How Meghan Markle Inspired Netflix’s ‘A Christmas Prince 2’ Actress

Netflix’s 2017 royal romance, “A Christmas Prince,” was enjoyed by so many that the streaming service decided to make a sequel, “A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding,” which was released on Friday.

As the title suggests, it’s all about a royal wedding ceremony, between Prince Richard (Ben Lamb) and his American fiancée, Amber (Rose McIver). With a storyline so similar to the real-life romance between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who got married in May, McIver mentioned in a new interview that she actually thought a lot about the Duchess of Sussex while filming the Christmas movie.

“Certainly by the time the royal wedding film came up, I had a great look at this young woman who’s shaking up patriarchy and old-fashioned values and bringing a modern eye to what can be quite a dated regime sometimes,” McIver told Glamour.

She continued: “She was an inspiration, and we were all on the edge of our seats, watching to see what she’d wear [to her wedding to Prince Harry]. But I had never actually followed royal weddings or anything growing up, so it was new to me. To see the size and the grandeur was pretty incredible.”

While McIver noted that her “A Christmas Prince 2” character wasn’t based on the royal mother-to-be, she did reveal that she still researched the Duchess of Sussex a little bit. Aside from learning more about the “Suits” alum by simply following the news, she also realized, through the filming of her two royal movies, some of what it takes for Markle to be in such a public marriage.

“A relationship can be hard at many times but even harder when you’re scrutinized by everybody around you,” she told the outlet. “I’m very grateful that I don’t have a relationship that’s crazy out-there in the public eye or anything. I think those people are up for a very challenging journey.”

Fans can now stream “A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding” on Netflix.