesy, but a funny turn from Ben Miller as Eddie’s long-suffering butler almost makes up for the high level of silliness. A straight-to-DVD sequel starring Mably (but not Stiles) was filmed in 2006 (titled The Prince & Me II: The Royal Wedding) and was followed by two more sequels, A Royal Honeymoon (in which Eddie is now king and not played by Malby anymore) and Royal Adventures In Paradise. Note that each is less enjoyable than the one before.