Are we finally ready for a queer royal? Netflix’s Red, White & Royal Blue and Young Royals say yes
Anyone who knows me will tell you I could talk about Red White & Royal Blue and Young Royals for days on end. If you aren’t already aware of these two beautiful pieces of queer media then you should be ashamed of yourself. Ok, maybe that’s going a step too far but really, have you been living under a rock?
The monumental success of both of these series, of course, leads us towards one quintessential question: Are we officially ready for openly queer royalty? One might take these fine pieces of entertainment as a sign of progress but still my answer, unfortunately, is no. Why? Well, let’s look at Meghan and Harry for instance. Naturally, we stan the two of them for being adorable and exiting a toxic, racially abusive environment. However, as this coupling emerged, we thought that the UK was ready for a mixed-raced royal couple. Yet, an explosive Oprah interview taught us better.
While royal love stories might not be anything new, introducing a queer love story into the mix is rather refreshing, might I even say beautiful? In the UK, Gen Z couldn’t care less about the monarchy. Studies which show that its popularity among the youngest demographic is declining prove that. In 2023, an article by Openly published during the lead-up to King Charles’ coronation also questioned whether we could have an LGBTQIA+ monarch and experts as a whole don’t see this ever happening.
So yes, we all love a cheesy, adorable queer love story and we need more queer people taking over the world! But a real life takeover of the palaces of Europe seems unlikely at the moment.
When Red, White and Royal Blue came on the scene back in 2019 (thank you Casey McQuiston for writing this queer bible) it became an instant BookTok sensation. Four years after its release we were graced with the movie adaptation. I was immediately just as enamoured by the affair between Prince Henry, played by the excellent Nicholas Galitzine and Alex Claremont Diaz, played by The Kissing Booth’s Taylor Zakhar Perez, as I was by the original book. It was what we all needed and wanted to see for such a long time.
princes seeing the loves of their lives at a party with some else and their whole world crumbling while everyone else is dancing around them pic.twitter.com/Iv8bslAJV3
— keri is DYING 🩵 (@tododeomar) July 8, 2023
That same year of discovering Red, White & Royal Blue, Young Royals made its debut on Netflix and quickly became one of the top 10 most watched non-English shows in the world. Part of the series’ success was due to its authentic representation of teenagers which garnered a cult following online. The series follows Prince Wilhelm as he adjusts to life at boarding school and battles between love and duty as he falls for the choir boy, Simon Eriksson. The unique aspect of the show’s lead character being a real prince doesn’t prevent it from authentically capturing the anxiety, uncertainty, confusion, and conflict that come with the desire to please people, contrasted against one’s true desires for happiness and freedom.
In season 2, we were blessed with this brilliant admission from Prince Wilhelm as he gave a speech in the season finale: “It is a problem… To just keep traditions without stopping to think about which ones are good and which are bad. Then nothing happens. If you must follow traditions, how are we supposed to evolve?” It revealed the character’s emotional growth since he met Simon, as well as a need of the monarchy to modernise and revise its outdated ruleset.
The current monarchy doesn’t represent modern-day society except. It is a sign of ‘unity’ perhaps, but only if I use that term loosely. Both Young Royals and Red, White & Royal Blue show the beauty of falling in love as a queer person and the painful, albeit beautiful journey of coming to terms with one’s identity. To put the cherry on top, the core couples also have that swoon worthy endgame charm.
Speaking to many fans of Red, White & Royal Blue and Young Royals, one thing was clear: going against the monarchy, following their heart and living their truth is part of the appeal of these two queer gems. One fan told me: “The appeal of a forbidden relationship is the kind of dynamic that comes with one character being royal and how every move they make has inevitable consequences! We’re in desperate need of more good queer stories, and I think both of these do it well.
For many fans of Young Royals and Red, White & Royal Blue, these stories have helped them feel more comfortable in their sexualities but they still don’t think the monarchy will truly accept a queer royal as they continue to follow tradition.
While the real-life institution of the monarchy struggles to keep pace with the times, new youth-led shows are making it more inclusive. That being said, as proven in the last few years with Harry and Meghan, they couldn’t handle a Black woman at the front in the royal family so how will this so-called modern monarchy accept a queer prince or princess?
