Royal Matchmaker (2018 Hallmark Channel)

Royal Matchmaker

Synopsis (via Hallmark)

A struggling NYC matchmaker is hired by a king to find his son a suitable wife in time for a national celebration. As the clock ticks towards her deadline, the matchmaker finds him the perfect wife — only to realize that she’s fallen in love with him!

Thoughts

Kate is a matchmaker for True Loves Matchmaking and lives in New York! (If you couldn’t tell from the blatant NYC skyline and statue of liberty shots.) She is known as the Queen of Hearts and is a local celebrity. Kate has an assistant, Britney, who wears glasses and is all about the numbers. (But surprisingly blonde instead of a minority or redhead, brave choice Hallmark!) After matchmaking, Kate likes to get in her bed alone and read Jane Austen.

In a foreign place, we meet a handsome(ish) Prince Sebastian (who drives a red sports car) and King Edward they are talking all posh-like. For example:

Prince Sebastian: I beg your pardon?

King Edward: Pardon denied.

Apparently, the prince is never in his home country and is not about pomp and circumstance. It is time for him to settle down and find a queen. Prince Sebastian doesn’t know where to start with his dating mission—not because he isn’t a ladies man already. Lucky for him, his butler, or something, Victor, finds True Love Matchmaking and pitches them to King Edward. He immediately Skypes Kate to talk about the time restraints (they only have four weeks until the Royal Jubilee Celebration), and he offers to give them publicity if it works. Kate and Britney agree and head to Voldavia.

While walking from the train, because you have to take a train, Britney quizzes Kate on Prince Sebastian facts, where we learn:

His mother passed away when he was 19.
Had a degree in political science and has been traveling around the world
Favorite things to do are adventure sports
He has never been photographed with the same woman twice.

At the castle, Victor and his creepy son (Rudy) welcome them and introduces them to Prince Sebastian. Kate and Sebastian are left alone in the study and they get off to a rocky start. He insists she call him your highness and starts an inquisition into her credentials. Kate is sort of bumbling in an adorable way, trying to be professional while getting nothing but surleyness. She awkwardly curtseys on her way out. They continue their conversation during dinner and then a stroll. Prince Sebastian wants Kate to just find some girls to please his father; she wants to get to know him better. He is resistant to her questions and turns the tables on her and asks her why she isn’t with anyone.

Meanwhile, Britney tries a different tactic and goes to Victor to try and find out more about the prince.

Prince Sebastian agrees to let Kate follow him around for a day to get a better idea of who he is. They head to the community center and meet Lorraine, who happens to know Victor. Then they go to a ribbon cutting. They have cute chemistry, mainly due to Lenz’s acting and good comedic timing. She is a natural.

While looking for suitable dates, Kate also convinces Victor that he should date Lorraine because he has a lot to offer and deserves to find love too. Kate arranges a speed dating kind of situation with the three women she has chosen for him. She tells him to feel the butterflies, which he doesn’t understand. Then she continues to say lots of love cliches. “Open up your heart and love will come,” and stuff like that.

The dates don’t go well and Prince Sebastian isn’t interested in any of the women that Kate has picked for him. Kate has another trick up her sleeve, Petra! She decides to make this date more casual. Kate sets up a date at a restaurant in town, and on her way out she realizes that she might have more feelings for him than she had thought.

Britney, remember her, asks Kate if she is developing feelings for the prince. Kate is unnerved and roams around the palace in her bunny slippers. Of course, she runs into Prince Sebastian and he tells her that the date went well. Kate’s gut is telling her something else, despite the numbers indicating Petra., but she ignores it and is convinced that Petra is the one.

Petra and Sebastian go on a horse and carriage ride and talk in the woods by the lake. They actually have a lot in common because they are both blue bloods. It is effortless and the prince is excited to be headed in the right direction. He tells Kate that she has opened his eyes and he believes in the power of matchmaking and thanks her. He kisses her hand and then he too realizes that maybe he has feeling for her. (King Edward also sees from the window!)

Kate is crying in the room with Britney because she knows now that she loves him. Britney tells her that they are 95% compatible. What can she do though? Petra is meeting King Edward in the afternoon. The king tells him to follow the call of love. This sends the prince to Kate and begs her to tell him what to do. She tells him to do what is right for him, and he decides that he will propose to Petra at the ball.

At the ball, Prince Sebastian is looking for Kate. She is not at the ball but on her way back to New York waiting on a train platform. King Edward won’t let Kate get away that easily and plays matchmaker himself. He tells Kate that she is his son’s happily ever after, and he is paying her to get the job done.

Petra notices that Prince Sebastian has been looking for Kate all night. She tells him that they should just be friends and leaves. Kate arrives in a pink strapless dress with long gloves on. After some speeches by the king and the prince, Prince Sebastian proposes to Kate, and they dance a waltz. (Pretty well, actually!)

The end!

Side Note

The castle used for this movie was also used for the TV movies: A Princess for Christmas (2011), A Christmas Prince (2017) and A Prince for Christmas (2015).

Joy Lenz is just off a guest appearance on Grey’s Anatomy as Matthew Morrison’s abused wife. She did a really good job, so I was looking forward to her in a Hallmark Movie.

Lots of tea drinking in this movie.

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Overall rating

❤️ ❤️ ❤️ (3 Hearts)

🍷🍷🍷 (3 glasses of wine required)