is a six-part Japanese animated spy action film series and a sequel to the 2017 anime television series Princess Principal. Produced by Actas and distributed by Showgate, the film series is directed by Masaki Tachibana from a script written by Noboru Kimura and stars Aoi Koga, Akira Sekine, Yō Taichi, Akari Kageyama, and Nozomi Furuki.
The film series follows Ange, Princess, Dorothy, Beatrice, and Chise, members of Team White Pigeon, as they are assigned to investigate Bishop, the Commonwealth spy within the Kingdom's royal family, for his loyalty. Following his death from an assailant and an assassination attempt on Prince Richard, the team is tasked to find the Cavorite bombs that are stolen from the Commonwealth. After the incident of missing bombs, Richard, the mastermind behind it and the assassination of Prince Edward, invites Princess to join him for his plan to reform the Kingdom. The death of Prince Edward, who is first in line to succeed the Queen of the Kingdom, has caused a power struggle between Richard and Princess Mary, who is second in the line of succession.
A sequel to the anime series was announced in April 2018. The staff and cast for the first film in the series were revealed in September 2019, with Koga replacing Ayaka Imamura as the voice actress for Ange due to the latter's health condition. Its production was completed in March 2020. The staff and cast for the second film in the series were revealed in July 2021, while its production was completed in August. The staff and cast for the third film in the series were revealed in November 2022. The staff and cast for the fourth film were revealed in February 2025.
Four films in the Princess Principal: Crown Handler series have been released in Japan since 2021: Chapter 1 on February 11, Chapter 2 on September 23, Chapter 3 on April 7, 2023, and Chapter 4 on May 23, 2025. The film series has grossed over million in Japan.
Films Chapter 1 In response to the assassination attempt on the Queen, the Duke of Normandy begins cracking down on suspected Commonwealth of Albion spies. Concerned that their mole within the royal family may be a double agent, Control tasks the Team White Pigeon with making contact with the mole and investigating him. Ange disguises herself as Princess and meets the mole in the royal palace, and is surprised to discover that the mole is Winston, the grand chamberlain and the man that used to take care of her when she was a child. Winston recognizes Ange and lets her know that he is aware she is the real Princess and the other is an impostor. Ange and Princess explain to the rest of the team that he knows they are investigating him. Despite knowing the risk of Winston exposing them, the team continues to investigate him and discovers that Winston has been secretly communicating with an unknown third party through coded messages he has hidden in the Queen's speeches. The team manages to expose him by feeding him false information and tricking him into sending out a message they can intercept. Control orders the team to detain Winston for interrogation, but Ange secretly arranges for his escape in return for keeping her and Princess' secret. Winston parts amicably with Ange but is shot by an assassin. With his dying words, Winston warns Ange that if she continues living a life of lies, she will end up like him. In the aftermath, both the Duke of Normandy and Control become aware of the unknown third party's involvement as the team feels defeated in failing to save Winston.
Chapter 2 The Commonwealth tests a new and destructive Cavorite bomb which they intend to use against the Kingdom of Albion. Meanwhile, Prince Richard returns to the Kingdom but is injured in an assassination attempt. Control gives Team White Pigeon a new mission to search for three Cavorite bombs that were stolen from the Commonwealth and smuggled into the Kingdom, with the concern that those bombs may be used to instigate a war between both nations. Following a lead, the team investigates the Vegas Steam Theater and finds the bombs hidden there. They then put the theater under surveillance while they wait for Control to organize a retrieval team. However, when the surveillance teams are killed by the assassin, Ange, Dorothy, and Chise have no choice but to raid the theater. They manage to capture the smuggler and recover two of the bombs, but they find out the third one has been smuggled onto a yacht where a royal ceremony is being held with Princess, Beatrice, and Princess Mary present. With Ange's quick thinking, they manage to stop the bomb from detonating and prevent it from falling into the Kingdom's hands. Princess returns to the royal palace, only to discover Prince Edward has been assassinated. She comes across Richard, who admits he was behind the bomb plot and Edward's death as he wants to seize power and reform the Kingdom. He then asks Princess whether she will join him or not.
