Crown Handler Chapter 3

***Crown Handler Chapter 3*** is the third part of the six-part *Crown Handler* movie series of *Princess Principal*. It is the sequel to *Crown Handler Chapter 2*. It was released in Japanese cinemas on the 7th of April, 2023.

## Synopsis

*(Machine translated from Japanese)*
*While the funeral of the assassinated Prince Edward, the first in line to the throne, is being held, the aristocrats of Albion decide who will succeed the throne: Princess Mary, who is second in line to the throne, or Prince Richard, the Duke of Arkham, who is third in line to the throne. How the Duke of Normandy will move is a hot topic.*

*The Duke of Arkham asks Princess if she will side with him or the Duke of Normandy. While wishing to change the world so that all ethnic groups are equal, the princess is shaken by Arkham, the mastermind behind Edward's assassination. Meanwhile, Ange and Dorothy are given an infiltration mission from Control to pose as Mary's maids in order to investigate the situation of the royal family. Mary is crushed and exhausted under the pressure of being first in line to her throne. In the chaos of the succession to the throne, the Duke of Arkham's conspiracy finally begins to move.*

*Darkness writhing in Albion Kingdom swallows up Team White Pigeon.*

## Story

Upon hearing of Richard's assassination plots from Princess Charlotte, Team White Pigeon debates whether or not to report it to Control. Dorothy decides to table the issue for now and report it when they have more details on the situation.

Control discusses the recent assassination of crown prince Edward and debates their plan of action. Colonel proposes claiming responsibility for the assassination as it would boost the morale of those in the Commonwealth but 7 intervenes saying that it would cause the trust that the Commonwealth has built with other nations to fall apart. L decides to adopt a wait-and-see approach since Headquarters is concerned with the power balance in the royal family and gives the orders for Team White Pigeon to infiltrate the royal family, lamenting the loss of Bishop. Chise reports on these matters to Lord Horikawa, who says that even if there is a large shuffle in Albion's leadership and Japan is able to break free from the treaty, they will still end up making the same mistakes unless they reform.

At a party, Charlotte gets called to the balcony by Prince Richard in order to answer the question he has previously posed to her, believing she can now answer. Charlotte asks what his goals are with this nation and Richard replies by saying he hopes to reform global society by ushering in an era of equality among all ethnicities, citing the stealing of land from the Natives by the colonists from Albion in the New World. Richard hopes to get rid of the aristocracy and nobles and leaves, giving Charlotte more time to decide on her answer. Charlotte discusses with the rest of the team and they decide to hold off on an answer for now so that more information can be gathered.

At a party, Charlotte gets called to the balcony by Prince Richard in order to answer the question he has previously posed to her, believing she can now answer. Charlotte asks what his goals are with this nation and Richard replies by saying he hopes to reform global society by ushering in an era of equality among all ethnicities, citing the stealing of land from the Natives by the colonists from Albion in the New World. Richard hopes to get rid of the aristocracy and nobles and leaves, giving Charlotte more time to decide on her answer. Charlotte discusses with the rest of the team and they decide to hold off on an answer for now so that more information can be gathered.
 After attending a Council meeting where Richard defends the Home Secretary, he visits his uncle at lake practicing shooting. The Duke of Normandy, surprised at Richard's support, plainly confronts him and reveals he knows that Richard has been inciting younger nobles and that he has no plans of handing the country over to Richard.

As the staff attending to the Princess Mary has increased, Ange and Dorothy infiltrate the palace as part of the new suite of maids attending to her Highness. With Mary first in line to ascend to the throne since Edward's death, increased pressure is put on Mary to study manners and etiquette night and day and a strict, non-nonsense teacher, Ms. Peebles is brought in alongside Mary's long-time teacher and caregiver Olivia, who has taken on the role of a mother-figure in Mary's life. After Ms. Peebles lambastes and throws out Mary's cherished belongings, Olivia expresses concerns at how heavy Mary's schedule has become. Peebles responds by saying that she was hired to be strict with Her Highness in order to uphold the image of the Royal Family. Mary impulsively climbs out of her window and along the castle walls while nobody is looking. Dorothy notices Mary terrified and stuck on the outside of the building and launches a daring attempt to rescue her. With help from Peebles and Olivia, Mary is safely pulled onto a balcony where her stunt backfires, receiving a slap from Ms. Peebles and the promise of no more breaks until lessons are over. In order to take Mary's mind off of things, Charlotte arranges a tea party with Olivia and the rest of Team Pigeon with permission from the Duke of Normandy. While returning to her room with Charlotte, Mary revels that she does not want to be the next Queen of Albion. Charlotte brings her concerns with Mary to the team and Ange presents her with 3 options from which she and she alone is to choose: probe the situation in the royal family, find out Richard's true intentions, or become Queen herself.

