‘The Royal Nanny’: The Hallmark Christmas Movie Was Filmed in Belgium
Hallmark Channel’s latest royal Christmas romance premieres Nov. 12. The Royal Nanny stars Rachel Skarsten as an MI5 agent named Claire. Following a credible threat to the monarchy just a few weeks before Christmas, she goes undercover to protect the young heirs to the throne. Though the movie is set in the U.K., it was actually filmed in Belgium.
What is ‘The Royal Nanny’ about?
Once Claire gets her unusual assignment in The Royal Nanny, she goes to work inside Kensington Palace. She gets a crash course in nannying from Ms. Lansbury (Greta Scacchi), who has spent the past three decades training the caretakers for the royal family.
Unfortunately, Clarie’s royal charges prove to be quite a handful. Both Princess Elle (Isabelle Wilson) and Prince Robert (Phoenix Laroche) are eager to send the new nanny packing. Claire relies on a combination of her spy skills and nanny training to get the kids in line and make the lives of everyone in the royal household better. At the same time, a spark grows between Claire and Prince Colin (Dan Jeannotte), the younger brother of Princess Rose (Kate Sheridan), the mother of Claire’s charges and the heir to the throne.
However, things get complicated when MI5 wrongly suspects a member of the royal family of plotting against the throne. Claire puts her career, as well as her life, on the line to protect both the royal family and the man she is falling in love with.
The Hallmark Christmas movie was filmed in Belgium
In an Instagram post, Skarsten talked about reuniting with her Reign co-star Jeannotte to work on the Hallmark movie. (Skarsten played Queen Elizabeth I and Jeannotte played Mary, Queen of Scots’ younger brother James Stewart in the CW series.)
“I had the absolute pleasure of reuniting with my darling Reign costar [Dan Jeannotte] in beautiful Belgium to make The Royal Nanny,” she wrote. “The added bonus for me was the truly LOVELY cast, crew & director who made this experience tops.” She also shared some behind-the-scenes photos from the movie’s set.
Dan Jeannotte recalls filming ‘The Royal Nanny’ in Brussels
For Jeannotte, one of the perks of filming The Royal Nanny in Belgium was the opportunity to work with the local crew, he told the Hallmark Happenings Podcast (via YouTube).
Jeannotte is from Montreal and speaks French. That meant he and the crew could communicate in the same language – though the Belgians “giggled” at his Quebecois accent. He also had a chance to soak up the local culture and cuisine, enjoying Belgian waffles, chocolates, and “some great Belgian beers.”
Some of The Royal Nanny was filmed in Brussels, which Jeannotte described as “beautiful” and “a really cool city.” Other scenes were filmed at a castle about an hour outside of the city.
“It was a wonderful opportunity,” Jeannotte said. “Because I actually got to bring my wife and son with me and we had never been to Belgium before. It was a three-week unexpected European adventure.”
The Royal Nanny airs Saturday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel.
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
