‘Red, White & Royal Blue’: Cakegate, Secret Rendezvous, And Grand Gestures
Amazon Studios' newest production Red, White & Royal Blue — starring Taylor Zakhar Perez (The Kissing Booth) as Alex Claremont-Diaz and Nicholas Galitzine (Purple Hearts) as Prince Henry — is based on Casey McQuiston’s critically acclaimed and beloved New York Times best-selling novel and is the feature film writing and directorial debut of Tony Award-winning playwright Matthew López (The Inheritance).
Prince Henry and Alex share a cheeky, sexy, and truly relatable friendship, relationship, and love story that gives teenagers, young adults, and adults alike a refreshing look at how society could be with a little more acceptance, understanding, and a whole lot of pride.
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López told NPR’s All Things Considered that he brought his own take to the film and wanted to showcase the importance of queer intimacy on screen. "For me, especially Alex, you know, I'm a queer Latine, biracial son of the South, and so is he," López said. "I had never encountered a book before that had a character like him at the center, and it really just made all of my imagination, you know, light up.”
The highly anticipated film was a perfectly executed reimagination of the BookTok sensation full of laughter, tears, and moments that had fans begging for more.
The Buttercream Summit
When President Ellen Claremont (Uma Thurman) sends her son Alex to the Royal Wedding with one task — not to cause an international incident — he does the exact opposite and causes royal chaos with a cake catastrophe.
Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry and Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz in Prime Video's Red, White & Royal Blue/Prime Video
In order to do damage control, the Royal Palace and the White House release a joint statement regarding the buttercream summit and Zhara (Sarah Shahi) sends Alex to London to cozy up with Prince Henry to convince the world that they are actually friends.
Damage control
We watch Henry and Alex on a London adventure as they make press appearances such as a visit to the children’s hospital where Alex gets his first glance at Henry’s authentic self and they share a funny yet sweet moment locked in a supply closet.
Although they think they never have to see each other again, Alex lets Henry know that he is expected at his annual New Year's Party. Until then, the pair start sharing playful banter between texts and emails and we find out Henry is a world-class insomniac and see him laying in bed with his dog on the phone with Alex where he tells him he was watching Bake-off — sounds like something I would do.
To the window, to the wall
When Henry shows up with his best mate Percy (Malcolm Atobrah), the party really got started, and can I just say, if all White House parties are like Alex’s, I need an invite. Throughout the night, the two share moments that seem to blur the lines between friends and more than friends, and it’s where we first start seeing the spark between the two heat up.
Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry and Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz in Prime Video's Red, White & Royal Blue/Prime Video
This is the first time we get to see Henry open up, but it’s also where we see him close himself off and hide the part of him that means the most. When Henry watches Alex kiss two other girls at the strike of midnight, the gut-wrenching reaction Henry had told us everything we needed to know: he caught feelings and he caught them fast.
After he runs off and Alex is late to react, Alex eventually finds him outside contemplating the difference between being a public figure and one of invisibility. After a brief heart-to-heart, Henry’s attempt at restraint is obliterated as he kisses Alex for the first time with a passion that could be felt both on and off-screen.
Ghosted
After the kiss, Henry ignored Alex for a couple of months but couldn’t stay away for long, as he agreed to be Alex’s guest at the Prime Minister’s dinner. After a doubtful start and a painfully embarrassing interaction between Alex and the political reporter Miguel Ramos, Henry finally arrives and the pair seemed to pick up right where they left off.
The two sneak off for a brief moment to privately reconnect after their communication hiatus and after Alex spent a few minutes nervously pacing around the room waiting for Henry, the two shared a steamy kiss and spent the rest of the event sharing flirtatious interactions and blessing us with dramatically long stares that melted my heart.
