Prince Charming

"No matter what you do, 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

 * 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.
 * The name "David" is of Hebrew origin derived from the word "dwd" that means "beloved".
 * 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.
 * He is the first character to appear in the series. The opening scene of the pilot features him rushing to meet Snow White.
 * Prince Charming was originally supposed to die in the first episode in the first season.
 * His flower crest is exactly the same as Emma's wrist tattoo.
 * Prince Charming's real name is David. He 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.

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" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town".
 * 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".