When William Met Kate: How Hollywood Treats Royal Weddings

As witnessed by the pomp and splendor surrounding the nuptials of Kate Middleton and Prince William, royal weddings typically have a fairy tale atmosphere about them. The same goes for the weddings of fictional royalty in films.

Princess Mia, the would-be queen of Genovia, discovers she has to get married in "The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement." As played by the beautiful Anne Hathaway, Princess Mia learns of a Genovian regulation requiring that the queen be married. This leads into a funny sequence where Mia goes through a slideshow of potential grooms, exclaiming "I so totally accept" when Prince William's face flashes on screen.

Royal wedding can be beautiful and deadly, especially for Princess Buttercup in "The Princess Bride," Rob Reiner's excellent adaptation of the novel of the same name. Buttercup, played by Robin Wright, is waiting for her beloved to return and, when news of his death reaches her, the distraught girl agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck. Unfortunately, her betrothed uses her to start a war with a neighboring land.

Paige, a pre-med student from Wisconsin , gets the Kate Middleton treatment in "The Prince & Me," an interesting take on royal life. Julia Stiles plays the hard-working Paige who falls in love with Edvard, a cute guy who appears to be a bit of a slacker. He is, in reality, Prince Edvard, heir to the Danish throne who has come to the United States to sow a few wild oats. In the original film, Paige can't handle royal protocol and returns home to her studies, but Edvard reappears and says he will wait for her.

John Goodman turns the British Monarchy on its ear in "King Ralph." Goodman is Ralph Jones, an American who is the last surviving member of the royal bloodline. Though Ralph falls in love with an English woman, his new royal status dictates that he must marry for the sake of the country. His bride-to-be does have a very masculine voice, though, and a sexual appetite that sends Ralph running for help.

Eddie Murphy hit a royal home run in "Coming to America," the story of an African prince in search of true love. Murphy established his penchant for playing multiple characters in his film, in particular the cultured Prince Akeem. Hiding his true identity, Akeem seeks a wife who can be a partner instead of just someone who obeys his every command. He finds his own Kate Middleton in Lisa McDowell, a beautiful and spirited American woman.

Giving a new spin to the Cinderella story, Drew Barrymore gets royal revenge on her evil stepmother in "Ever After." Barrymore plays Danielle, an independent young lady and a woman whose intelligence and spirit is more than a match for Prince Henry, heir to the throne of France . Like William and Kate, Henry and Danielle are separated by duty and circumstance but fate draws them together again.