A secret rendezvous
We continue to see the pair engage in their secret rendezvous between London an Texas including everything from polo to makeout sessions. Although Prince Henry playing polo wasn’t as sexy to me as the book made it out to be, the way Alex looks at him makes it all the more entertaining to watch. Something that we don’t usually see in films and television with LGBTQ+ characters and partners is the casual interactions that we’re always given with heterosexual couples. Seeing Alex and Henry in a hotel in robes, eating ice cream sundaes, and talking about their favorite movies was such a real and rare moment that truly showcased the normality of same-sex couples.
When Zhara lets herself in their hotel room after she thinks she hears someone — and forbids Alex from hooking up with anyone — she starts rummaging about a girl and is surprised to find Henry in the closet (the irony) and has a pain attack. Truthfully, I would too if I found Henry with bedhead in risky business attire.
Afterward, we see Alex and Henry alongside Nora and Percy at Alex’s vacation house with his dad. I loved seeing Your Royal Highness laid back, unbuttoned, and having fun reading, laughing, and downing half a dozen tequila shots and karaoke — don’t stop him now, he’s having such a good time.
Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry in Prime Video's Red, White & Royal Blue/Prime Video
After a heartfelt pep talk with his dad back at the house, Alex attempts to talk to Henry about their future and how he wants him to come back to the vacation house next summer and walk around Austin holding hands, he goes to tell Henry he loves him, and before he can get it out, Henry panics and jumps off the dock to swim back to shore.
Later that night, Henry sneaks out and hops on a plane back to London without telling anyone and leaves Alex with one declined call after another. Talk about rejection!
Declined calls and grand gestures
After a little internet stalking and a pep talk from his best friend Nora (Rachel Hilson), Alex takes her advice and uses his air miles to hop on a plane to London, where he is abruptly greeted by an uninviting version of Henry, who wants nothing to do with the attempted grand gesture.
The speeches given by both Prince Henry and Alex in this scene give a gut-wrenchingly heartbreaking perspective of the different families, upbringings, and lives that two LGBTQ+ individuals can experience. We see Alex embrace his privilege of being able to risk everything because American politics give him a sense of freedom to express himself. Whereas Henry cannot afford to risk himself or his family because he wasn’t raised by a loving and supporting family and describes that he has “centuries of history bearing down on his shoulders.”
After many tears, heartbreak, and the most heart-warming moment of reassurance, Henry takes Alex to the museum his dad took him to as a kid and tells him that he used to dream of taking someone he loved there in hopes that he’d love it as much as he did. Cue the swoon-worthy moment when Alex plays Can’t Help Falling In Love and asks him to dance. My heart couldn’t take it.
Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry and Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz in Prime Video's Red, White & Royal Blue/Prime Video
Rewriting the history of life
After our favorite duo’s steamy emails get leaked to the world, Buckingham Palace and the White House forbid the two from speaking. During this time, Alex utilizes his political power to speak out about their relationship, his experience coming out, and the lack of privacy for queer persons. Simultaneously, we see everyone else speaking for Henry as he is berated and treated in a negative light. This is where we get a look at the diverse difference between the unique individual experiences of coming out.
Zhara convinces Henry’s assistant — who turns out to be her boyfriend — to let them talk on the phone where Henry opens up and explains to Alex that he’s not alright, and Alex hops the next plane to London to be with him.
Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry and Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz in Prime Video's Red, White & Royal Blue.
After Henry finds the motivation to speak up to the King and his brother with Alex by his side, the King attempts to silence them and their love for one another but ends up being crowded by a supportive and accepting community of folks who are waving pride flags and cheering for our favorite couple. A coming-out dream!
Not only did McQuiston’s film give the audience an exhilarating point of view into the lives of Alex and Prince Henry, but at a prince, a president’s son, a politician, a best friend, a sister, and so much more. It gave us an idea of a world full of love, an election full of truth, and a life rid of shame and secrets.
As President Claremont says, “Elections do matter, because they give you a voice.” I’m here to remind you that your voice matters in an election, in a classroom, in a boardroom, and in the world; in every aspect of your life and in others. It’s a voice worth hearing.
