In 2018, Netflix’s The Princess Switch struck a chord with viewers as Vanessa Hudgens played two characters (Stacy De Novo and Lady Margaret Delacourt) who had no relation but looked identical to each other. Due to their “twinning” looks, the two swapped places for their own benefit. The series launched a sequel and most recently, a third movie to the franchise.

The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star was released in November 2021 and follows a third character portrayed by Hudgens, Lady Fiona Pembroke. The three women join forces to find the missing Star of Peace before the Christmas festival. Fans who flock to movies like The Princess Switch have a plethora of similar movies to choose from, whether it’s holiday-related or not.

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The ‘A Christmas Prince’ Trilogy (2017-2019)

• Available on Netflix

Netflix’s A Christmas Prince followed the premise of a young journalist named Amber traveling to Aldovia to get an undercover scoop on the country’s potential king, Prince Richard. Amber takes the identity of Prince Richard’s sister’s tutor as a way to get close to the family and she inevitably falls in love with Richard.

The movie did so well that Netflix pumped out three movies around the fictional family. Fans were excited about The Christmas Prince 3 because it showed Amber and Richard as soon-to-be parents involved in a mystery. Just like The Princess Switch 3, A Christmas Prince has mystery, royalty, love, and the theme of Christmas throughout.

The Parent Trap (1998)

• Available on Disney+

The Parent Trap is one of those ’90s films that stills holds up today and is known as one of those classic feel-good films. Lindsay Lohan played Hallie Parker and Annie James, twin girls who were separated at a young age after their parents split up. The two didn’t know about each other until they randomly bumped into each other at summer camp.

While Stacy De Novo and Lady Margaret Delacourt aren’t twins in The Princess Switch, they are most likely distant relatives and look so much alike they may as well be twins. Both movies involve the girls switching places with each other to help the other. It doesn’t hurt that both films have feel-good endings.

Monte Carlo (2011)

• Available for rent on Apple TV, Amazon, and Google Play

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Similar to Vanessa Hudgens in all three of the Princess Switch movies, Selena Gomez plays two characters in Monte Carlo, Grace Bennett and Cordelia Winthrop-Scott. The movie was one of Selena Gomez’s most beloved roles.

In the 2011 film, Grace, her best friend, and stepsister head to Paris for summer vacation when they realize that Grace looks just like a popular European socialite, Cordelia Winthrop-Scott. Grace proceeded to act like Cordelia as she and her friends are whisked away to Monte Carlo for an adventure of a lifetime. There’s switching places, romance, and European scenery to tie both movies together.

Christmas Wedding Planner (2017)

• Available on Netflix

Netflix’s Christmas Wedding Planner didn’t involve women that looked alike switching places, but it did involve a wedding, private investigating, and Christmas. The premise and the acting could have been easily mistaken for a Hallmark Christmas movie.

In the movie, Kelsey is the wedding planner for her cousin’s wedding. Along the way, she found out her new acquaintance was her cousin’s ex, Connor, and was potentially sabotaging the wedding. As it turned out, Connor was actually privately investigating Kelsey’s cousin’s fiance, which added a touch of mystery and intrigue to the storyline — much like The Princess Switch.

Freaky Friday (2003)

• Available on Disney+

In 2003, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan played mother-daughter duo, Tess and Anna Coleman in Freaky Friday. The two couldn’t have been more different from each other, and when a freaky situation occurs around a fortune cookie, the two switch places.

They both had to pretend to be the other while in each other’s bodies while simultaneously figuring out how to switch back. While Stacy, Margaret, and Fiona weren’t stuck in each other’s bodies in The Princess Switch, they did have to pretend to be the other to get things done.

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A Castle For Christmas (2021)

• Available on Netflix

A Castle for Christmas is a Netflix holiday movie that’s releasing in November 2021. It follows author Sophie Brown who escaped to Scotland to get reacquainted with an old castle her grandfather talked about when she was a child. While she was there, she learned the castle was up for sale but its owner, the Duke of Dunbar, won’t give it away so easily.

Sophie doesn’t switch places with anyone like in The Princess Switch but its focus of a North American falling in love with European royalty around Christmas does mimic Stacy De Novo’s romance with Prince Edward.

Wish Upon A Star (1996)

• Available on Prime Video, Roku, YouTube Free, Hoopla

In 1996, Katherine Heigl and Danielle Harris played sisters, Alexia and Hayley Wheaton, in Wish Upon a Star. The pair were of different ages, heights, and had nothing in common. And yet, they were both unhappy enough to wish for a different future on a shooting star. The young women woke up in each other’s bodies the following morning and quickly realized how hard life was for the other. The ending made them appreciate the other more, making it a feel-good movie in the ’90s.

In The Princess Switch movies, Stacy De Novo and Lady Margaret Delacourt also find out how different their lives are while pretending to be the other. The same can be said in The Princess Switch 3 when Margaret and Fiona switch places.

Seventeen Again (2000)

• Available on Hoopla, PlutoTV, Roku

Seventeen Again starred the Mowry siblings, Tia, Tamera, and Tahj Mowry. Fans of Sister, Sister flocked to this film to see more of the Mowry twins. Nevertheless, in the movie, Willie (Tahj Mowry) is brilliant for his young age and found a way to reduce the aging process. But when his experiment went wrong, he transformed his grandmother, Cat (Tamera Mowry), into her younger self, which looked exactly like his sister Sydney (Tia Mowry).

With Cat being 17 again and looking exactly like Sydney, trouble and confusion follows. The mistaken identity and curiosity for what life is like for another person matches The Princess Switch. 

The Hot Chick (2002)

• Available on Tubi

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In The Princess Switch 3, the three women (Fiona, Margaret, and Stacy) wound up in trouble when pretending to be the other. The Hot Chick has a similar premise but the reverse roles weren’t on purpose.

When high school teenager Jessica Spencer (Rachel McAdams) bought magical earrings that had the ability to swap places with whoever wore the other earring, she unintentionally switched places with a thief named Clive (Rob Schneider). The two threw themselves into their new lives while trying to find a way back to normalcy. The hilarious movie is edgier than Princess Switch but was one of the best chick flicks of the 2000s.

A Prince For Christmas (2015)

• Available on Peacock, Prime Video, Roku, Tubi, DirecTV

This Starz network movie was released in 2015 and revolved around a Christmas wedding, royalty, and false identities — just like The Princess Switch.

When David realized he didn’t want a traditional arranged marriage on behalf of his royal family, he escaped to America where he met and fell in love with Emma. But when Emma found out who he truly was, there was trouble in paradise. The common tope happened in The Princess Switch when Edward found out who Stacy really was, and Kevin found out who Margaret really was.

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About The Author


Lynn Gibbs
(1653 Articles Published)

Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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