The Royal We: Are Androvia and Vostierrie Real Places?

‘The Royal We’ is a Hallmark romance film that revolves around a peculiar arranged marriage situation. The neighboring European kingdoms of Androvia and Vostierrie have been engaged in a centuries-long rivalry. However, they hope to bury the hatchet with a marriage of convenience between Prince Desmond and Princess Coralina, the heirs to their respective throne. Nonetheless, this engagement is dissolved when Coralina of Vostierrie elopes with the commoner. As a result, the responsibility of diplomatically uniting the two kingdoms falls abruptly on the shoulders of Beatrix, the spare heir who has been enjoying an anonymous life in Boston for years.

Thus, thrust into a whirlwind betrothal with a prince charming who couldn’t be more different from her, Bea must find a way to fulfill her royal duty without losing her own identity. In charting a romance between the central pair, the film establishes well-rounded lore for the two kingdoms and their history of enmity. Consequently, Androvia and Vostierrie become intriguing plot devices with origins worth exploring.

Androvia and Vostierrie are Fictitious Places That Contribute Toward Worldbuilding

The mechanics of fate that bring Desmond and Bea into each other’s orbits originate from a 300-year-long clash between two small European kingdoms, Androvia and Vostierrie. The two kingdoms, previously united, had a disagreement about the ascension to the throne, which compelled two families to separate and establish their own respective kingdoms. However, when the issue of rulership over one particular province came up, a generational argument broke out between the two kingdoms. Now, with Desmond’s marriage, Androvia and Vostierrie hope to bridge that same province-based conflict. Within this fictionalized premise, the two rivaling kingdoms are complete works of fiction created for the purpose of serving the narrative.

In real life, there aren’t any kingdoms with names or histories similar to Androvia and Vostierrie. Still, the backstory of the rivalries between these two places remains relevant to actual European history. Over the course of many years, territorial disputes have served as the primary reason for inter-country rivalry in actress Europe. Even today, many such conflicts persist. Nonetheless, these instances—such as the Mont Blanc summit dispute between France and Italy or the Imia/Kardak dispute between Greece and Turkey come at the cost of notable political gravity.

Furthermore, most—if not all such disputes—lack the potential for resolution through marriages of convenience, not least because such unions have become too antiquated for legitimate conflict resolutions. Consequently, the kingdoms of Androvia and Vostierrie remain tied to the fictional origins of ‘The Royal We.’ Outside of their shooting locations, which reportedly took place in Bulgaria, the kingdoms have no real counterparts in reality. Even so, despite their fictionality, the kingdoms retain a sense of realism through the establishment of their grounded and extensive lore, including their histories, politics, and even trade. Ultimately, though fictional, Androvia and Vostierrie largely inform the realistic worldview within the story.