Chapter 3 Richard says he will wait for Princess' decision to his ultimatum. After Princess revealed Richard's ambition and role in the assassination of Edward, Team White Pigeon decides to not make any decisions for the moment and informs Control. Control orders the team to infiltrate the royal household—Princess and Beatrice staying in the palace, while Ange and Dorothy pose as maids—to investigate the power struggles in the royal family. As the current one who is in line for the throne, Mary is given more strict lessons and training to prepare her for her future duties. Princess speaks with Richard again and learns that he wants to fix inequality not just in Albion but also on the world stage. Richard covertly provokes nobles to demand that the Duke of Normandy be removed from his post as the Home Secretary for failing to protect Edward while in public. The Duke of Normandy tells Richard that he is aware of his machinations. Meanwhile, Richard also arranges for Mary's education to be even more strict along with a grueling schedule, much to the consternation of Olivia, Mary's lady-in-waiting. Overcome by the stress, Mary tries to escape through the window and endangers herself, but she is saved by Dorothy. After discussing it with the others, Princess arranges a tea time with the rest of Team White Pigeon to provide Mary a break from her studies. Hearing of this, Richard plots to depose Mary more directly and arranges a plot on her life while Princess is not with her, but the result is unsuccessful. Distraught by this news, Princess decides that she wants to help Mary flee the country as her life is in danger, which is approved by Control. The operation goes smoothly at first but before Mary and Olivia can escape over the wall into the Commonwealth, they are intercepted by the Kingdom's forces. Team White Pigeon is arrested with their identities exposed. The Duke of Normandy reveals to Princess that he has also arrested Richard on suspicion of his role in assassinating Edward and gives Princess an ultimatum to become a double agent for the Kingdom.
Chapter 4 After attempts to interrogate the members of Team White Pigeon prove to be unsuccessful, the Duke of Normandy decides to release them on the condition they act as his double agents, threatening the lives of Princess and Beatrice. Richard remains in custody and also refuses to talk. Dorothy makes a fake report to Control that they escaped custody, but they still suspect they have been turned. The Duke of Normandy then offers a trade to Control by giving up Graham Turner, an engraver responsible for creating counterfeit Commonwealth bills, in return for the smuggler who stole the Cavorite bombs. Control tasks Team White Pigeon to collect information on Turner to test their loyalty. The team members infiltrate the factory Turner works at and discover that the factory is secretly intercepting the allowances Turner is sending to his wife in the Commonwealth, and sending him fake response letters from her to keep up the charade. They deliver a letter from Turner's wife directly to him, which convinces him to defect to the Commonwealth. They take Turner to a safehouse, but the smuggler is assassinated by the Commonwealth military before he can be handed over. With the trade thwarted, Gazelle orders Team White Pigeon to kill Turner as a loose end. Ange and Dorothy have a disagreement over following Control or Gazelle's directives, until Turner offers to have his injured right arm cut off to fake his death. In the end, the Kingdom grudgingly accepts Turner's "death" and he reunites with his wife, but the operation confirms to Control that Team White Pigeon is compromised. Ange echoes Winston's last words to her friends, warning them as long as they are double agents, they need to figure what they are really fighting for. Meanwhile, Richard is broken out of prison by Zelda, who promises to help him start a new Revolution.
Cast and staff Voice cast This section includes characters who have appeared in more than two films in the series.
Character Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Ange colspan="4" Avery Smithhart Princess colspan="4" Patricia Duran Dorothy colspan="4" Elizabeth Bunch Beatrice colspan="4" Shanae'a Moore Chise colspan="4" Rachael Messer L colspan="4" David Wald 7 colspan="4" Heidi Hinkle Dolly Shop colspan="4" Mark Laskowski The Colonel colspan="4" Chris Hutchison The Duke of Normandy colspan="4" Jay Hickman Gazelle colspan="4" Melanie Burke Queen colspan="3" rowspan="2" Juliet Oliver-Touchstone Head butler colspan="2" colspan="2" rowspan="2" John Swasey Ty Mahany Mary rowspan="2" colspan="3" Cat Thomas Richard rowspan="2" colspan="3" Adam Gibbs Olivia rowspan="2" colspan="2" rowspan="2" Rachel Brownhill
Staff Staff Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Director Masaki Tachibana Screenwriter Noboru Kimura Original character designer Kōhaku Kuroboshi Character designer Yukie Akiya and Kimitake Nishio Chief animation director Kimitake Nishio Concept artist Munashichi Mechanical designer Fumihiro Katagai Researcher Seiichi Shirato Design assistant Rasenjin Hayami Prop designer Ryō Akizuki Composer Yuki Kajiura Sound director Yoshikazu Iwanami Art director Miho Sugiura Art designer Morihito Ohara, Yuuho Taniuchi, Gō Taniguchi, and Noboru Jitsuhara Color designer Yuko Tsumori Head of 3D animation Tri-Slash Graphic artist Hirofumi Araki Director of photography Yu Wakabayashi Editor Gō Sadamatsu Animation studio Actas Distributor Showgate
Production A sequel to the 2017 anime television series Princess Principal was announced in April 2018, which would comprise six films. Masaki Tachibana, who directed the series, and chief producer Atsushi Yukawa agreed on the sequel being in film format because doing it as another television series would be "physically demanding". Ayaka Imamura, who voiced Ange in the series, announced her retirement in June 2018 due to declining health. The production staff and committee collaborated with her talent agency With Line to begin auditions for the role. The film series received its full title in September 2019.