If Disney+’s Perfect Crown left you wanting to clear your weekend schedule and find something equally addictive, you are in the right place. There is something undeniably compelling about a world where royalty is not confined to history books and period costumes, where a king has a PR team, a princess has an Instagram fanbase, and love stories play out against the backdrop of palace press conferences and constitutional crises.
Modern monarchy K-dramas have carved out their own satisfying niche precisely because they take something fantastical like inherited power, gilded palaces, bloodline drama, and drop it straight into the present day. There lies a genre that feels both escapist and oddly believable, the kind of television that makes you wonder, just for a moment, what it would actually be like if South Korea still had a royal family.
Even if you are new to the genre or simply looking for your next obsession, we have rounded up some of the best K-dramas that deliver on crowns, romance, and all the complicated feelings that come with them.
(Hero and feature image credit: Disney+)
Best modern monarchy K-dramas like Perfect Crown for the royalty-obsessed
1 /7
Princess Hours (2006)Cast: Yoon Eun-hye, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Jeong-hoon, Song Ji-hyo, Lee Yoon-ji, Shim Hye-jin, Yun Yoo-sun
Episodes: 24
Set in an alternate 21st-century Korea where the monarchy has been preserved, Princess Hours centres on the lives of Crown Prince Lee Shin and his new bride, Chae-kyeong. Feisty and no-nonsense, Chae-kyeong was an ordinary high school student until she receives some unexpected news: because of her grandfather’s will, she must marry the Crown Prince, who also happens to attend her school. She initially resists, before reluctantly agreeing to help her debt-ridden family and what follows is a slow-burning romance tangled up in palace etiquette, royal rivals, and of course, court politics.
Widely considered the drama that set the template for modern monarchy K-dramas, Princess Hours is the one that started it all. Its blend of comedy and romance laid the groundwork for every palace drama that came after it. The show was the tenth most popular drama of 2006 and became a hit across Asia, contributing to the Korean Wave. Nearly two decades on, it still holds up as an essential watch.
(Image credit: IMDb)
Watch it here2 /7
My Princess (2011)Cast: Song Seung-heon, Kim Tae-hee, Park Ye-jin, Ryu Soo-young, Lee Gi-kwang, Hwang Young-hee
Episodes: 16
My Princess follows Lee Seol, a college student who discovers her royal lineage, and Park Hae-young, a diplomat who helps her adjust to her new life. The drama balances romance and royal identity in a way that feels easy to watch.
If Perfect Crown won you over with its fish-out-of-water charm and the comedy of someone navigating an unfamiliar royal world, My Princess offers a very similar fix. It is lighter on palace politics and heavier on warmth, which makes it the perfect watch when you want the royal aesthetic without the tension.
3 /7
The King 2 Hearts (2012)Cast: Ha Ji-won, Lee Seung-gi, Lee Yoon-ji, Cho Jung-seok, Yoon Je-moon, Youn Yuh-jung, Jeong Man-sik
Episodes: 20
Set in an alternate reality where modern-day South Korea is governed by a constitutional monarchy, The King 2 Hearts follows Lee Jae-ha, a handsome but materialistic crown prince who has little interest in politics, and Kim Hang-ah, a North Korean Special Forces officer. Things take a sharp turn when the reigning king is assassinated, and Jae-ha is forced to step up, take the throne and protect the country.
This one is a step above the typical royal romance. It is political and emotionally intense, with a villain who is as unsettling as they come. The drama explores power struggles and diplomacy in equal measure, making it one of the closest matches to Perfect Crown in terms of combining monarchy with modern politics.
4 /7
Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo (2016)Cast: IU, Lee Joon-gi, Kang Ha-neul, Hong Jong-hyun. Nam Joo-hyuk, Baekhyun, Ji Soo, Kang Han-na, Jin Ki-joo, Seohyun
Episodes: 20
It may not be set in a modern monarchy, but Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo earns its place on this list through sheer emotional force. The story begins when an ordinary woman is pulled back in time during a solar eclipse and wakes up in the body of a young girl living among the princes of the Goryeo Dynasty. She tries her best to stay out of palace politics, but when multiple princes set their sights on her, staying neutral quickly becomes impossible.