Richard visits Mary out of 'concern' for her well-being but is surprised to find out that Mary is coping well since Charlotte has been providing her with support. He hides his frustration over this until he is alone and emotionlessly tips over multiple vases in the royal hallway out of quiet anger, saying that he had hoped not to make a big deal out of "it" but now there is no other way.

Before leaving for a ceremony during which Charlotte was to accompany her, Mary learns that Charlotte will not be able to attend due to urgent matters. Mary's motorcade is attacked by Richard's subordinates whom he promised to save Albion and save it from the corrupted nobles with earlier. Charlotte was not able to accompany Mary because she was called by Richard for some tea, during which she learns that there has been an attack on Mary and surmises that Richard was behind it. Mary survives the attack with injuries, to the displeasure of Richard, and this causes Charlotte to plead with the team to help Mary flee the country. White Pigeon views this as an opportunity to get rid of Richard by having Mary declare her life was threatened by the Duke of Arkham once she is out of the country and they can legitimize her escape by having Johnson Carter testify to the Londinium Incident. After assessing the situation, Control agrees to the exfiltration.

The recent attack leads to increased security all around the palace but especially around Mary. Dorothy is able to sneak Mary out in a large laundry basket that she is seen taking in and out of her room everyday. Dorothy, Ange, and Mary escape through an underground passageway through the sewers to where the rest of the team is waiting with Olivia. They fly over to a train station through the rain with Ange and her C-Ball where they board a train, hoping to take the train to a waiting Commonwealth airship. Charlotte and the team are revealed as Commonwealth spies to Olivia and Mary during the train ride. Charlotte visits Ange in the control room of the train where Ange apologizes for forcing Charlotte to make an impossible decision and vows to protect her even if it costs her her life, though Charlotte doesn't hear this last part. Their escape grinds to a halt when Ange notices a Kingdom ambush ahead. They escape to a nearby tower using the C-Ball and Ange decides that they will try and get over the Wall from there using the C-Ball. Their escape is completely foiled by the Duke of Normandy and his operatives and the team is arrested and thrown in jail. Charlotte is brought to the Duke where it is revealed that Richard has been arrested on suspicion of murdering Edward and that Charlotte is a spy for the Commonwealth. He blackmails Charlotte with the threat of her friends' lives if she doesn't become a double agent working ultimately for Kingdom.

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## Gallery

### Trailers

「プリンセス・プリンシパル Crown Handler」第3章本予告*Princess Principal Crown Handler* Chapter 3 Trailer「プリンセス・プリンシパル Crown Handler」第3章公開告知CM30秒ver.*Princess Principal Crown Handler* Chapter 3 Trailer CM 30 second ver.「プリンセス・プリンシパル Crown Handler」第3章公開告知CM15秒ver.*Princess Principal Crown Handler* Chapter 3 Trailer CM 15 second ver.『プリンセス・プリンシパル Crown Handler』第3章 本編冒頭映像The first 12 minutes of *Crown Handler* Chapter 3「プリンセス・プリンシパル Crown Handler」第3章 Blu-ray 発売告知CM*Princess Principal Crown Handler* Chapter 3 Blu-ray release announcement Trailer

### Promotional Artwork

#### Countdown Artworks

*5 days to go, Chapter 3 Countdown illustration of Chise**4 days to go, Chapter 3 Countdown illustration of Beatrice**3 days to go, Chapter 3 Countdown illustration of Dorothy**2 days to go, Chapter 3 Countdown illustration of Princess**1 day to go, Chapter 3 Countdown illustration of Ange**Release day, Chapter 3 Countdown illustration of Team White Pigeon*

## References

1. ↑  *"「プリンセス・プリンシパル Crown Handler」第3章2023年4月7日(金）にて 公開決定！！キービジュアル、あらすじ、本予告を一挙解禁！◆詳細は下記公式サイトへ https://pripri-anime.jp/news/?p=2537/ #pripri"*. @pripri\_anime. Released November 13, 2022. (Archive.)
2. ↑  *"『プリンセス・プリンシパル Crown Handler』第3章劇場公開日決定！"*. Released November 13, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022. (Archive.)
3. ↑  *"プリンセスプリンシパルCrown Handler第3章公開中です！少しだけですが作画監督で参加しています。よろしくお願いします！メイドさん達にメアリーを守ってもらいたい……(願望)"*. Eri Kojima. Released Apr 9, 2023. Retrieved Apr 9, 2023. (Archive.)