The royal wedding is approaching fast, and many enthusiasts on both sides of the Atlantic are looking to get into the royal spirit.
On May 19, 2018, American actress Meghan Markle will marry Prince Harry and become a part of the British Royal Family. Markle, best known for portraying Rachel Zane on the legal drama Suits, is a rare addition to the monarchy’s head family, as she has been married and divorced before.
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In addition, Markle is only the second person of mixed race to marry British royalty. The first, way back in 1761, was Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Queen Charlotte married King George III, according to a report by refinery29, and historians are fairly certain she was “directly descended from Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a black branch of the Portuguese Royal House.”
Still, Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry of Wales is a historic one. In addition to the pageantry and elegance, many tune into the royal family’s developments for the stories. People are drawn to tales of royal life, and even in 2018, with the United Kingdom operating mainly under a parliamentary system, Markle is about to become royalty.
If May 19 still feels too far away, and you can’t wait to get a fix of that royal narrative, here’s a list of some of the best royal love stories you can watch in the meantime.
A Christmas Prince
Released just last year, A Christmas Prince follows a young journalist sent to report on a suave prince. Things get complicated, however, when she finds herself falling for the soon-to-be king. A Christmas Prince is streaming on Netflix.
The Crown
Another Netflix Original, The Crown is an acclaimed series following the political and personal life of Queen Elizabeth II. The stories are historically accurate, and while the show mainly traces the rise of a remarkable queen, it has no shortage of romance either.
Versailles
Versailles is a BBC drama following King Louis XIV of France. The seventeenth century king left his country bankrupt, but that is only the beginning of the story told on this show. The series is currently filming its third season, and the first two have been lauded as a binge-worthy masterpiece.
The Young Victoria
Emily Blunt plays a young queen in 2009’s The Young Victoria. While she went on to have a massive political and cultural influence on the world, the movie focuses on Queen Victoria’s uncertain years as her father’s only heir. The Young Victoria is streaming on Netflix.
The Royals
The Royals is an American-made soap opera following the lives of a fictional royal family in contemporary times. Filmed in London, the show is one of the E! network’s biggest properties. Its future is uncertain at the moment, as creator and showrunner Mark Schwahn was lambasted in the #MeToo movement, however the four existing seasons are available on Amazon Prime Video.
Royal Matchmaker
On the day of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding, the Hallmark Channel is airing a new royal romance movie called Royal Matchmaker. The movie follows a professional matchmaker who ends up falling for the prince she’s hired to set up herself.
William & Kate: The Movie
Prince William and Duchess Kate’s love story was encapulated perfectly in the Lifetime original movie William & Kate: The Movie. This will serve as a good lead-in to Lifetime’s Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance, which premieres on May 13.
The Princess Diaries
Of course, one of the most beloved tales of a normal person venturing into the realm of royalty is The Princess Diaries. One of Anne Hathaway’s break-out roles, it follows an average American girl as she discovers that she is the long-lost heir to a small royal family, and her journey to the throne.
The Tudors
The Tudors balances to the high-class lives of royalty with the brutality of life in 16th-century England. Four season of the drama are available on Netflix.
