ltspada
This review may contain spoilers
This was a wonderful spin on a fairytale like story
10/10 is my rating. This is a 2006 South Korean television series, with 24, 60 minute episodes. starring Yoon Eun-hye, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Jeong-hoon and Song Ji-hyo.
a spin-off, Prince Hours, was broadcast in 2007.
The show is based on the premise and a "what if" scenario of modern Korea having retained its monarchy - much like England. The series centers around the royal family and, primarily, the lives of the young royals. Crown Prince, Lee Shin (Ju Jii-hoon) is being positioned to take on the role of Emperor as his father, the current Emperor, is ailing. This rushes the need for Shin to find a suitable marriage partner as he is on the verge of stepping into the role he has been preparing for nearly his entire life. Shin had the opportunity to select a bride of his choice, but his girlfriend, Hyo-rin (Song Ji-hyo) rejects his proposal as she knows becoming the Crown Princess would necessitate her giving up on her dream of becoming a famous ballerina.
With no other personal marriage prospects, the crown reverts to fulfilling a promise made by Shin's grandfather (the former Emperor) to his friend, to have one of his heirs to the throne marry one of his family. Shin Chae-kyeong (Yoon Eun-hye) is a commoner who is of marriage age in the line of the former Emperor's friend. Her family and her are struggling financially so she accepts the opportunity to marry the crown prince to better her families situation. However, Chae-kyeong has a long way to go in training to fill the role of Crown Princess and, eventually, wife to the Emperor. Word spreads that there is soon to be a succession in the throne and Lady Hwa-young (Shim Hye-jin) decides to return from a 14 year exile with her son. Royal matters are complex and Lady Hwa-young was actually the crown princess with her son, Lee Yul (Kim Jeong-hoon), the crown prince and next in line for the throne. However, Lady Hwa-young's husband, Crown Prince Lee Soo, died in an accident and the royals had to leave the palace based on the royal regulation which required no two Princes reside in the castle. Or at least that was the reason provided at the time (that mystery is revealed throughout the course of the series). Lady Hwa-young deploys a series of plots designed to return her son to what she feels is his rightful place as next in line.
The life of a royal is not always easy and isolation is a big problem for some. Loneliness drives Shin to develop an arrogant, cold and aloof exterior. His mannerisms are very hard for his young wife who is a newcomer on the royal scene. Her loneliness and sadness leads her to befriend Lee Yul who experienced similar loneliness in his exile. The young married couple are very different in their life approach and Chae-kyeong finds herself repeatedly drawn to Lee Yul as someone she can more easily relate to, whereas Lee Shin finds himself drawn back to his love, Hyo-rin. Having a change of hear, Hyo-rin is determined to win Shin back and is ready to give up her dream of being a ballerina to take on the role of Crown Princess. Through all the push and pull of outside forces, the young couple begin to develop feelings for each other although each is not fully aware of the other's feelings nor fully in acknowledgement themselves.
Can love grow and survive in such a turbulent environment? Scandal after scandal follows the young royals as they learn how to navigate the social realities of being a royal. Who will be next in line? Does anyone want the responsibility that goes along with the heavy crown?
Spoiler 🚨 I really liked this series. So much that I was sad when it was ending. It is a little bit Cinderella in nature - but not quite. It gives a real sense of what it might be like to be in a position, such as a royal, where you cannot think and act outwardly, as everyone else does. The saying "it is lonely at the top" definitely comes to mind. In the United States the closest thing we have are celebrities and I observe that young celebrities are subject to a high degree of criticism when really they are acting no different than a lot of young people their ages. You give a young person a lot of power and money and the chance they will make mistakes just magnifies. The love story is well developed, believable and cute. This is one of my favorites!
a spin-off, Prince Hours, was broadcast in 2007.
The show is based on the premise and a "what if" scenario of modern Korea having retained its monarchy - much like England. The series centers around the royal family and, primarily, the lives of the young royals. Crown Prince, Lee Shin (Ju Jii-hoon) is being positioned to take on the role of Emperor as his father, the current Emperor, is ailing. This rushes the need for Shin to find a suitable marriage partner as he is on the verge of stepping into the role he has been preparing for nearly his entire life. Shin had the opportunity to select a bride of his choice, but his girlfriend, Hyo-rin (Song Ji-hyo) rejects his proposal as she knows becoming the Crown Princess would necessitate her giving up on her dream of becoming a famous ballerina.
With no other personal marriage prospects, the crown reverts to fulfilling a promise made by Shin's grandfather (the former Emperor) to his friend, to have one of his heirs to the throne marry one of his family. Shin Chae-kyeong (Yoon Eun-hye) is a commoner who is of marriage age in the line of the former Emperor's friend. Her family and her are struggling financially so she accepts the opportunity to marry the crown prince to better her families situation. However, Chae-kyeong has a long way to go in training to fill the role of Crown Princess and, eventually, wife to the Emperor. Word spreads that there is soon to be a succession in the throne and Lady Hwa-young (Shim Hye-jin) decides to return from a 14 year exile with her son. Royal matters are complex and Lady Hwa-young was actually the crown princess with her son, Lee Yul (Kim Jeong-hoon), the crown prince and next in line for the throne. However, Lady Hwa-young's husband, Crown Prince Lee Soo, died in an accident and the royals had to leave the palace based on the royal regulation which required no two Princes reside in the castle. Or at least that was the reason provided at the time (that mystery is revealed throughout the course of the series). Lady Hwa-young deploys a series of plots designed to return her son to what she feels is his rightful place as next in line.
The life of a royal is not always easy and isolation is a big problem for some. Loneliness drives Shin to develop an arrogant, cold and aloof exterior. His mannerisms are very hard for his young wife who is a newcomer on the royal scene. Her loneliness and sadness leads her to befriend Lee Yul who experienced similar loneliness in his exile. The young married couple are very different in their life approach and Chae-kyeong finds herself repeatedly drawn to Lee Yul as someone she can more easily relate to, whereas Lee Shin finds himself drawn back to his love, Hyo-rin. Having a change of hear, Hyo-rin is determined to win Shin back and is ready to give up her dream of being a ballerina to take on the role of Crown Princess. Through all the push and pull of outside forces, the young couple begin to develop feelings for each other although each is not fully aware of the other's feelings nor fully in acknowledgement themselves.
Can love grow and survive in such a turbulent environment? Scandal after scandal follows the young royals as they learn how to navigate the social realities of being a royal. Who will be next in line? Does anyone want the responsibility that goes along with the heavy crown?
Spoiler 🚨 I really liked this series. So much that I was sad when it was ending. It is a little bit Cinderella in nature - but not quite. It gives a real sense of what it might be like to be in a position, such as a royal, where you cannot think and act outwardly, as everyone else does. The saying "it is lonely at the top" definitely comes to mind. In the United States the closest thing we have are celebrities and I observe that young celebrities are subject to a high degree of criticism when really they are acting no different than a lot of young people their ages. You give a young person a lot of power and money and the chance they will make mistakes just magnifies. The love story is well developed, believable and cute. This is one of my favorites!
Was this review helpful to you?
