A Princess for Christmas

Beautiful Jules Daly (Katie McGrath) is an antique store worker in Buffalo, New York who becomes the legal guardian of her niece Maddie (Leilah de Meza) and nephew Milo (Travis Turner) after the loss of her sister and brother-in-law in a tragic accident. Maddie is a fun-loving girl and Milo is a rebel and troublemaking teenager. After Jules gets fired by Arthur due to financial problems and the children's babysitter Mrs. Kelly quits following Maddie's pranks, Jules reprimands Maddie for driving the nanny away and grounds Milo for sneaking out, shoplifting a game, and decapitating Maddie's doll to keep her quiet. In addition, Milo doesn't want to go get a Christmas tree with Jules due to the fact that Christmas reminds him of his parents' death.

Paisley Winterbottom (Miles Richardson) the butler of the children's wealthy grandfather, Duke Edward (Roger Moore) appears with an invitation for Milo and Maddie to spend the Christmas holidays with his employer in the country of Castlebury. Jules initially refuses, as the Duke disowned his son because he married Jules's sister and has never even met the children. However, she decides to go for the children's sake when Paisley claims that the Duke is ill.

Arriving at the palace where the Duke is in good health, and Paisley admits to Jules that he "embellished" the Duke's illness a bit to get them to come. The Duke is however, overcome briefly with emotion when he sees Milo and Maddie. "The children look just like Charles." Jules also meets Prince Ashton (Sam Heughan), the brother of her sister's husband Charles and falls in love with him. Looking around, she finds no Christmas trees and asks the Duke why there are none. He replies he doesn't like them. However, Jules takes Maddie out to get a tree and then they all decorate it. Edward finds out and becomes furious until Maddie hands him an ornament, which turns out to be the same one his brother had given him when they were children. Finally appreciating the spirit of the season, he tells Paisley to send invitations out for a Christmas Eve ball.

While teaching Milo archery, Ashton talks about his brother Charles and how the Duke disowned him for marrying Jules' sister which led to Jules' resentment towards the Duke. Milo manages to enter a room that he noticed earlier was locked. It turns out to be his father's room. When Milo asks Ashton why the Duke keeps it locked, Ashton sadly tells him that the Duke locked the room due to both his grief and shame. Grief over losing his oldest son and shame over the fact that he never tried to reach out due to his own pride before his tragic death. Milo tearfully confides in Ashton that he is terrified of forgetting his father, thus explaining his troublemaking behavior. "Every day, his face gets further and further away!" Ashton assures Milo that he won't forget his father because his father lives inside him. He also tells Milo that he is just like Charles. Maddie meanwhile manages to warm her grandfather's heart enough to get him to change his opinion towards Christmas. As their stay continues, both Jules and the children continue to bring life and joy back to the castle. Something that hasn't happened since the Duke disowned Charles.

Overhearing Ashton and Edward speaking disapprovingly of someone "untitled" and "crass" they'd rather not invite to the ball, Jules mistakenly believes it to be about her, though they are actually talking about someone else.

When the staff accidentally burns Jules' dress, she takes this as an excuse not to attend. Jules, feeling unwelcome, decides to go back to the USA early only telling the children. Despite their efforts to make her stay, she leaves, asking them not to tell anyone until she is gone. The housekeeper Mrs. Birch (Razvan Oprea) finds that Jules is missing. So she and Paisley lead some members of the staff to retrieve her. They pick her up the train station while also having a dress brought in from Vienna.

Meanwhile at the ball, Ashton verifies his girlfriend, Lady Arabella only wants him for his title. Jules arrives at the ball. When Ashton finds her, she says she is trying to not be an embarrassment. Confused, he asks for an explanation. After Jules explains her eavesdropping, Ashton clears things up, noting that the woman they called an "awful grizzly woman" was Bunny McCracken (Anva Varlan), who hates children. They then dance. Arabella and her parents unsuccessfully attempt to turn Edward and Ashton against Jules, then storm out. Ashton asks Jules to extend their stay and she agrees.

The family then goes and "catches" Santa putting gifts under the Christmas tree. Sometime later, Jules and Ashton are married, and their friends and family watch as they ride off in a coach together.

• Roger Moore as Edward, the Duke of Castlebury.
• Katie McGrath as Jules Daly, the daughter-in-law of Edward.
• Sam Heughan as Prince Ashton, the prince of Castlebury and son of Edward.
• Charlotte Salt as Lady Arabella Marchand du Belmont, the girlfriend of Prince Ashton.
• Leilah de Meza as Maddie Huntington, the niece of Jules and the granddaughter of Edward.
• Travis Turner as Milo Huntington, the nephew of Jules and the grandson of Edward.
• Miles Richardson as Paisley Winterbottom, a butler who works for Edward.
• Maria Junghietu as Mrs. Kelly, the former babysitter of Milo and Maddie.
• Oxana Moravic as Mrs Birch, a housekeeper who works for Edward.
• Madalina Anea as Abigail, a housemaid who works for Edward.
• Florin Busuioc as Lord du Belmont, the father of Lady Arabella.
• Anca Varlan as Bunny McCracken, a grizzly woman who hates children that Edward and Ashton disapprove of.

In August 2008, writer and director Michael Damian told OK Magazine that he was "working on a screenplay called Christmas At Castlebury Hall".[1] The film was shot at Peleş Castle, Stirbei Castle, the Bragadiru Palace[2] and at MediaPro Studios in Bucharest, Romania February and March 2011. The film's cinematographer is Viorel Sergovici.[3]
On July 16, Michael Damian announced the film's new name: A Princess for Christmas.[4]

• A Princess for Christmas at IMDb
• A Princess for Christmas at AllMovie
• A Princess for Christmas at the TCM Movie Database