Is Cindy Busby Actually the One Singing in GAFamily's "Crown Prince of Christmas?"

Crown Prince of Christmas Plot Summary

A would-be singer ropes her co-worker into pretending to be a prince after she makes a careless joke to her family about dating the prince of a small European nation.

Starring:  Cindy Busby and Jilon VanOver

My Movie Grade:  A

Image:  Great American Media

Crown Prince of Christmas Has a Fun Twist 

While some rom-com fans complain that they've gorged on so many royal romances they can't stomach another one, the rest of us are insatiable when it comes to fairytales about princes (or princesses) finding true love.

Madison Little (Busby) and her friend Sebastian (VanOver) have been working together at The Garland hotel for a year.  When the royal family of Luxenworth chooses The Garland for their annual Christmas gala, the entire staff rushes to prepare for their arrival.  Madison and Sebastain have such synergy together that their boss promises to promote Sebastian to head doorman and Madison to concierge after the holidays. 

The local paper reports on the imminent visitation of the royal family, noting that Prince Andreas Magnus purportedly lives somewhere in the city but has never been photographed...until recently. The article includes his blurry picture.

When Madison's family meets Sebastian, they immediately recognize him from the photo and expose him to Madison, who laughs off their wild supposition.  Sebastian "plays along" and asks them to keep his identity quiet.  Madison assumes he's joking so she participates in the charade, especially when she sees how proud her family is of her for landing such an important suitor.

Through it all, Madison and Sebastian admit they are falling for one another, but Madison worries her feelings aren't genuine.  After all, she's known Sebastian for a year and has never thought of him romantically until he "impersonates" a prince.  Is she simply caught up in a fairytale that isn't real?

When Madison finally admits to her family that Sebastian is just a co-worker and not royalty, they are baffled because they know he's the prince and have to convince her that it's true.

It's such a fun movie because the prince is hiding in plain sight.  He pretends to be a prince, but he's not really pretending.  Madison treats him like a prince, even though she thinks he's not.  It's like multiple stories within a story--a tangled web that somehow makes sense thanks to the crafting of great script writers.

Is It Really Cindy Busby Singing in Crown Prince of Christmas?

Madison dreams of being a singer, but there's one problem--she's too afraid to sing in front of other people.  She only sings when she thinks no one is listening or when she has her eyes closed.

In exchange for training him to "act" like the Prince of Luxenworth, Sebastian helps Madison overcome her stage fright.  The headliner for the royal family's gala has cancelled, and Sebastian is determined that Madison will secure the spot.

While visiting Central Park, Madison finally finds her courage, and Sebastian records her singing O, Holy Night, which earns her the honor of singing for the king and queen.

At the gala, Madison wows the crowd with her rendition of Silent Night.

If you are wondering if Cindy Busby is actually the one singing, the answer is YES!   

In an exclusive interview with Assignment X, Busby shares she did a lot of vocal work to prepare for the role.  Busby has starred in scores of rom-coms, but seeing her sing is something new for viewers, which is a pleasant surprise.  

Busby reveals in her interview, I absolutely love singing, but it’s always been more of a hobby for me. I studied it in theater school and I’ve done voice lessons too, but it’s more for fun, and something I do when no one’s watching. I find singing to be a very vulnerable experience, which makes me feel nervous when I have to do it in front of people, but getting out of my comfort zone was exactly what drew me to this project, and I’m so happy with how it all turned out.

What do you think of Busby's vocal performance?  Share your thoughts in the comment section!

Crown Prince of Christmas Is One of My Faves, But....

Crown Prince of Christmas is one of my favorite original movies in the 2022 Great American Christmas line-up, but I must affectionately roast the movie in a couple areas.

First, Madison has two sisters, but her parents constantly fawn over her alone--right in front of them.  In real life, her siblings would likely grow jealous and resentful, but in rom-com land, they are only too elated for her to have the spotlight at all times.  

Second, to sing for royalty, hosts of well-known celebrities would be vying for the opportunity, yet Madison has no competitors.  Madison can carry a tune, but her voice is nothing spectacular, so the odds of her being selected are remote.  Despite her mediocrity, the crowd at the gala bursts into applause and gives her a standing ovation.  The king claims he hasn't heard a voice like hers since Frank Sinatra.  Right.  I guess we are supposed to pretend she's spectacular so the story can work.

The Prince kisses Madison in front of all the gala attendees--isn't this breaking some kind of royal decorum?

Finally, the Prince utters a well-known Luxenworth platitude, which, translated, means may luck be your Christmas indeed.  This makes no sense.  We're talking about Christmas, not St. Patrick's Day and the luck of the Irish. I think writers could have come up with a more profound statement than that.

The chemistry shared by Busby and VanOver is tangible, thanks to the two spending time together prior to filming to get to know one another, have fun, and laugh.  The connection the two made behind the scenes helped create authentic characters onscreen.

 

Now, let's grab some traditional Luxenworth peppermint chocolate biscuits and see what's playing on Great American Family next!

Image:  Great American Media