What sets this drama apart from the typical royal romance is how little interest it has in giving you an easy, feel-good ending. The characters are morally complicated, the political stakes are genuinely tense, and the romance is shot through with a sense of tragedy that builds slowly and lands hard. It is also one of the finest showcases of IU’s dramatic range, and if you have only seen her in Perfect Crown, prepare to be surprised.
Watch it here5 /7
The Last Empress (2018)Cast: Jang Na-ra, Choi Jin-hyuk, Shin Sung-rok, Lee Elijah, Shin Eun-kyung, Oh Seung-yun, Stephanie Lee, Hwang Young-hee
Episodes: 26
If Perfect Crown made you curious about what happens when a commoner steps into the royal world, The Last Empress takes that premise and cranks it all the way up. Set in an alternate present-day Korea where the monarchy never dissolved, the drama follows Oh Sunny, a musical theatre actress who finds herself unexpectedly married to the Emperor and suddenly wearing a crown she never asked for. What starts out looking like a fairy tale quickly unravels into something far darker, a palace riddled with murder, hidden agendas, abuse of power and alliances that shift without warning.
The royal family here operates less like a noble institution and more like a corporate crime family with a very good publicist. As Sunny slowly pieces together the truth about the world she has married into, the drama picks up pace and rarely lets go. It is loud and occasionally ridiculous in the best way possible, and absolutely engineered to stop you sleeping.
Watch it here6 /7
The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)Cast: Lee Min-ho, Kim Go-eun, Woo Do-hwan, Kim Young-ok, Kim Yong-ji, Jung Eun-chae, Lee Jung-jin, Park Hoon
Episodes: 16
Written by acclaimed screenwriter Kim Eun-sook who is responsible for the success of K-dramas like The Glory, Mr. Sunshine, Descendants of the Sun, and more, The King: Eternal Monarch operates on a grander scale than most dramas on this list. Emperor Lee Gon rules the Kingdom of Corea, an alternate version of Korea where the monarchy has endured into the present day. His world is upended when he discovers a portal connecting his kingdom to a parallel universe: a republic where he does not exist, but someone very dangerous does. What follows is part romance, part interdimensional thriller, as Lee Gon crosses between worlds to both find love and stop a villain who has been operating across realities for decades.
For those who love the grand royal aesthetic and cinematic storytelling of Perfect Crown, this drama delivers a similar experience. Lee Min-ho commands every scene as the emperor, and the parallel universe concept adds a layer of intrigue that keeps things engaging well beyond the romance. It was also the most-watched Korean drama on Netflix across Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and India in 2020, which should tell you everything you need to know about its reach.
Watch it here7 /7
Mr. Queen (2020)Cast: Shin Hae-sun, Kim Jung-hyun, Seol In-a, Bae Jong-ok, Na In-woo, Kim Tae-woo, Yoo Young-jae
Episodes: 20
Fair warning: Mr. Queen is set not in a modern palace but in the historical Joseon Dynasty but do not let that stop you. The premise follows a contemporary Korean chef whose soul, following an accident, ends up inhabiting the body of a newly appointed queen in the royal court. He finds himself navigating a world of court ladies, political scheming, and a king who is far more complicated than he first appears, all while trying to figure out how to get back to his own time.
It is one of the most gleefully entertaining K-dramas in recent memory. Mr. Queen will make you laugh until you can’t breathe, and it might just be the funniest K-drama on this list. The chemistry between the leads is intense enough to leave audiences genuinely invested, and it is a wildly entertaining blend of comedy, chaos, and unexpected emotional depth. If Perfect Crown hooked you on the push and pull of romance within a royal hierarchy, Mr. Queen delivers that same dynamic with twice the chaos and an even better wardrobe.
Watch it hereNote : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.