The film is about the courtship of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Charles is shown to be under intense pressure by his family and the press to find a suitable bride. Before his death in a bomb explosion, Charles' great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten, tells him that he should find a wife. Lady Diana Spencer, who is already in love with Charles, starts to share a flat with her friends in London and begins working at a kindergarten. Due to her friendship with Charles' brother, Prince Andrew, Diana enjoys a close relationship with the Royal Family. She soon catches Charles' eye and the two become romantically involved. Despite constant intrusion by the press, Diana appears to be unbothered and the courtship progresses. Charles eventually proposes, and Diana accepts his proposal. The two get married in a royal wedding ceremony.
The movie debuted on United States television on the ABC network on Friday, September 17, 1982, and was the 28th most watched show in America in that week.[2][3] It was beaten by CBS's The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana, which became the most watched prime-time television show of the next week, with a 24.0 Nielsen rating and 37 share.[2]
That the ABC and CBS films debuted three days apart was not a coincidence. CBS had planned to show Royal Romance in December as a Hallmark-sponsored pre-Christmas film, but then moved the air date back to September, even before the official start of the new ratings season. ABC then jumped their movie ahead of CBS, so late in the game that TV Guide did not list it.[4][5] When one reviewer asked to get a preview of either movie, he was told in one case "Are you kidding? They're still gluing the tape together."[6][7][8]
^Clark, Kenneth R. (15 September 1982). TV World, UPI (as of September 15, 1982, UPI was reporting that the ABC did not have an air date, even though it ended up airing on September 17)
