Princess Principal: Crown Handler Chapter 3 Review

4 stars, the plot thickens in the Royal Household.

Princess Principal: Crown Handler Part 3 is a Japanese anime film, written by Noburu Kimura and directed by Masaki Tachibana (Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex). Produced by studio Actas (Girls und Panzer) it is the third film in a series of 6 films which are the sequel to the 2017 series Princess Principal. It is highly recommended to watch both the series and the first two films before watching this or reading any further.

It is presented here on Blu-ray with both Japanese and English dub courtesy of MVM Entertainment and is available to own from 16th June 2025.

“Will you quietly hide behind the wall and surrender yourself to this so called peace, or will you reject these outdated traditions and strive for a world where everyone works together?”

Following the shock assassination of Prince Edward at the the end of the last film, we open with the state funeral. Speculation is rife as to who will succeed him as next in line to the throne, especially given the poor health of the Queen.

Princess Charlotte (Akira Sekine – Haikyu!!, Akebi’s Sailor Uniform) is approached by Richard (Kazuyuki Okitsu – Sakamoto Days), who heavily implies his involvement in the assassination and asks her to join him in his plans for the Kingdom and the wider world. In light of these revelations, Team White Pigeon are ordered by control to infiltrate the Royal palace and monitor the situation.

Pressure is also increased on Princess Mary (Rina Endo – Okko’s Inn), who although next in line to the throne is still just a child and struggling to cope with her new reality. The Duke of Normandy (Takaya Hashi – Fist of the North Star) is determined that she should be rigorously trained for her future role. Can the team help her to navigate this power vacuum which has been created?

“The man who’s third in line to the throne implied he assassinated the Crown Prince and he is asking Princess to become his co-conspirator. This is not a problem that we are currently equipped to deal with.”

Princess Principal: Crown Handler Chapter 3 is a very enjoyable watch, looking and sounding great and with a very interesting story. As ever, the animation is crisp and full of detail, with a deliciously steampunk vibe that matches perfectly with the Englishness of it all.

This instalment is more contained in nature, set mostly within the confines of the palace, but nevertheless ramps up the tension on a number of occasions. Despite the limited action compared to the first two, this feels like the strongest of the films so far, with the writers taking the time to examine motives and agendas as well as dig deeper into some of the characters, especially Mary and Richard.

With another toe curling cliff hanger to finish and no date yet for the UK release of Chapter 4, once again we hope that we are not kept in suspense for too long. Excellent and well worth adding to your collection.

“Charlotte. Mary is going to be our next Queen. Coddling her like a child will not do her any good.”