"Prince Charming" is the third and final album by Adam and the Ants, released in November 1981. The album marks a lineup change, with Gary Tibbs replacing Kevin Mooney as the bassist, following the success of Kings of the Wild Frontier. The album included the band's two number-one UK hit singles "Stand and Deliver" and "Prince Charming," as well as "Ant Rap."
Prince Charming peaked at number 2 on the UK charts and received mixed reviews from critics.
The album was released by CBS Records in November 1981 and featured the two UK number-one singles "Stand and Deliver" and "Prince Charming," which reached number one in April and September 1981, respectively. "Ant Rap" was released as a single and peaked at number 3 in January 1982 after being remixed. The album was remastered and reissued in 2004, with six bonus demo tracks included. In September 2008, the Daily Mail newspaper gave away a CD copy of Prince Charming.
Critical reception to the album was divided. In a review for Smash Hits in November 1981, Ian Birch gave the album a 5 out of 10 rating, noting that the strong melodies that characterized Kings of the Wild Frontier were missing, replaced by elaborate details. He felt that while the production might sound busy, it did not compensate for the lack of strong songs. In his retrospective review, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine agreed, stating that Prince Charming lacked strong songs, noting that the album "simply has style and sound – which, in retrospect, isn't all that bad." Rolling Stone criticized the album, stating that it was "exactly the same album [as Kings of the Wild Frontier], except with a blue cover." Trouser Press also found the album lacking, calling it a "letdown," with much of it feeling "forced, ill-tempered, and silly."
In March 2010, it was reported that the song "Prince Charming" had been the subject of a plagiarism claim. Rolf Harris, the Australian musician, claimed that the song borrowed heavily from his 1965 track "War Canoe." Harris stated that an out-of-court settlement was reached and that he received a substantial sum in royalties after a musicologist concluded that the two songs were musically identical. However, Chris Hughes, the producer of "Prince Charming," later clarified that Harris withdrew his complaint after Adam Ant pointed out that both songs were based on a traditional Maori "War Canoe" song.
