Prince Charming

"I will always find you."

- Prince Charming to Snow White

Prince David, better known as Prince Charming and alias Prince James, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He débuts in the first episode of the first season. He is portrayed by starring cast member Josh Dallas, and is the Enchanted Forest counterpart of David Nolan.

Prince Charming is based on the Prince from the fairytale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" and "Rapunzel" as well as the Pauper from the novel, The Prince and the Pauper.

Trivia

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Etymology

 * The name "David" is of Hebrew origin derived from the word "dwd" that means "beloved".
 * Prince Charming shares his name with another former shepherd, King David of the Bible. Ruth was the name of King David's great-grandmother, and also the name of Charming's mother. Prince Charming was betrothed to Princess Abigail. King David's third wife was also named Abigail.
 * The name "James", which is a variant of Jacob, can mean "follower" or "supplanter". A supplanter is someone who takes the place of another person, place, or thing. This is fitting, as Prince Charming supplanted his twin James.
 * Strictly speaking, "Prince Charming", in Disney canon, refers to Cinderella's prince, while Snow White's prince is credited simply as "The Prince". Both are variations of the stock character in fairy tales.
 * Snow White was the one who gave Prince Charming his nickname.

Character Notes

 * He is the first character to appear in the series. The opening scene of the pilot features him rushing to meet Snow White.
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Production Notes

 * Prince Charming was originally supposed to die in the first episode in the first season.
 * According to Edward Kitsis, ABC president of entertainment Channing Dungey, who was ABC head of drama during the show's development, is at the origin of this change. She sent a note to Kitsis and Horowitz saying that for a series about hope, there is not a lot of hope in killing Charming.
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Props Notes

 * King George's coat of arms is argent (silver/white) with a chevron (V-shaped pattern) gules (red). It depicts a lion rampant (depicted in profile standing erect with forepaws raised) langued (having the tongue visible), surrounded by seven heraldic roses (a rose with five symmetrical lobes, five barbs, and a circular seed). The roses are red with a blue border. The royal knights' armor, and King George's own armor, is emblazoned with a modified version with white roses. When Prince Charming and Snow White take over the kingdom, they adopt the same coat of arms, with the white roses.
 * In heraldry, the white rose symbolizes love and faith, charm and innocence. The flower crest is similar to Emma's wrist tattoo.
 * If you look closely at the exterior of the Duke's castle, which Rumplestiltskin breaks into to steal the dagger, you can see the same coat of arms on a flag sitting at the top of a tower.
 * The rampant lion is a common motif in real-world heraldry, and also in the Enchanted Forest. King Leopold's 's father's coat of arms, and Robin Hood's tattoo, also feature this motif.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.


 * Prince Charming appears in Henry's storybook in "Pilot", "The Thing You Love Most", "Snow Falls", "What Happened to Frederick", "Queen of Hearts", "Selfless, Brave and True", "Lacey", "The New Neverland", "Going Home", "Snow Drifts", "There's No Place Like Home", "The Snow Queen", "Darkness on the Edge of Town" and "Operation Mongoose Part 2".
 * Prince Charming is mentioned in the storybook in "Unforgiven" and "Best Laid Plans".
 * Prince Charming's name appears on the list Tamara has in "The Evil Queen".
 * Henry's drawing of Prince Charming appears in "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree".
 * Prince Charming is mentioned on Lily's bulletin board in "Lily".