Don’t you just love when your favorite book gets made into a movie? Well, sometimes. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, aka one of the most popular rom-com novels of the last decade, has officially been adapted for the screen by Prime Video. Out today, the film is directed by Matthew López and stars Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine in its leading roles.
Alex Claremont-Diaz, the First Son of the United States (Zakhar Perez) and Henry, the Prince of England (Galitzine) have a passionate, longstanding feud. But after one unfortunate — yet, hilarious — public brawl, the two young public figures are required to spend time together for some international damage control. Alex and Henry realize that it isn’t hate that’s at the white-hot center of their feud… it’s the kind of love that changes everything.
Related: Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine Couldn’t Be Less Serious
Steamy, political, heart wrenching, poetic, optimistic, and hopelessly romantic, Red, White & Royal Blue became a best seller thanks to McQuiston’s engaging writing and incredible dialogue. So let’s return to that first question: don’t you just love when your favorite book gets made into a movie? Sometimes, it’s a book lover’s biggest fear — especially if you’re a “the book is always better than the movie” purist. (Hi. It’s me. I’m the purist, it’s me.)
Book-to-screen adaptations are basically synonymous with “change,” but it’s understandable. In the case of Red, White & Royal Blue, it makes sense that certain details must be sacrificed to translate a 448 page novel into a 1 hour and 58 minute film. But what exactly was sacrificed? Keep reading to learn 7 of the biggest differences between Red, White & Royal Blue the movie and Red, White & Royal Blue the book.
1. Alex's parents, Ellen and Oscar, are not divorced
Instead, they’re happily married. In the book, Alex’s parents — President of the United States Ellen Claremont and California senator Oscar Diaz — are divorced, and their divorce is a major point of contention in the Claremont-Diaz’s family dynamic that adds nuance to Alex’s journey to becoming a politician himself. This change also eliminates the character of Leo Castalazzi, the First Gentleman of the United States and Alex’s stepdad. Alex’s blended family gets a lot of time together in the book, but the film decides to keep most of its focus on the romance rather than Alex’s unique family background, which he bonds over with Henry in the book.
2. Princess Bea's storyline is cut, and June Claremont-Diaz doesn't exist…
Speaking of Alex’s family… where’s June? Alex’s built-in-bestie and loving sidekick, one-third of the White House Trio, no longer exists. In the book, so much of Alex’s personality is contrasted by his sister’s. Without this personality foil as an only child, Alex’s persona could be interpreted completely differently.
While Henry’s sister Bea made the film, her character is also severely minimized. Princess Bea’s subplot in the books explored her personal struggles with substance abuse after her father’s death and the exploitative privacy breaches she endured by the British tabloids. The details of Bea’s secret rehab stint are also collateral damage when Alex and Henry’s emails are made public. Bea’s unwavering support for Henry feels a bit more one-sided in the movie without these details, as Henry has always been fiercely and ironically protective of his older sister.
3. …and neither does Rafael Luna
Another character who didn’t make the cut is Colorado Senator Rafael Luna, the young independent politician who Alex idolizes. Rafael is Latino and openly gay, and maintained a mentorship and close friendship with Alex after the First Son participated in his campaign. Without Rafael, there is no dastardly subplot with President Claremont’s Republican rival Jeffery Richards, and no older queer figure in Alex’s life for him to turn to while navigating his own sexuality.
4. Zahra's race is seemingly changed
Zahra Bankston, the deputy chief of staff for Alex’s mom President Claremont, is pretty consistent between the film and the book. Zahra is still no-nonsense, sharp, witty, and still ends up secretly engaged to Shaan, Prince Henry’s equerry. Yet, there seems to be one pretty large change: in the book, Zahra graduated from Howard University, an HBCU located in D.C. While there are non-Black students at HBCUs, the inclusion of this detail — as opposed to naming another school like Georgetown, Yale, or Duke — seemed to imply that Zahra was a Black woman. In the film, however, Zahra is played by the hilarious Sarah Shahi, who has Iranian and Spanish heritage.
5. Nora and Pez are love interests
In the books, the White House Trio joins forces with the trio from across the pond, consisting of Prince Henry, Princess Bea, and Henry’s eclectic best friend Percy “Pez” Okonjo. In the book, Pez is “fully in love” with Alex’s sister June. But with June quite literally no longer in the picture, Pez's new romantic interest in the film is Nora, Alex’s best friend and the granddaughter of the Vice President.
6. The height difference is reversed
In the book, the height difference between Alex and Henry is made clear during the scene in which the children’s hospital visit gets derailed by possible gunfire. Alex describes Henry as “taller and stronger” as they scuffle in the janitor’s closet. Yet, in the film, Taylor Zakhar Perez is actually taller than Nicholas Galitzine. The writers funnily address this coincidental change during the scene of Alex’s first damage control visit to London, when Henry claps back at Alex by accusing him of wearing lifts in his shoes.
7. Queen Mary is now King James III
The pivotal scene in which Henry and Alex go to Buckingham Palace to discuss their leaked emails with the head of the royal family is still pretty much the same in the movie as it is in the book — but the formidable Queen Mary, Henry’s grandmother, is gender-swapped in the film for King James. We imagine this to be an intentional change to contrast the story’s British ruler with the current British ruler in our world. In 2019, when the novel was first published, Queen Elizabeth II was still ruling — she was also ruling when the movie began filming last year. The monarch passed away in September 2022 at age 96. Now, in 2023, her son Charles is king.
