Princess Hours
궁
MBC (2007) 24 Episodes
Fantasy Royal Family Story
Grade: A
Korean Drama Review by Jennifer, USA
(No End Spoilers)
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The perennial favorite drama of many Korean drama fans, Princess Hours (2007) is based on the premise of a scenario of modern South Korea having retained its monarchy - much like England. (This was also the premise of a later drama favorite King 2 Hearts in 2012).
The series centers around a modern royal family and primarily the lives of its young royals. Crown Prince Lee Shin (Ju Ji Hoon, Mask, Item, Jirisan, Light Shop, Trauma Code) is being positioned to take on the role of Emperor as his patriarch, the current Emperor, is ailing. This rushes the need for Shin to find a suitable marriage partner as he is on the verge of stepping into the role he has been preparing for nearly his entire life. Shin had the opportunity to select a bride of his choice, but his girlfriend, Min Hyo Rin (Song Ji Hyo, Emergency Couple) rejects his proposal as she knows becoming the Crown Princess would necessitate her giving up on her dream of becoming a famous ballerina. Enter the next candidate, commoner Shin Chae Kyung (Yoon Eun Hye, Coffee Prince, Vineyard Man, Lie To Me, I Miss You).
With no other personal marriage prospects in plain sight, the Crown reverts to fulfilling a promise made by Shin's grandfather the former Emperor to his friend, to have one of his heirs to the throne marry one of his family. Shin Chae Kyung is a commoner of marriage age in the family line of the former Emperor's friend. She and her family are struggling financially so she accepts the opportunity to marry the Crown Prince to better her family's financial situation. However, Chae Kyung has a long way to go in her training to fill the role of Crown Princess and, eventually, wife to the new Emperor of South Korea.
Word spreads that there is soon to be a succession in the throne and Lady Hwa Young (Shim Hye Jin) decides to return from a fourteen year exile with her son. Royal matters are complex and Lady Hwa Young was actually the Crown Princess with her son, Lee Yul (Kim Jung Hoon), the next Crown Prince and next in line for the throne.
However, Lady Hwa Young's husband, Crown Prince Lee Soo, died in an accident and the royals had to leave the palace based on the royal regulation which required that no two Princes reside in the main castle. Or at least that was the reason provided at the time (that mystery is revealed throughout the course of the series). Lady Hwa Young deploys a series of plots designed to return her son to what she feels is his rightful place as next in line. However this does not make for peace for Crown Prince Lee Shin, and his own mother Queen Mother Park (Kim Hye Ja, film Mother, and dramas Dear My Friends and Radiant).
The life of a royal is not always easy and isolation is a big problem for some. Loneliness drives Shin to develop an arrogant, cold and aloof exterior. His mannerisms are very hard for his now young wife Chae Kyung who is a newcomer on the royal scene. Her loneliness and sadness leads her to befriend Lee Yul who experienced similar loneliness in his exile.
The young married couple are very different in their approaches to royal life, and Chae Kyung finds herself repeatedly drawn to Lee Yul as someone she can more easily relate to, whereas Lee Shin finds himself drawn back to his original love, Hyo Rin. Having a change of heart, Hyo Rin is determined to win Shin back and is ready to give up her dream of being a ballerina to take on the role of Crown Princess #2 if Shin abandons Chae Kyung.
Through all the push and pull of outside forces, the young married royal couple slowly, almost magically, begin to develop feelings for each other, although each is not fully aware of the other's feelings, nor fully in acknowledgement themselves. Can love grow and survive in such a turbulent environment? Scandal after scandal follows the young royals as they learn how to navigate the social realities of being a royal. Who will be next in line to be Emperor and Empress? Does either one really want the responsibility that goes along with the heavy Crowns of Royalty?
I really liked this series. So much that I was sad when it was ending. It is a little bit Cinderella in nature - but not quite. It gives a real sense of what it might be like to be in a position, such as a royal, where you cannot think and act outwardly, as everyone else does. The saying "it is lonely at the top" definitely comes to mind. In the United States the closest thing we have are celebrities and I observe that young celebrities are subject to a high degree of criticism when really they are acting no different than a lot of young people their ages. You give a young person a lot of power and money and the chance they will make mistakes just magnifies.
The love story is well developed in Princess Hours, believable and cute. This is one of my long time favorites! Use a search engine to discover where it is currently playing streaming. Last time I checked it was on Viki. I watched it originally on Dramafever, which sadly closed in 2018. Enjoy this Korean drama classic!
