Aldovia, Penglia, the Castle & ALL the locations where A Christmas Prince was filmed
Posted by Ra Moon
You may be wondering if Aldovia and its counterpart, the Kingdom of Penglia, exist. Unlike Moldova and Moldavia, the land where the cheesiest royal family lives is a made-up country.
The fairy tale world of the Netflix movie series A Christmas Prince was primarily filmed at the splendid Peleş Castle in Romania.
The fairy tale world of the Netflix movie series A Christmas Prince was primarily filmed at the splendid Peleş Castle in Romania.
Apparently, Aldovia and Penglia are located somewhere in old Europe, more specifically next to Latvia and Lithuania (although in fact, only Belarus has a border with both Baltic nations).
The Royal Baby ended the trilogy that started in 2017 with the hit romantic comedy after the 2018 sequel subtitled The Royal Wedding.
Here is our royal guide to the filming locations of A Christmas Prince. (Almost) no spoilers ahead!
Welcome to Aldovia: The A Christmas Prince Castle
The monarchs of Aldovia have their official residence in Peleş Castle, located in the beautiful town of Sinaia (Romania).
Nestled in the Carpathian Mountains between the capital Bucharest and the historical city of Brasov, this is one of the most stunning castles in the country.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Tiberiu Sahlean - Map
Image courtesy of Tiberiu Sahlean - Map
Built between 1873 and 1914, this neo-Renaissance masterpiece was designed not as a fortress but as the summer retreat for the first king of Romania, Carol I.
During the first years of the Communist regime, the castle was used by Ceauşescu and the cultural elites as a recreation and resting place.
This national landmark turned into a museum in 1953 until it was closed down from 1975 to 1990. Nowadays it belongs to the former Romanian royal family once again.
Several scenes at the Aldovian royal residence were filmed in the entrance and the courtyard of Peles Castle, featuring gorgeous statues.
The interior rooms are also spectacular and are very well preserved (the site is a big tourist attraction), having never been sacked or destroyed.
The Peles Castle is located less than five miles away from Cantacuzino Castle, the location where Wednesday was filmed.
However, the interior of the palace was filmed somewhere else: the Cotroceni Palace (or Palatul Cotroceni in Romanian) is today a national museum.
This impressive complex is located next to the official residence of the President of Romania in Bucharest.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map
Several rooms and halls of Cotroceni, including the monumental staircase, were used to film scenes taking place in the noble residence of Aldovia.
Built in 1895, this is the former Royal Palace of Romania's rulers.
Several scenes, including the press conference outside the elegant governmental building, were filmed at the Romanian Athenaeum.
Opened in 1888, this magnificent concert hall in the center of Bucharest is a landmark that witnessed the opulent days before the war, when the city was known as the Paris of the East.
Image courtesy of Netflix and Brigitte Djajasasmita - Map
Where was A Christmas Prince filmed?
Bucharest's Aurel Vlaicu International Airport doubles as the Aldovia International Airport.
This was the original airport of the city, now only used for private flights.
This terminal building with a grand central dome designed in the late 1940s opened in 1952.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map
The holiday festival to benefit the Saint Joseph Orphanage was filmed at the period buildings at the gates of the Peleș Castle complex.
The fictional kingdom of Montenaro from the movie The Princess Switch was also partially filmed in Romania.
We should add The Royal Treatment's country of Lavania, filmed in New Zealand, to the list of Netflix's invented nations.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map
The scene pictured, also from the first installment, was filmed at the Bragadiru Palace.
This early 20th-century leisure complex used to be one of the cultural centers of Bucharest.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map
The coronation scene was filmed at Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest.
Established in 1857, this is one of the largest and oldest institutions of its kind in the country.
Image courtesy of Netflix - Map
What about The Royal Wedding church? By law, it is not possible to use a church for filming movies in Romania.
So the filmmakers recorded the scene on a soundstage at Castel Film Studios in Bucharest, using the same set featured in The Nun movie (compare the rose window in the lower scene).
Image courtesy of Netflix and Warner Bros.
There is life beyond Aldovia and Penglia in the universe of A Christmas Prince: the journalist-turned-Queen's-dad works at Ruby's Diner restaurant.
Some establishing footage was filmed in New York City, but at Atlas of Wonders, we reckon that the diner scenes were also filmed in a studio set.
The movie stars Rose McIver (iZombie, Once Upon a Time) as Queen Amber and Ben Lamb (Now You See Me 2, The White Queen) as prince charming King Richard.
Can you help to improve this article about the filming locations of A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby?
Have you been to the real Aldovia? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!
NOTICE: If you’re using this information on your website, please credit and link to this page as a source.
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Have you been to the real Aldovia? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!
NOTICE: If you’re using this information on your website, please credit and link to this page as a source.
*****
7 comments:
1- Anonymous - December 11, 2020 at 12:45 AM
Aldovia is actually many Balkan countries.
2- Hal’s - February 18, 2021 at 6:19 PM
I love Aldovia, I hope they will make the 4th movie!
3- Anonymous - June 18, 2021 at 5:54 PM
“In fact, only Russia has a border with both Baltic nations” - Really? A fact is that Belarus, not Russia borders both countries.
4- Anonymous - Dec 15, 2021, 9:47 PM
What about the theater where Princess Emily is participating in an Aldovian Christmas play, where the light suddenly goes out mid rehearsals? It is in film no.2 'The Royal Wedding' at appr. 33min.
5- Anonymous - Dec 1, 2022, 10:54 AM
Hello, there’s a game that they play in the film A Christmas Prince Royal Baby, “top of the tree classic Aldovian Christmas game”. Does this game exist like in the film?
6- Romanian - Dec 10, 2022, 4:36 PM
I am from Romania and all places are super beautiful!
7- Anonymous - Jan 4, 2023, 10:39 AM
The Christmas Prince movies are all really good. Who acted as the baby?
1- Anonymous - December 11, 2020 at 12:45 AM
Aldovia is actually many Balkan countries.
2- Hal’s - February 18, 2021 at 6:19 PM
I love Aldovia, I hope they will make the 4th movie!
3- Anonymous - June 18, 2021 at 5:54 PM
“In fact, only Russia has a border with both Baltic nations” - Really? A fact is that Belarus, not Russia borders both countries.
4- Anonymous - Dec 15, 2021, 9:47 PM
What about the theater where Princess Emily is participating in an Aldovian Christmas play, where the light suddenly goes out mid rehearsals? It is in film no.2 'The Royal Wedding' at appr. 33min.
5- Anonymous - Dec 1, 2022, 10:54 AM
Hello, there’s a game that they play in the film A Christmas Prince Royal Baby, “top of the tree classic Aldovian Christmas game”. Does this game exist like in the film?
6- Romanian - Dec 10, 2022, 4:36 PM
I am from Romania and all places are super beautiful!
7- Anonymous - Jan 4, 2023, 10:39 AM
The Christmas Prince movies are all really good. Who acted as the baby?
Ra Moon
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